Supporting Smart Workers During a Pandemic. Lessons Learned from a Case Study

The purpose of this study is to analyze the adoption of practices and tools finalized to support smart workers to improve their work conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, we believe that such a peculiar situation has represented an important “opportunity” for companies to reaffirm the centrality of the wellbeing of their people and the need to take care of it, to put at the heart of internal policies wellbeing and inclusion reinforcing - and in some cases redesigning - their already existing systems. In detail, our research aims to examine how some practices even more fostered through electronic channels have been used and how these are expected to change the usual people management with an impact on future organizational behaviours. The analysis was carried out on the case study of a big MNC. During the pandemic, this company has implemented an ongoing survey articulated in three waves (April 2020, July 2020, and October 2020) to understand employees’ feelings toward working in the new situation and their perception of organizational inclusion in conditions of physical distance – being aware that the “new” approach represents a no-return point in the evolution of HRM. These results offer interesting stimuli for practitioners and scholars in the field of HRM and OB towards the new normal.