Coronavirus crisis challenges and HR responses – Hungary 2020 – framework of domestic research

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has posed significant challenges to the economy within a short period. The paper deals with the relationship between the pandemic and HR management, the labour market consequences of the epidemic, and draws parallels between the current situation and the 2008–2009 downturn regarding crisis management. The paper focuses on the authors' field research, in which the effects of the pandemic on HR are analysed from three perspectives, thereby helping Hungarian managers and HR employees in the processes mentioned above. Three specific topics are addressed in this paper: first, we review international management and HR experiences related to the pandemic, and then we do the same for those in Hungary. These reviews are followed by our own empirical research on the topic. During the first wave of the pandemic, organizational behaviour was rather dominated by pessimism; however, it was also found that solutions previously considered to be impossible by management (e.g. home office, currently used across the globe) also became widespread.