Key challenges and solutions for HR professionals in the “New Normal” 2022

Authors : Akanksha Jain, Shashi Nanda

DOI : 10.18231/j.jmra.2022.029

Volume : 9

Issue : 3

Year : 2022

Page No : 157-161

It has been two years into the Covid-19 era, the world as we know has changed drastically, stumbling into survival mode as it tries to adjust to the new realities. People are learning to cope with rapid changes that can be disruptive and confusing. They are constantly faced by health scares, financial pressures and domestic challenges. The companies have been crushed by instability and workers are in stressful condition, in such a situation, it becomes the prerogative of HR professionals to step up and keep everything in perspective and aligned. As a result, Human Resources (HR) has become one of the most critical functions of any enterprise in these extraordinary times. This paper intends to highlight the challenges faced by companies and solutions for the same.
Purpose of Study: This conceptual paper is an attempt at deliberating on how COVID-19 has changed the work-culture landscape. What drastic change it has bought for the HR professionals and what needs to be recognized and adapted to in this new normal. The objective is to understand the hitches and challenges that has come with this new arrangement and lay down some solutions that can bring back the old growth regime.
Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study based on information gathered from many HR professionals across industries. In-depth interviews of various stakeholders from a representative range of Indian organizations were conducted and some of the key human-resource related issues and challenges that have come up during the Covid times were identified and enumerated in this paper.
Findings: With Covid still very much prevalent but the economies slowly opening up, it is not possible to continue with traditional systems, processes and strategies that the HR professional were using in the pre-covid era. New measures, methods and stratagems need to be laid down to bring people back to work. There is a need to create new policies to re-allign and re-connect the individual goals with organizational goal to bring about a similar level of growth. Thus further accentuating the need for navigating and adapting around the ‘new normal’.


Keywords: Covid­19, Disruptive, "New Normal", HR professionals, Challenges, Solutions


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