Employee-related problems and possible HR solutions among Hungarian SMEs before and after COVID-19
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15170/MM.2023.57.04.05Keywords:
employee-related problems, work morale, MSME survey, Covid, HR practicesAbstract
THE AIM OF THE PAPER
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are important both for the economy and society as they can play a decisive role in the economic growth of a region. Therefore it is of utmost importance to identify the challenges and phenomena they face. This paper aims to explore, through empirical data, the employee-related problems they faced before and after Covid and to identify human resource management practices that can act as solutions to these problems.
METHODOLOGY
The analysis is based on the 2018-2023 primary SME data collection of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Competitiveness Research Group (MSME-CRAG). A comparison of the 620 Hungarian SMEs before and after the Covid outbreak was carried out, taking into account the size categories of the companies. The comparison was tested for independence along the selected questions.
MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS
The results of the research point to organisational employment problems before and after Covid, in particular, low employee morale and work intensity in the organisations studied. This phenomenon have only increased in the period since Covid as perceived by company managers. Together with the other identified employee problems, the results highlight the importance of an organisational human resources policy, including incentive management, with horizontally aligned, mutually reinforcing and complementary elements (staff development, compensation policies, incentive schemes) that can provide targeted solutions to the challenges.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The research contributes to a better understanding of the employee-related problems faced by domestic micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the organisational human resources policy responses to them. All this information will show the impact of Covid on organisational employment challenges and the strategies adopted by employers who, due to their organisational size, may not have dedicated HR professionals.
Acknowledgment: The study was prepared in the framework of the project "Okos Révkalauz HUB” 2020-1.1.2-PIACI-KFI-2021-00306 and the project NKFI-135732 "Complex research on innovative forms of employment - the interrelationship between labour legislation, enforcement and business efficiency".
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