Abstract:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019/2020, employees worldwide started the working from home (WFH) job pattern which required public sector organizational leaders to deal with problems arising from management of remote working staffs that were overwhelmed with trying to place a dividing line between their jobs and place of residence alongside learning new skills. This study is a descriptive, analytical, and explanatory cross-sectional survey utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data to determine the policies and processes that existed in State public sector organizations for the management of employees during an emergency such as COVID-19 that required remote working as well as their training requirements. Fifty-four public sector organizations participated in the study. Data collected from 54 in-depth interviews of organizational heads and questionnaire administered to 50 human resource managers revealed that availability of WFH policies and guidelines is significantly associated with self-confidence to engage employees remotely. Factors like availability of resources, ICT proficiency, flexibility, work-life balance, virtual platforms, and project management tools proficiencies influence effectiveness of engaging remote work in the public sector. This study revealed that 64% of public sector administrators require additional trainings for effective staff engagement. When organizational executives and HR managers successfully practice employee engagement, staff are enabled to create personal schedules that balance their jobs and lifestyle in the novel post-COVID-19 WFH realities. Such practices are likewise advantageous to organizations as staffs WFH would experience improved health and productivity thus lessening expenses associated with absenteeism and staff turnovers as well as augmenting corporate advancements.

Keywords: Employee Engagement, SHRM Policies, WFH, COVID-19.

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