HRMT20025 International HRM Essay 1 Sample

HRMT 20025 International HRM Essay 1 

“Managing human resources in Multinational 

Enterprises (MNE) is challenging in the context of post-COVID-19 pandemic”.

Human Resources – Essay

Task

Write an academic essay on “Managing human resources in Multinational Enterprises (MNE) is challenging in the context of post COVID-19 pandemic”.
Your essay should focus on

• taking a position either agreeing or disagreeing or both with the essay topic/statement and using the literature (i.e., academic references) and real-life examples (i.e., magazine articles) to support your arguments/discussions.

• providing implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on international human resource management (HRM) in MNEs.
You will be required to conduct independent research to find evidence that supports the position you have adopted. The majority of evidence should be drawn from peer-reviewed academic journal articles (post-2012). However, evidence can also be drawn from textbooks, magazine articles, websites, company reports, and media releases.

Solution

In this post-Covid era, Human Resource Management (HRM) was compelled to adopt a new set of rules and regulations quickly. As per MBA Assignment Expert Overview, As a result, it has become quite challenging to manage human resources in MNEs by keeping pace with newly-introduced HR functions and practices. HRM nowadays is responsible to monitor and analyze “performance” and “engagement metrics” of employees regularly, thereby determining the “strategic talent acquisition”. Moreover, HRM in the post-Covid era is also responsible to make effective management and development decisions as well as prepare an entire workforce for the challenges that they may face. In this context, however, the essay will shed light on how HRM in MNEs has become more challenging in this post-Covid era by using real-life examples and evidence from existing literature. Additionally, the study will also underline the implications of the global pandemic on international HRM in MNEs. 

Challenges Faced by HRM in the Post-Covid Era

The sudden outbreak of the global pandemic caused major disruption and change in people’s working lifestyles. It cannot be denied that the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted “global business operations”, thereby transforming the existing ways of business operations as well as influencing the process MNEs used to manage their workforce. As an immediate impact of the pandemic, employees were compelled to pursue their work remotely from their current locations or their homes (Lee et al., 2022). However, now that vaccination programs have brought most people under the same roof, MNEs are aiming to normalize their working process and bring their workforces back to offices. In this context, HRM in MNEs is facing several challenges in terms of managing their human resources in a strategic manner. 

In this context, the most intense challenge is that employees have got familiar with remote working culture and less-active lifestyle. Therefore, they show their unwillingness to go to the office regularly and pursue their work from the office premise like pre-Covid era. They further show their reluctance to interact with managers physically and give excuses for family responsibilities. It has caused major distress to employees who are expected or forced to go to the office regularly (Arora & Suri, 2020). HRM in MNEs, particularly in this post-pandemic era, is further identified to face challenges in terms of the health and safety of employees, talent acquisition and talent management, compliance with new-normal regulations, cross-cultural communication, and others. Additionally, a critical challenge has also been identified in terms of recruiting cheap laborers or making them satisfied with pay and benefits (Palalic et al., 2022). On the other hand, HRM in MNEs also faces difficulties in supervising employees working remotely, keeping payroll processes running, devising means and procedures for developing training programs, as well as navigating the turbulence of the post-pandemic world. 

Transformation of HRM with COVID-19

It cannot be denied that the roles and daily tasks carried out by HR professionals have undergone significant shifts, specifically due to the excessive growth of “remote work” in response to the global pandemic. HR professionals in MNEs have had to face new challenges as well as implement new strategies in terms of managing employees efficiently amidst the pandemic in the post-pandemic era. In recent times, HRM is required to focus on employee well-being, employee health & safety, and new HRM technologies, along with post-Covid rules, regulations, and trends (Brewster & Haak-Saheem, 2022). It has been identified that HRM in MNEs requires a shift in paradigm in terms of dealing with new-normal challenges with ease. A survey conducted by “ADP Canada” shed light on the fact that more than 43% of HR professionals accept that their roles and responsibilities have been largely changed in this post-pandemic world. On the other hand, most of them believe that their roles and responsibilities have become more challenging. In this context, it has been identified that most of the difficulties are likely to stem from the reality that HRM plays a strategic role in organizations as they attempt to handle “sustainability concerns” and “human capital challenges” caused due to pandemic (Arslan et al., 2020). Therefore, HRM has been becoming increasingly critical in this unprecedented time. In addition to this, HRM in MNEs becomes responsible to guide their respective organizations through the transition of returning to physical workplaces as well as driving strategic planning for the upcoming days. 

