Deciding Factors for Employees During a Pandemic
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
In Fall 2020, 284 undergraduate students were surveyed regarding their search for a professional job. The COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary for many organizations to make changes to their Human Resources (HR) practices. Job applicants may judge organizations by how they reacted/treated their employees during this time. We wanted to know if various HR practices made ODU students more/less likely to accept a job offer. The 56 HR practices we chose to analyze fell into the following categories: accommodating remote work, enhancing communication, enhancing employee relations, work management, job assignments, staffing, and compensation and benefits. The answers to each question were based on a 1- to 5-point scale (1 = “significantly less likely to accept the job offer” and 5 = “significantly more likely to accept the job offer”). Survey responses indicated that certain HR practices would influence students’ decisions. For example, if a company required employees to work at home, except essential workers, 57.09% of students responded that they would be more likely to accept the job offer. On the other hand, this percentage increased to 79.43% when the ability to work from home was optional to non-essential workers. Also, 83.45% of respondents felt that the company conducting layoffs made them less likely to accept the offer, and 73.24% of respondents either felt neutral or less likely to accept the offer if the company was actively recruiting and hiring full-time or part-time employees to replace workers that were laid off. These responses are relevant and useful for local organizations actively recruiting undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Sheila Keener
College Affiliation
College of Business (Strome)
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Disciplines
Human Resources Management
Session Title
Management Research Lab
Location
Zoom Room CC
Start Date
3-20-2021 2:00 PM
End Date
3-20-2021 2:55 PM
Deciding Factors for Employees During a Pandemic
Zoom Room CC
In Fall 2020, 284 undergraduate students were surveyed regarding their search for a professional job. The COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary for many organizations to make changes to their Human Resources (HR) practices. Job applicants may judge organizations by how they reacted/treated their employees during this time. We wanted to know if various HR practices made ODU students more/less likely to accept a job offer. The 56 HR practices we chose to analyze fell into the following categories: accommodating remote work, enhancing communication, enhancing employee relations, work management, job assignments, staffing, and compensation and benefits. The answers to each question were based on a 1- to 5-point scale (1 = “significantly less likely to accept the job offer” and 5 = “significantly more likely to accept the job offer”). Survey responses indicated that certain HR practices would influence students’ decisions. For example, if a company required employees to work at home, except essential workers, 57.09% of students responded that they would be more likely to accept the job offer. On the other hand, this percentage increased to 79.43% when the ability to work from home was optional to non-essential workers. Also, 83.45% of respondents felt that the company conducting layoffs made them less likely to accept the offer, and 73.24% of respondents either felt neutral or less likely to accept the offer if the company was actively recruiting and hiring full-time or part-time employees to replace workers that were laid off. These responses are relevant and useful for local organizations actively recruiting undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic.