Responsible People Management and Fairness During COVID-19 (Law and Ethics – The Case of Pan-Atlantic University)

Abstract

When the world was informed about COVID-19 and the how the pandemic was going to affect human interactions, most organisations had not planned for such a crisis or expected a disease of that magnitude, and neither were there existing plans to forestall it. Some organisations made efforts to quickly adjust their human resource policies and employment contracts to accommodate the new work norms, sometimes in disregard of labour laws. The major interest of many managers was the survival of organisations' businesses and well-being of workers. In a bid to save economies, various countries made amendments to national employment laws to reflect new mechanisms for working in self-isolation, and legal solutions were proffered to buffer the effects of the restrictive measures that arose as a result of battling the spread of the pandemic. In some other countries, businesses did whatever they could to survive. This chapter focuses on the various lawful, equitable and fair people management strategies and practices adopted by some establishments with special reference to the Nigerian context. In particular, it presents the case of Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), one of the top private universities in Nigeria, to show a little example of what can be done in managing the imposed COVID-19 restrictive measures and other aftermaths of the pandemic. The chapter is divided into segments to show the various standards being applied under international laws and best practices in comparison with the current Nigerian employment laws and practices with a view to making recommendations for improvement in the people management sector.

Citation

Akagha, O. and Epie, C. (2022), "Responsible People Management and Fairness During COVID-19 (Law and Ethics – The Case of Pan-Atlantic University)", Ogunyemi, K. and Onaga, A.I. (Ed.) Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes – Values for a Post Pandemic Future, Volume 1, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 95-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-719-020221008