Management and Retention of Human Capital During the Era of Post-COVID-19 and Digitalisation

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged at the time when the world of work was still in the transition process of adapting to the changes brought by the technological advancements linked to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Both the public sector and private sector had to rely heavily on the use of technology in order to continue to perform effectively. The public sector was hit hard, with members of the public demanding more out of frustration, forcing public servants to go beyond their normal daily duties by swiftly responding to a disaster and delivering the dire need for government services. In the post-COVID-19, organisations from both the public sector and private sector, focus on the implementation of mechanisms that can assist them to recover from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their performance. Human capital is regarded as a crucial resource that can assist organisations to have a speedy recovery. The paper seeks to explore the measures that the government can adopt to compete with profit-making organisations in acquiring and managing human capital as well as retaining critical skills during this digital era, in order to ensure recovery and improved service delivery. The approach chosen was an integrated methodology for literature review within the qualitative research paradigm. A comprehensive literature review (secondary data) from credible sources provided a deeper understanding of the changing needs of employees in the new world of work and the trends associated with employee development and retention in today’s digital world of work. Content thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected qualitative data. The results provide insight in relation to the new ways of managing and retaining human capital in the new digital world, summarised into eight (8) themes: building a reputable corporate image, creation of lifelong learning culture, value creation, investing in IT infrastructure, provision of recognition and rewards, provision of digital empowerment, provision of career development support and creation of hybrid workplace.