Is employee gratification the same as employee engagement? – an in-depth theory perspective

With the transition of working patterns from physical workplaces to remote workplaces amid COVID-19, there has been an existence of imbalance in business organizations due to a lack of effective communication channels. For continued importance and relevance in the modern workplace, it is essential to upgrade the human resources management function such that these issues can be addressed. Thus, this study aims to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the human resource policies and practices in the Indian service sector. For this examination qualitative analysis has been conducted based on 10 HR managers of the IT and hospitality industry in Bengaluru, India. Herein, it was observed that HR managers struggled to engage their employees in a disciplined manner and there was high resistance in employees to cope up with the newly developed remote working culture of the firms. The interviewees affirmed that several online opportunities like a hybrid approach or people-centric working style can lead to better management of employees’ wellbeing and derive effectiveness.