HR under fire—The role of HR in war time

Yehonatan Shertzer

doi:10.18282/hrms.v6i2.3409

Yehonatan Shertzer Human Resources Department, Peres Academic Center, Rehovot 7610202, Israel

Article ID: 3409

208 Views, 97 PDF Downloads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18282/hrms.v6i2.3409

Keywords: HR practices; crisis management; internal communication plan; business continuity plan; organizational resilience

Abstract

On the morning of the 7th of October, the Hamas organization launched an attack on Israel, causing over 1200 casualties and kidnapping over 250 Israeli citizens. Israeli workers, their families, and the country’s economy were all directly impacted by the war. The effects of the war were vast and created many challenges for the HR departments in various organizations. The HR departments had to respond to these issues with promptness, determination, and thoroughness. I will discuss the functions of HR departments during times of war in this opinion piece. They include eliminating ambiguity and uncertainty; providing managers with the tools they need to handle such circumstances; maintaining resilience and high morale; overseeing volunteer programs; maintaining contact with the reserve forces; providing support to war-affected families; carrying out an effective workforce reduction without jeopardizing the company’s ability to continue operations; and managing workplace tensions.

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