Process improvement strategy (PIS) and employee productivity amid COVID-19 pandemic among bank employees

Purpose This study aims to examine process improvement strategy (PIS) (proxied by remote work, workforce training, and technological innovation), and employee productivity amid the COVID-19 pandemic among bank employees. Design/methodology/approach The study employed cross-sectional and descriptive design by applying multistage sampling techniques using convenience sampling to select the study organization and stratified and simple random sampling to select 900 respondents for the study. Data were collected by using validated measures of the study variables designed into a questionnaire. Pearson’s correlation and simple regression analysis were employed to establish relationships and causal effects among variables respectively. Findings Results showed significant relationships between the PIS (work-from-home, workplace training, and technological innovation) and the outcome variable (employee productivity); and predictive capabilities between the PIS and the outcome variables (employee productivity). The study revealed that remote work accounted for the highest variability ( R 2 = 0.775) in employee productivity, followed by workplace training ( R 2 = 0.499), and finally investment in technological innovation ( R 2 = 0.486)] and as such PIS fosters employee productivity and may, therefore, be applied when faced with a similar pandemic in the future. Originality/value The study was recognized for its significance in examining how PIS supports enhancing employee productivity in banks and, by extension, other organizations during a pandemic. The research has proven to be crucial in providing insights into bank management in emerging economies and other organizations worldwide that have previously gone unnoticed during a pandemic. It has aided in the extension of existing literature on PIS and employee productivity by carefully developing a framework, thus covering practical knowledge gaps.