Characteristics of Crisis Management Measures in the HR Area during the Pandemic in Hungary – Literature Review and Methodology

Abstract

In the present research we deal with the questions of what responses, solutions, and practices Hungarian organisations used to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and the changes caused by it, with particular attention to the area of Human Resource Management. Do they typically view the current crisis as a problem or an opportunity? This study has been divided into two papers. In this article, the authors review the international and Hungarian literature to reveal the most important negative and positive effects and aspects of epidemics from the theoretical as well as the practical aspect. The findings support that the typical measures and solutions of previous crises in history are partially or fully recurring. However, the current crisis has a very peculiar characteristic: the application of lockdowns. After the description of the general international context based on literature, we develop empirical hypotheses and describe the methodology of the conducted countrywide questionnaire survey. The survey results and the conclusions of the analysis are presented in a second article. In our opinion, the pandemic has reminded us of the extraordinary degree of interconnectedness of the world. Thus, studies from individual countries - such as Hungary - and regions can provide important local insights in finding global solutions.