Strategic Management of Human Resources in Uncertain Environment

Abstract

The article is aimed at forming a methodological framework for the strategic management of human resources (HRM) in uncertain environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper considers the main approaches to defining the concept of strategic personnel management and research areas in this field. The key issues that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the behavior and form of work of most employees are revealed. Critical views on the (conceptual) inability of strategic research on personnel management to take into account new, modern HR practices are analyzed. The study identifies and analyzes three main consequences (problems) for strategic human resource management studies that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the impact of the work context on the employees’ behavior and actions, tensions between stakeholders (employees, customers and communities together with shareholders), tensions between the strategic and operational roles of HR. In order to identify the main trends in personnel management and assess the priorities and expected challenges for 2022, the authors analyze the results of questioning several companies’ heads of department dealing with personnel, legal and financial issues. Based on the study, the main trends (areas) of human resources management in 2021 are identified, and recommendations are given to form strategic directions of personnel management for the future. Prospects for further research in this area are to develop recommendations on how to change personnel management practices to take into account changes in service delivery, such as increase in service digitization or reduction in physical interaction in service delivery in response to COVID-19, and to determine their influence on the customers’ key results.

Keywords

• personnel management
• strategic management
• human resources
• consequences of the covid-19 pandemic
• human resources management trends