The Need for Human Resource Management in the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis; A Meta-Synthesis Study
Authors: Bagheri Zahra , Seyed Naghavi Mir Ali 
Published: April 2022

Background. The crisis caused by the novel coronavirus in 2019 has caused challenges and problems in most organizations and created difficulties for employees who are the most important organizational resource. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to identify the components of human resources (HR) during the new coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, based on previous researches in this field. Material. This is a Meta-Synthesis study. Using the 4 keywords of human resources, human resource management, coronavirus, COVID-19, the researchers explored literature databases of Proquest, The Scientific Information Database (SID), Web of Science, Emerald journals as well as Google Scholar, the specialized search engine, in 2019-2021. The number of sources initially found was 1,029, of which 921 articles were rejected because of the title. The total number of screened abstracts was 108, 16 of which we rejected on the basis of the abstracts and 27 of which we rejected in view of content, leaving us with 65 final articles to be reviewed. Three universal themes, three constructive themes, 11 basic themes and 117 codes were extracted. Results. Based on the findings of this study social opportunities and threats are the biggest challenges for human resources. The HR unit should also focus on issues such as virtualization of work and work environment, the degree of external environment support for the organization's employees, how to restructure jobs, health, and psychological challenges, as well as economic and internal challenges. Conclusion. In dealing with the coronavirus, human resource managers should pay special attention to components such as virtualization of work and work environment, support of the external environment for employees of the organization, restructuring of jobs, health and psychological requirements and challenges, whether they be social, economic, or intra-organizational. Extended Abstract Background One of the challenges that the field of management is currently facing, and can cause a crisis in the field of human resource management, if ignored, is the new Corona virus (covid-19). The observations of researchers and human resource managers indicate that since the announcement of the virus worldwide, the overall structure of work has undergone major changes and, consequently, the lifestyle of humans has been affected. The crisis caused by the new coronavirus has caused challenges and problems in most organizations and has caused problems for employees, who are the most important assets and resources of most organizations. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to identify the components of human resources during the new coronavirus crisis (covid-19), based on previous research in this field, and to extract the relevant components. These components can help managers, especially human resources managers, in advancing goals. Material Topics in this field have recently entered the literature of management and leadership and comprehensive models and theories in the field of research have not been appeared yet. Accordingly, the research method of this article is a qualitative study that has been done by researchers of published articles on human resource management in the new covid-19 crisis, using the meta-synthesis method. The goal is to create a new, integrated interpretation of the findings. This method is for clarifying the concepts, patterns, and results in refining the existing states of knowledge and the emergence of operational models and accepted theories. The use of the meta-synthesis method to identify key factors related to human resource management in the new covid-19 crisis serves to integrate several studies to create comprehensive and interpretive findings. Does the main research question emphasize what the dimensions and components of human resource management are in the new covid-19 crisis according to previous research? To set the research question, Four main parameters have been used, namely: Using the 4 keywords of human resources, human resource management, coronavirus, COVID-19, the researchers explored literature databases of Proquest, The Scientific Information Database (SID), Web of Science, Emerald journals as well as Google Scholar, the specialized search engine, in 2019-2021. The number of 1,029 sources was found, of which 921 articles were rejected because of the title. The total number of screened abstracts was 108, 16 of which we rejected on the basis of the abstracts and 27 of which we rejected in view of content, leaving us with 65 final articles to be reviewed. Three universal themes, three constructive themes, 11 basic themes and 117 codes were extracted. Results COVID-19 pandemic is destroying the global economy, but it also brings different opportunities for organizations. It is time for HR managers to think about how to take advantage of this opportunity. In certain situations, and during a covid-19 crisis, organizational managers need to communicate openly and honestly with employees so that they can perform more effectively, because employee participation has a significant and positive effect on organizational performance. In addition, knowledge sharing in this situation is more important than ever and has a significant and positive effect on the performance of the organization. Therefore, to maintain the high performance of the organization at this time, employee participation and knowledge sharing can be the best way to meet the current human resource challenges. During the outbreak of the covid-19 disease, employee participation is a key element of employee and organizational success, and employee satisfaction leads to better performance, increased creativity, and organizational commitment, which is becoming increasingly important in hospitals and health care organizations. This study indicate that opportunities and social threats are the biggest challenges facing human resources. The HR unit should also focus on issues such as virtualization of work and work environment, the degree of external environment support for the organization's employees, how to restructure jobs, health, and psychological challenges, as well as economic and internal challenges. Human resources managers can observe the characteristics, requirements, and challenges arising from this disease on a component-by-component basis. For example, hospital managers consider issues such as the prevalence of mental disorders such as depression, insomnia and generalized anxiety, fear of not knowing, health crisis, stress in the medical system, negative impact on the physical and mental health of employees, and risk of isolation or loneliness in work environments. Distance, mental health, the loneliness of single and childless employees are the main challenges of the health system employees and identifying these challenges can solve many problems arising at this point. The existence of social norms, on the other hand, can be even more important. Such norms may include the implementation of policies such as social distancing and closure of gathering and interaction centers, combating the phenomenon of social stigma, raising awareness of how the virus might be transmited, care and prevention of pollution through national and social media, highlighting the importance of social responsibility. Among other important norms identified in this study are health care, public governance, education, employment, and socio-economic factors, support for managers to balance life and work, leaving employees to prepare meals, play with children and do housework, staff participation and knowledge sharing, providing a clean and safe work environment, providing personal protective equipment and financial assistance for them and their family members, employees' adaptation to the remote work environment, separation of work and private life. Conclusion Finally, after reading this article, managers and researchers in this field and other related fields can look at human resource issues through a new lens. In dealing with the covid-19, human resource managers should pay special attention to components such as virtualization of work and work environment, support of the external environment for employees of the organization, restructuring of jobs, health and psychological requirements and challenges, social, economic, and intra-organizational factors. One of the limitations of this research is the novelty of the subject and the lack of previous research, especially in Iranian sources. Also, quantitative research addresses aspects that may not be possible to monitor in qualitative research. It is therefore recommended that future research focus on quantitative-qualitative hybrid methods. It is also suggested that future research investigate the impact of human resource processes during covid-19 outbreaks. Practical Implications of Research It is best for HR managers to review the structure and processes of HR and organizational resources and to coordinate the organization to adapt to the changes resulting from COVID-19. Ethical Considerations The researchers have adhered to all ethical principles in the use, presentation, and publication of scientific materials and all the rights of researchers have been observed. Conflict of Interest The authors of this article hereby declare that they have no conflict of interest. Aknowledgment Not applicable.