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The Effects of Covid-19 on Employee Turnover

Research Proposal
By

Hamza Arshad
21-10569
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Contents
Title.................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
Background/Statement of the problem........................................................................................3
Significance of the Research.........................................................................................................5
Research Questions........................................................................................................................5
Research Hypothesis......................................................................................................................5
Research Methodology..................................................................................................................5
 Study Design........................................................................................................................6
 Study population and Sampling..........................................................................................6
 Data collection methods and instruments...........................................................................6
 Data analysis methods.........................................................................................................7
 Mechanisms to assure Study Quality..................................................................................7
 Study Period.........................................................................................................................8
Participants in the Study...............................................................................................................8
Ethical Consideration....................................................................................................................9
Resources........................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................9
References.....................................................................................................................................10
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Title
Effects of Covid-19 on Employee Turnover

Introduction

Since its rapture in China, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread to almost all countries in

the world, affecting different economic sectors. One of the commercial components that have

suffered most due to this pandemic is employment. The coronavirus has highly contributed to

voluntary and involuntary employee turnover. A significant percentage of people have lost their

jobs as a result of the spread of this virus, thus affecting economic production to a greater extend.

It is also worth noting the employee turnover is not only encountered in commercial production

sectors but also in the health care sector. While we expect that more healthcare practitioners to

get jobs, surprisingly, we experience some healthcare professionals quitting due to several

reasons. This is a great controversy that needs to be addressed to secure the healthcare sectors as

well as other economic sectors. Regardless of the economic condition of the numerous countries

around the globe, the situation has had a dramatic effect on the workforce. After the pandemic

struck factories and institutions delivering informal jobs, low- and middle-income countries have

been negatively impacted.

Background/Statement of the problem

The sudden spread of Covid-19 is a severe blow to the healthcare setups, world

economies, businesses as well as workers. Firstly, the pandemic has surged the medical and

healthcare services in the entire world. Even though there is a high demand for healthcare

workers, there has been some healthcare professionals quitting their jobs because they fear for

their lives. Third world and developing countries have limited healthcare resources and
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facilities. Consequently, such scenarios put healthcare workers on pressure, causing some to quit

as a result of the poor working environment heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic (McCloskey

& Heymann, 2020). In addition, the corporate community has been impacted, since many

businesses have shut down in order to compress the virus. These unparalleled problems have a

global economic slowdown in terms of workforce turnover. Many workers would potentially

find themselves out of jobs because of forced employee turnover. Jobs and companies risk

disaster without government's immediate concerted intervention. The industries most impacted

are food and hospitality, retail, industry and manufacturing. Certain industries constitute 40% of

global employment, and the influence of the pandemic is experienced significantly within

them.  The bosses are continually disposing of their workers because of economic restraints and

lower output prices (Porter et al., 2019).

More than 80 percent of the workers around the globe have been affected by partial or

full workplace closures. Studies indicate that 1.3 billion workers are in sectors that are

considered to be at high risks of drastic layoffs. Several of them work in low-paying jobs where a

sudden loss of income has far-reaching consequences on their living standards. Some regions,

especially in Africa, experience a high level of informal employment, high population density,

and lack of social protection. Globally, approximately 2 billion people work in the informal

sectors and are specifically at risk of losing their jobs due to the Covid-19 crisis (Mc Avoy,

2018). Governments are key stakeholders that need to set measures that will ensure that workers

are protected, and they do not lose their jobs. Policy measures need to focus on supporting

enterprises, simulating the economy and employment, securing workers in their respective

workplaces, and enhancing social dialogue between workers, government, and employers to find

solutions. Moreover, the healthcare workers who are on the frontline of fighting the pandemic
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should be highly protected so that they don’t contemplate resigning. Appropriate measures must

be put into place to ensure workers in the informal sectors are protected as well (Dong et al.,

2019).

Significance of the Research

The spread of Covid-19 globally has huge negative impacts on the supply of labor as well

as the earnings of workers in many countries in the world. It, therefore, implies that the world is

experiencing a staggering downturn because to the spread of the pandemic. Additionally,

populations are in misery because of immediate losses of employment. This study is essential as

it aims to evaluate the magnitude of the impact Covid-19 on the workforce, and particularly how

it accelerates employee turnover. By so doing, it is easier to make reforms that will protect

workers from losing their jobs amidst the Covid-19 crisis. While several governments have

required people to remain at home and business organizations to temporarily shut, those

governments must take steps to guarantee that workers do not lose their employment, voluntary

or unwilling. Based on the evaluation of how Covid-19 contributes to employee turnover, the

research would play a pivotal role in determining the most affected sectors (Choi et al., 2017).

Research Questions

How has employment been affected by the COVID 19 pandemic?

What impact has this pandemic have on the workforce around the world?

What measures can world governments take in order to ensure employability of workers?

Research Hypothesis

Unemployment has drastically increased due to the COVID 19 pandemic all around the globe.
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Research Methodology

 Study Design

A Descriptive study design will be used for this research. Descriptive analysis seeks to

define a group, condition or phenomena reliably and efficiently. A descriptive study design may

be used to analyze one or more variables utilizing a broad range of research methods. In

comparison to laboratory studies, the researcher cannot monitor or modify either of the variables.

 Study population and Sampling

For my study employees from various industries in Pakistan will be our target population.

