What was the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on human resource management and work? An integrative literature review

Considering the pandemic's wide-ranging impacts, this study examined how the literature addressed its effects on work, human resource management (HRM), and organizations. Sixty-four articles published between January 2020 and March 2022 were systematically selected for this bibliographic review. A thematic content analysis was conducted, categorizing the most frequently discussed topics into three argumentative categories: work and workers, HRM, and organizations. These categories revealed convergences, divergences, and gaps in the literature, leading to the conclusion that values such as autonomy, flexibility, and communication were essential across all three categories. Telework emerged as the predominant work modality, requiring profound adaptations to HRM processes. Notably, geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic factors influenced teleworkers' assessments and productivity, warranting further investigation. The pandemic underscored a paradigm shift in recruitment and professional categorization, highlighting the importance of adaptable proficiencies in remote work, encompassing both technical and interpersonal skills, during and after the crisis. Lastly, organizations responded by strengthening flexible and empathetic organizational cultures capable of withstanding the biopsychosocial pressures experienced by workers during the pandemic.