In this post-Covid era, the functions of HRM are becoming more critical as MNCs are counting on their expertise, speed, and creativity to reshape a contemporary workplace for “recovery” and “resistance”. However, they are required to learn new skills to pursue this new role that would help them to become more efficient (Jooss et al., 2022). This particular context can be elaborated better with the help of “Contingency Theory” which highlights that the performance of an organization hinges on the “fit” between its structure, strategies, and resources as well as the external environment associated with politics, economy, and technology. In this post-pandemic era, strategic implementation of this theory can help HR professionals to encompass a match between organizational characteristics and other surrounding features (Alonso et al., 2020). In this context, HR professionals are required to wear more hats than previous ones to guide employees and executives in terms of overcoming recent challenges and moving forward. 

Implications of The COVID-19 Pandemic on International HRM in MNEs

Several implications of the global pandemic have been identified on international HRM in multi-national organizations. In this post-pandemic era, it has become quite challenging for HR professionals to monitor employee performance virtually, provide them with necessary support and assistance, offer exclusive development opportunities, motivate them to return to their physical workplaces, and enhance employee satisfaction compared to the pre-Covid era (Yawson, 2020). The most critical implication of the COVID-19 pandemic on international HRM in MNEs is that they are almost forced to navigate “virtual recruiting” as well as make the process of transition quick. In this post-Covid era, HRM in MNCs conducts the whole recruitment process from “planning” and “talent sourcing” to “assessing”, “selecting”, “hiring”, and “onboarding” in a virtual space (Vahdat, 2022). In this context, “hiring events” and “virtual job fairs” are some particular elements in a framework of virtual recruiting that HR professionals should learn to navigate. Moreover, they are further required to learn about “remote onboarding” as an essential aspect of virtual recruiting. However, it can be quite challenging to learn about new advanced technology, establish effective communication channels, as well as enhance their engagement skills in terms of fostering connections with new hires and completing paperwork virtually (Anjum et al., 2022). Further implications have also been identified in terms of conducting employee surveys regularly, managing remote teams, serving as “public health administrators”, and protecting the privacy of employees. 

In conclusion, it can be stated that HRM in MNEs has become quite challenging during this post-Covid era. In this context, it has become a matter of earnest importance for MNEs to comply with both national and international regulations. Therefore, it has also become essential to develop strategic collaboration with local authorities as well as communicate effectively with employees. On the other hand, MNEs in the post-Covid era must keep pace with the changing pattern of work as well as build effective strategies for attracting, developing, and retaining talent while ensuring employees’ health and safety. Additionally, strategic collaboration and communication across different cultures, providing all the support and resources for employees, as well as compliance with regulations have become important for HRM in MNEs for success in the post-Covid era. 

References

Alonso, A. D., Kok, S. K., Bressan, A., O’Shea, M., Sakellarios, N., Koresis, A., ... & Santoni, L. J. (2020). COVID-19, aftermath, impacts, and hospitality firms: An international perspective. International journal of hospitality management, 91, 102654. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.ijhm.2020.102654

Anjum, N., Rahman, M. M., & Rahaman, M. S. (2022). Challenges for HR Professionals in the Post-COVID-19 Era. Journal of Business Strategy Finance and Management, 4(1), 5. http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/JBSFM.04.01.02

Arora, P., & Suri, D. (2020). Redefining, relooking, redesigning, and reincorporating HRD in the post Covid 19 context and thereafter. Human Resource Development International, 23(4), 438-451. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2020.1780077

Arslan, A., Gölgeci, I., & Larimo, J. (2020). Expatriates, rise of telecommuting and implications for international business. In Covid-19 and International Business (pp. 156-166). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003108924

Brewster, C., & Haak-Saheem, W. (2022). Global Human Resource Management in a Post-Pandemic World. In The Emerald Handbook of Work, Workplaces and Disruptive Issues in HRM (pp. 399-413). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-779-420221039

Jooss, S., Conroy, K. M., & McDonnell, A. (2022). From travel to virtual work: The transitional experiences of global workers during Covid-19. International Business Review, 31(6), 102052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2022.102052

Lee, J. Y., Yahiaoui, D., Lee, K. P., & Cooke, F. L. (2022). Global talent management and multinational subsidiaries' resilience in the Covid‐19 crisis: Moderating roles of regional headquarters' support and headquarters–subsidiary friction. Human Resource Management, 61(3), 355-372. https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fhrm.22100

Palalic, R., Hisrich, R. D., Dana, L. P., & Ramadani, V. (2022). Sustainability of global and international business operations during the adversity and hardship. Heritage and Sustainable Development, 4(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.37868/hsd.v4i1.78

Vahdat, S. (2022). The role of IT-based technologies on the management of human resources in the COVID-19 era. Kybernetes, 51(6), 2065-2088. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-04-2021-0333

Yawson, R. (2020). Strategic flexibility analysis of HRD research and practice post COVID-19 pandemic. Human Resource Development International, 23(4), 406-417. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2020.1779169