Employees that are considered eligible for the survey would be invited through email. This

will involve those between 25 and 35 years of age. We would select 50 participants who operate

within an organization for more than 5 years by a clear random sample. We want to ensure that

they have the right expertise on the topic. A sample size of 30 workers in the informal sectors

and 20 healthcare workers would be served with a questionnaire to provide their responses.

 Data collection methods and instruments

In this research, I will use both primary and secondary sources for collecting and analyzing

data regarding the topic of study. The primary data collection would mainly be structured

questionnaires, which will contain both closed and open questions. For instance, the participants

would be asked questions such as “how has the Covid-19 affected your work.” These kinds of

questions are regarded as open-ended questions that requires the participant to give their

unbiased opinion towards the topic of study. A sample of closed-ended questions would be, “Are

you satisfied with the measures put into place in the workplaces with the effort of mitigating
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Covid-19?” Such a question would require a yes or no answer “Some question would require the

participants to rate the efforts being carried out by their organization in reducing massive layoffs

of employees.” Additional data and information will be obtained from magazines, newspapers,

publications, and the internet, which reports on the state of unemployment cases due to the

Corona Virus Pandemic.

I would have a survey conducted about how COVID 19 impacts employee turnover in our

study. This segment uses acceptable methods to undertake primary and secondary research that

take account of expenditure, access and ethical issues. The analysis would remain incomplete

without taking account of these problems (Bodden, 2013). The main goal of the survey is to

measure and evaluate the effect of COVID 19 on employee turnover. The primary goal of this

study, of which the sample size is 50 and done by questionnaires for workers, is to know if the

pandemic raised or decreased staff turnover as a consequence. I'd also like to assess the

respondent's view on the drawbacks of low business turnover. In our research project we cannot

use content which is unethical and illegal to print (Chandorkar and Nagoba, 2010). I

recommended study questions focused on the priorities of the research study. Responses to these

questions are required and their responses will be recorded for further analysis. In this

questionnaire, people's opinions, ideas and feedback are taken into account. The data collected

should be accurate in order to achieve the maximum outcomes from the analysis. Thus, studies

must be attentive and unbiased when collecting data. We should take care to gather evidence and

prioritized the true gathering of knowledge on ethical issues (Goddard and Melville, 2011).

 Data analysis methods

After data collection, the data would be analyzed and presented through graphs and charts

using the SPSS software (Gupta, 2020).

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 Mechanisms to assure Study Quality

I will set certain standards to ensure that the quality of the research is not affected. These

will include:

- Ensure that the methodology and procedures for the study subject or problem are acceptable.

-Be sure sampling is adequate – for example, if a survey is carried out, using a reasonable and

representative sample to permit substantial statistical analysis.

-Employ study assistance to guarantee that important topics are handled ethically.

-Know the benefits and weaknesses of the approach, the collected data or the recorded results.

-State the questions raised and the precise data collection dates and circumstances.

-Disclose all sources of funding and apparent conflicts of interest.

-Ensure that the entire study report is available

 Study Period

The study period in which the research will be completed is (___). It will take me (__)

days/weeks to finish the secondary research on the topic, (__) days/weeks to gather data through

the survey and (__) days/weeks to perform the data analysis.

Participants in the Study

It will only be me who will be performing the study however I am planning to take help from

my older brother for the data analysis. Other than that, the participants in the study will be the

respondents who will provide me with the responses for the questionnaire and from there will

analyze it. Apart from that there are no participants in the study.
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Ethical Consideration

The researchers will not have any ethical questions about this research and the

respondents will have full transparent knowledge about the subject and the analysis to be carried

out. They will be thoroughly told about the study prior to the answers are received.

Resources

As there is very less time to take out the study, the resources will also be very limited.

The secondary research will be conducted by using Mendeley Software and the primary research

will be done using Google Surveys. Both these mehods do not require any budget however data

analysis might require purchasing the software but that will be decided later.

Conclusion

Covid-19 has far-reaching consequences on the global economy. Several business

organizations and companies are closing down irrespective of their size. The pandemic will

impact the world of work across critical dimensions. There is a likelihood of a rapid rise in

unemployment due to increased involuntary employee turnover rates. The current limitation of

movement has a substantial impact on the informal sector as far as unemployment is concerned.

Therefore, I request permission to proceed with this research to collect data and analyze the

impact of Covid-19 on employment status. This would provide an insight into the measures that

can be established reduced unemployment being caused by the pandemic.

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References

Gupta, J., Gupta, S., 2020. COVID-19, Homoeopathic Immunomodulation and the Road Ahead:

Perspective. Homeopathic Links 33, 228–232.

Choi, I., Lee, D.H., Kim, Y., 2017. Effects of timely control intervention on the spread of Middle

East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus infection. Osong Public Health and Research

Perspectives 8, 373–376

Dong, L., Zhang, Y., ... Li, N., 2020. Statistical Estimate of Epidemic Trend, Suggestions and

Lessons for Public Safety from the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

McAvoy, H., 2018. 1684b Learning from the consultation on a healthy workplace framework for

Ireland. BMJ, p. A214.2-A214.

Porter, A.K., Kohl, H.W., Salvo, D., 2019. Dose-response association of workplace facilities and

policies with commuter bicycling among adults. Journal of Transport and Health 14.

McCloskey, B., Heymann, D.L., 2020. SARS to novel coronavirus - Old lessons and new

lessons. Epidemiology and Infection.