MANAGING EMPLOYEES IN CRISIS SITUATIONS – A CASE STUDY OF AQUA S.A.

The article provides a discussion on a strategy of personnel management in crisis situations on theexample of AQUA S.A. – a water and sewerage company. The authors have made an attempt toanalyse various aspects of personnel management against the context of crises such as a pandemic,a natural disaster or a technical failure. They have stressed the importance of an adequate responseof persons in charge of personnel management to such situations and the necessity of rapiddecision making.The main problems addressed in the article include contingency planning, communication with thepersonnel, flexible employment strategies, and psychological support for employees. The authorsfurther emphasise that effective personnel management in a crisis situation requires cooperationof different divisions within a company and having clear emergency procedures in place.The article also provides a case study of the company AQUA, showcased as a model of good practiceand a business that manages its staff effectively under difficult circumstances. The conclusionsarising from these analyses can provide valuable guidance for enterprises preparing to handlepotential crises in the future and/or to implement crisis situation management strategies.The authors have highlighted that investing in appropriate emergency personnel managementstrategies can yield benefits of improved organisational resilience to unexpected events andimproved employee retention. They further imply that research on this subject should continueto reach even better understanding of effective personnel management practices applicable undercrisis conditions.