Navigating Human Resource Management in Civil Service During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multiple Case Study

The Study covers how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shaped and changed the role of Human Resource Management Officers in the Davao Region. Participants were represented by the head of the Human Resources of selected government agencies from state Universities, Local Government units, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Government Service Insurance System, which are all under the Civil Service Commission. The main objective of the study was to understand how their respective strategic advantages, challenges, responses, and consequences are being handled, given the restrictions and threat of the Virus. The study is a multiple-case study that uses purposive sampling to identify the right participants. The result shows that the common practices of these different agencies reveal challenges in employee management, work arrangement adjustments, communication strategies, and virtual employee engagement are the common practices of these agencies. It also highlights the importance of health and safety protocol, technical support systems, financial and mental health, and employees’ well-being are also prevalent. No hiring policy, transitioning to fully online work monitoring, and remote onboarding are being employed to ensure work continuity. However, among the agencies, only the DILG has shifted to online recruitment, while all other agencies halted and deferred all their hiring activities. Also, it is important to note that the DILG management has seen compassion in addressing employees’ well-being beyond work as very effective and elaborately employed to maintain employees’ commitment. Moreover, as the learning and lessons of all these agencies, it is imperative to acknowledge the importance of information technology, its opportunities, and relevance, which have been highlighted by all these agencies. It is also suggested that it is urgent to establish a good IT infrastructure, provided with the significant attributes of it.