PurposeThis paper aims to present an empirically driven crisis management framework of complementary human resource management (HRM) bundles that can be utilized in simultaneously managing the health crisis, financial crisis and disruptions to business operations through lockdown and other government restrictions propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe framework is developed employing qualitative methodology, drawing from the successful HRM practices adopted by 26 Sri Lankan companies in battling the many crises of COVID-19 and using the soft HRM approach as the theoretical basis.FindingsThe findings report a framework that consists of three key HRM bundles (health and safety bundle, cost-saving bundle and employee motivation and engagement bundle) entailing an array of inter-related, internally consistent, complementary and mutually reinforcing HRM practices and HRM activities. These HRM bundles and the HRM practices as well as the HRM activities therein, indicate how a softer approach to managing employees can be used during a crisis.Practical implicationsThe framework will inform the HRPs of the HRM bundles, HRM practices and HRM activities that can be used to manage the multiple crises created by COVID-19 and other similar pandemics.Originality/valueThe study contributes to and expands the knowledge of HRM in crisis management generally and HRM in a global pandemic more specifically.

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This article aims to examine the experiences of human resource professionals (HRPs) in managing crises posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing qualitative research methodology, in-depth interviews with 24 HRPs of different industries were carried out. The findings indicate how the HRPs have navigated through five phases of the crisis as (a) anticipatory; (b) crisis; (c) adjustment; (d) rebounding; (e) continuance or reverting to old ways, struggling with many decisions and actions. The periods that companies took to navigate these different stages and the success of how they faced the crises posed by the pandemic mainly depend on factors such as the level of preparedness, nature of the industry, availability of resources, and role of the HRPs. The learning from the experiences of the HRPs and the phases they have navigated through will help to successfully manage similar crises in the future.

Telecommuting as an alternative job design is becoming increasingly popular across the globe. Although many aspects of telecommuting have been extensively explored by researchers, its impact on individual creativity is yet to be explored. Thus, we conducted a mixed-methods investigation to explore the telecommuting-creativity link. Study 1 revealed how telecommuting enhances and reduces creativity from semi-structured interviews with 17 professional software development employees. Guided by the insights of study 1 and the Identity Theory, study 2 was conducted to examine the effect of telework on the novelty and usefulness dimensions of creativity. Drawing on a survey of 246 professional employees, study 2 found that telecommuting impacts personal and team identity of an individual differently which in turn have varying impacts to the two dimensions of creativity. We discuss the implications of our findings for the future implementation of telecommuting.

Businesses around the globe are facing tremendous pressures to improve their manufacturing practices to minimize their harmful effects on the environment. These pressures are being exerted from different stakeholders but in developing countries mostly there are powerful suppliers and customers, which can change the choices of decision makers in the local industry. According to institutional theory these pressures combined are called normative pressures. By using path modeling this study attempted to find out the role of normative pressures to adopt green supply chain management (GSCM) practices and the impact of those adopted practices on environmental and economic performance of those companies through partial least square (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM). Data was collected from 134 manufacturing companies in Pakistan through a questionnaire. Path analysis results confirmed that normative pressures have positive and significant impact on adopting the GSCM practices and subsequently these practices improve the environmental performance of the companies in Pakistan. Results also confirmed many existing studies that GSCM practices directly do not improve economic performance but environmental performance does have a significant positive effect on the economic performance Key words:Normative pressures; Green supply chain management practices; Environmental performance; Economic performance; Pakistan Resumo: Empresas em todo o mundo estão enfrentando enormes pressões para melhorar suas práticas de fabricação para minimizar seus efeitos nocivos sobre o meio ambiente. Essas pressões estão sendo exercidas por diferentes partes interessadas, mas nos países em desenvolvimento existem principalmente fornecedores e clientes poderosos, que podem mudar as escolhas dos tomadores de decisão na indústria local. Segundo a teoria institucional, essas pressões combinadas são chamadas de pressões normativas. Com a modelagem de caminhos, este estudo buscou descobrir o papel das pressões normativas na adoção de práticas de gestão da cadeia de suprimentos verdes (GSCM) e o impacto dessas práticas adotadas no desempenho ambiental e econômico dessas empresas através da modelagem de equações estruturais(SEM) utilizando minimos quadradas (PLS). Os dados foram coletados de 134 empresas de manufatura no Paquistão por meio de um questionário. Os resultados do Path Analysis confirmaram que as pressões normativas têm impacto positivo e significativo na adoção das práticas de GSCM e, posteriormente, essas práticas melhoram o desempenho ambiental das empresas no Paquistão. Os resultados também confirmaram muitos estudos existentes de que as práticas de GSCM não melhoram diretamente o desempenho econômico, mas sim o desempenho ambiental que tem um efeito positivo significativo sobre o desempenho econômico.

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Sustainable development focuses on the cessation of gender inequalities and providing equal access to education and employment opportunities for women without being summarily barred from certain positions of power. The hard-fought battles of activists who raised their voices and the leaders who understood women's talents helped women become more and more represented in positions of leadership across businesses and societal spheres compared to the past. However, gender imbalance in leadership is still pervasive. Despite long-existing corporate policies, and procedures that emphasize equity and equality, the persistence of inequalities poses the question 'why progress is slow in achieving gender balance in positions of power?'. Also, without understanding the nature of today's gender gaps, they cannot be filled.

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how Human Resource Management (HRM) practices were adopted to implement and manage remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify whether and how remote working would/should continue in the future, in a developing and a unique cultural set up in the Asian context.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted using qualitative methodology with semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 26 Human Resource Professionals (HRPs) of different industries in Sri Lanka. The information was collected in two phases; at the initial stages of the pandemic during May–June 2020 and after one year and four months, in October–November 2021.FindingsThe findings explain the different HRM activities executed by HRPs, such as employee engagement activities, setting guidelines, employee support, performance management and training, to make remote working successful when it was implemented as an emergency and involuntary work arrangement with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. However, over time, the interest and interventions of HRPs appeared to have dwindled, and many companies are waiting to revert to on-site work when the pandemic situation settles. It appears that remote working will remain a transitory work arrangement to respond to crises or exceptional circumstances rather than a permanent work arrangement for many companies in Sri Lanka.Originality/valueThe study contributes to and expands the knowledge of HRM in managing remote working during and beyond the pandemic in a developing Asian country perspective and the suitability of remote working and HRM practices for specific national cultural contexts.