Now is the time for a critical analysis of the pandemic’s legacy (original) (raw)

2022, Human Systems Management

We are pleased to present the new special thematic 6 issue of Human System Management. It is no coinci-7 dence that it refers to the COVID-19 pandemic and 8 its impact on the consumption, work and operations 9 of organizations and individuals as their members. 10 A critical analysis of what happens during a crisis 11 and its consequences is only possible if we move 12 away from the situation itself. Such an approach is 13 especially necessary in the social sciences, which 14 deal with the functioning of the human system 15 at the micro (individual) and macro (different 16 sizes and degrees of complexity of collectives) 17 levels. 18 19 Winter 2020, a point in time that almost all of us 20 now consider a period that separates the pre-from 21 the post-pandemic period. The situation we found 22 ourselves in at the beginning of 2020 was something 23 completely new and different. Every new situation 24 requires us to change. Certain situations require 25 major changes, and we found ourselves in such 26 a situation. Public health measures to contain the 27 pandemic were changing the planning, organization, 28 and daily routines of our lives. We had to change the 29 "logistics" of our lives virtually overnight. Research 30 today confirms that the COVID-19 pandemic 31 affected our wellbeing and mental health. Public 32 health measures and movement restrictions confined 33 us to a small space: our homes. The working world 34 faced the need to reorganize, considering all avail-35 able resources, while information, instructions, and 36 tasks changed daily. Working from home, waiting 37 for work, and for many, losing their jobs, became 38 the new reality. In some sectors, however, the 39 situation was quite different: increased workloads 40 combined with an increased risk of infection. During 41 the pandemic, sectors became further polarized, 42 particularly into those who continued to work at 43 increased intensity and those who unfortunately had 44 to downsize or close their business or operation. 45 Yes, polarization is one of the most pronounced 46 legacies of the pandemic. Managing change in 79 their toll on children and their caregivers. Especially 80 in the early stages of adolescence, social contacts, 81 friends, classmates, and teachers are very important 82 for psychosocial development. And it was this age 83 group that spent the longest time learning at home in 84 many countries. 85 86 Coordinating work and leisure has become a par-87 ticular challenge, especially in companies that have 88 moved their business to the home environment of 89 their employees. Organizing the workplace and 90 work schedule, rearranging family relationships, 91 and the fact that caregivers often took on new roles 92 in relation to children (the role of teacher or/and 93 peer) placed a serious additional burden on remote 94 workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed 95 the labor market. In particular, the service industry, 96 tourism, hospitality, entertainment, culture, and 97 many other sectors have been shaken by the it. 98 Although systemic incentives in many countries 99 attempted to mitigate the financial and social crisis, 100 many organizations were forced to close their 101 businesses, and many workers, especially those with 102 less stable employment and (sub)entrepreneurs, lost 103 their jobs. 104 105 The situations described above are also addressed 106 in scientific articles in this issue of Human System 107 Management. Moving catering operations offsite has 108 been one of the main solutions implemented by many 109 restaurants for the survival of the business. However, 110 the use of food delivery applications cannot be taken 111 for granted, especially in a situation where consumer 112 health and safety are paramount. The article "Are 113 there any key factors that encourage food delivery 114 applications use during the COVID-19 pandemic in 115 Thailand and the role of HRM?", by Jankit Chotigo 116 and Yasuo Kadono, addresses consumer behavior 117 in relation to the use of food delivery services 118 during the pandemic. "Nexus between perceived 119 job insecurity and employee work-related outcomes 120 amid COVID-19: Attenuating effect of supervisor 121 support", authored by Shuaib Ahmed Soomro, 122 "Measuring innovative practices for workplace 123 safety, health and well-being in Tunisia during 124 the COVID-19 pandemic", by Hanen Khanchel, 125 demand that can inadvertently shift all responsibility 218 to the individual. Mohamed Buheji et al. note in 219 their article that the functioning of a society in 220 such a situation depends on the functioning of its 221 subsystems. In other words, societies that allow their 222 members the right to perceive a situation as stressful 223 are inherently contexts in which individuals are 224 better enabled to respond to a crisis. Such societies 225 are forward-looking and result-oriented, tolerant, 226