Human resources management in crisis: Effects on the employees

Abstract

This Master Thesis is focused on an actual topic, both in Portugal and in the rest of the world, which is the crisis. Therefore, it is analyzed how the present crisis is influencing the organizations to the point of being implemented certain measures in the level of the human resources management (HRM). It is intended to understand how those measures taken at the level of the HRM, especially in terms of recruitment and selection, training, performance evaluation, rewarding system and work design affect the employees in different levels, such as acquisition of new competencies, power of initiative, and above all, in terms of their motivation. This study helps to understand how these measures affect the employees, which is the main focus of it, and, as a consequence, if the organization’s productivity will be affected or not. This is an inductive qualitative study since it moves from specific observations to a general conclusion. Therefore, the research method used is the in-depth interviews which allow obtaining greater diversity and deepness information. A total of 24 people were interviewed which belong to three different predetermined groups (private sector, public sector and multinational sector) being possible to analyze differences and similarities at the level of the measures of HRM implemented in times of crisis as well as the different effects on the employees, taking into account the nature of the organization.