Introduction
Over time, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have changed organizational operations and culture. Apart from organizations, people, cities, nations, and even continents have suffered the impact of lockdown, isolation, deaths, social distancing, movement restriction, and the fear of the unknown (Nassauer, 2020). This study will discuss how COVID-19 has affected the culture of Target Corporation with managers having to make decisions within a short time. The management should make quick conclusions regarding the person to operate from the workplace, the employees who will work from home, and arising priorities including how to communicate them to workers. The practices of the human resource department appear crucial now. Despite the arising effects on organizational culture, Target Corporation should strive to safeguard its workers’ health, uphold their motivation, manage a broad remote-operating approach, and improve employee relations.
How COVID-19 Has Affected Corporate Operations Both at the Office Level Itself and the Store Shopping Experience
The human resource management at Target Corporation understands that when workers are in a strange or uncertain condition, they suffer stress. In trying to manage such stress, workers leverage their inclinational qualities and coping reactions. Stress negatively influences a worker’s capability to sympathize with other people, consider credible options, stay open-minded, participate in cognitively demanding tasks, and broaden their capacity to learn and develop (Bauer & Erdogan, 2019). The effects of COVID-19 have generated tremendous challenges and doubtfulness that have an impact on the mental health of employees at Target Corporation. The medical risks of coronavirus disease are starting to decline in some countries and the possibility of a vaccine is seemingly high (Caligiuri et al., 2020). Nevertheless, new approaches of working away from conventional office workplaces and the fear of the international recession will keep perpetuating the situation of uncertainty.
In their stress-stimulated, cognitively decreased state, workers at Target Corporation will have a hard time operating successfully in diverse regions and with their colleagues from varying cultural backgrounds, particularly in periods of high unfamiliarity. Anchored in human resource management insights, different working methods, support mechanisms, and training approaches may positively address the problems affecting Target Corporation (Safe Retail, 2020). The outbreak of coronavirus disease has taken medical and safety concerns to the limelight over and above placing a strong focus on the function of human resource management in improving the work environment (Paine, 2020).
The management at Target Corporation already understands that the safety and health of workers are connected to the job demand (for example, difficult tasks) and resources (for instance, supportive administration. Nonetheless, the human resource department has continued to establish new ways of managing the concerns of a spatially distributed and mobile labor force. Human resource management is embarking on different methods of protecting workers and their family members from injury and diseases across regional borders and in varying working arrangements.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively changed the life of many employees and consumers at Target Corporation who were either global business travelers or mobile employees. The existence of travel restrictions makes them develop a strong feeling of loss (Hongwei & Lloyd, 2020). The earlier frequent movement, organizational meetings, and hotel accommodations have been substituted by working from home practices, in addition to virtual conferences. The management of Target Corporation is strongly concerned with public safety and is doing everything possible to take care of the concerns of employees, customers, and communities. The stress generated by the increased demand for virtual operations is making workers experience long operating hours to tackle performance problems and differences in time zones in remote working environments.
Theories of motivation and their application at the workplace inspire workers to generate the impetus to reach the set goals. The significance of motivation at Target Corporation is crucial for the realization of its objectives and enhancement of job satisfaction. The effects of the corporation functioning devoid of any purposeful motivation for its workers would be catastrophic, for example, turnover, stress, and burnout that might result in the collapse of the organization (Caligiuri et al., 2020). For Target Corporation to make workers its fundamental asset and for their retention, motivation should be a priority. Abraham Maslow established five levels of human needs portrayed within a pyramid in a motivational theory deemed hierarchy of needs.
From the base of the pyramid upwards, the priority of needs has been categorized under physiological, safety and security, social (love and belonging), esteem (recognition), and self-actualization needs (desiring to accomplish or leave a legacy). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs establishes the argument of researchers who endeavor to elucidate job satisfaction. Besides physiological/basic needs such as shelter, clothing, and food, safety and security from danger, and social interrelations, employees at Target Corporation require appreciation and acknowledgment to enhance job satisfaction and elicit self-actualization.
Work-associated challenges and supplies are vital for the management of Target Corporation, especially at the human resource department, to guarantee workers’ safety and health. Effective and clear communication from human resource management and other executives regarding employees’ welfare and mitigation of risks is crucial (Back, 2020). For Target Corporation and other global organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic provides an ideal period for the facilitation of cross-cultural team interconnection and validation of the anticipations of safety. Training to improve the relationship among employees has been excellently received during this period when all workers, regardless of their nationality or ethnic background, are experiencing a common stressor (Caligiuri et al., 2020). Sharing worry, frustrations, and stress is resulting in the establishment of ties that strongly hold interconnected global teams. Such shared experiences have the possibility of reinforcing cohesion even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, the aspects (hygiene) that gratify lower-degree needs vary from others (motivators) that meet higher-level necessities. When hygiene factors (aspects outside work roles such as office environment and wages) are insufficient, workers feel disgruntled. Rather than only focusing on hygiene factors, the management of Target Corporation should endeavor to make employees self-driven by underscoring motivation aspects. This would be realized by setting challenging goals for employees and offering rewards, recognition, and feedback as major motivational aspects for the enhancement of retention within the corporation (Hongwei & Lloyd, 2020). Additionally, such motivational factors will uphold the greater employment connection and social facet. The application of Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory will help Target Corporation to give workers confidence in job security, favorable working conditions, loyalty, and belongingness to the organization, in addition to the improvement of overall productivity.
Conclusion
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Target Corporation include managers having to make conclusions within a short time concerning the employees remaining at the workplace, the ones who will work from home, and occurring priorities including how to enhance effective communication. Regardless of the arising effects on organizational culture, Target Corporation should endeavor to defend its workers’ health, support their motivation, manage a wide remote-operating approach, and advance employee relations. Target Corporation is committed to providing the necessary resources to help employees care for themselves, their family members, and assess their welfare at the comfort of their households. The application of theories of motivation such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory at the workplace stimulates workers to generate the impetus to achieve the set objective.
References
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