QUESTION 1

[50 MARKS]

Case study: Home or Office?

There have been many predictions that the COVID-19 pandemic would permanently change the world of work. According to a new global survey, that is just what has happened with a majority of people across the world saying they want to keep working flexibly from home. An Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum among 12,500 employed people in 29 countries found that the majority of people want flexible working to become the norm, and almost a third (30%) said they would consider looking for another job if they were forced to go back to the office full time. The survey also challenges several dire predictions about the effects of remote working. Experts warned that people would miss their co-workers, be less productive and become burned out but the survey finds only minority support for these views. Just over half of those questioned were missing their colleagues, 64% said they were more productive with a flexible work schedule, and only a third complained of burn out. Only one in three said they felt disengaged from work when working remotely.

Source: Broom, D. (2021) Home or office? Survey shows opinions about work after COVID-19. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/back-to-office-or-work-from-home-survey/ (accessed 15 August 2022).

Strategic human resources management (SHRM) emphasises the need for flexibility: the ability to react and adapt quickly to changes in an organisation's environment. This is testament to what most organisations require in order to thrive during and post the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic necessitated changes in the way human resources are or human capital is managed. As seen from the case study, most employees in the workforce have changed the ways they view the world of work.

Using the case study as a starting point, conduct a mini-research study using data or information from your organisation (or one you are familiar with) using online research or through interviews, discussions with the team members in your organisation, or an interview with a strategic consultant at your respective company addressing how a leader may employ SHRM to deal with the following in a post-pandemic corporate environment:

a. Achieving team goals that feed into the overall strategy of the organisation. (10 marks)

b. Building team enthusiasm and engagement. (10 marks)

c. Leading virtual teams and contractors with a mixed method approach. (15 marks)

d. Helping team members manage their time should they choose to work remotely. (10 marks)

e. Making the right hiring (recruitment and selection) decisions whilst taking into consideration the desire to work remotely. (5 marks)

The above aspects must be researched with the SHRM lens in a corporate environment, which has emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant changes on work culture and environment.