A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY BEFORE AND AFTER COVID-19

The outbreak of Novel Coronavirus has led to unprecedented changes in the organizational structure within various work setups across the globe requiring immediate transition from the normal office environment to the Work From Home (WFH) setup. While transitioning from the normal organizational set up to WFH arrangement, productivity of employees has not only faced challenges but has had to undergo a complete transformation. The present study aims to explore differences in employees' productivity before and after the COVID-19 outbreak as well as the influence of organisational culture and human resource practices on the same. This paper is an attempt to explore if there has been a change in employees' productivity due to the new working format and the impact that various parameters within the organization such as managerial support, clear communication, human resource management practices, and well-being measures have on employee productivity. This study will adopt a descriptive and analytical approach of research using a quantitative method for research conduct. Primary data will be gathered via the use of a structured survey developed using the five-point Likert scale among employees working in the private service sector under the new WFH arrangement during or after the pandemic. Some of the methods employed in analyzing the gathered data include descriptive analysis, mean score analysis, correlation, and paired sample t-test. From the findings, there has been significant improvement in employee productivity during the WFH period compared to before the pandemic. The respondents reported that they were more productive, efficient, focused, and able to finish their job assignments in a WFH setting. Issues such as flexibility of work hours, savings of the time spent traveling to work, and freedom when undertaking the work responsibilities account for the increased productivity of the employees. Another critical issue that helps in the maintenance of high productivity levels by remote employees is organizational support. Areas such as communication, leadership, supervisor support, and HRM influence the performance of the employees. The use of HRM approaches focusing on balancing work and life, mental health management, and flexibility enhances productivity to some degree, but others such as engagement and adaptability still need further research. Nevertheless, despite all these advantages, it becomes obvious from the research findings that the adoption of remote working comes with some downsides too, such as increased stress and exhaustion experienced by workers. Thus, it is necessary to find a way to combine organizational efficiency with employees' well-being. To conclude, it is worth noting that while the work-from-home approach can provide many advantages for organizations and their employees, its further existence would only be possible under the condition of continuous organizational, HR, and managerial support. The research adds an HR-based comparative perspective to the topic under consideration and thus contributes to the literature review.