The current paper is the second part of the study "Characteristics of Crisis
Management Measures in the HR Area During the Pandemic in Hungary – Literature Review
and Methodology". Based on two waves of a questionnaire survey conducted during the
first
and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, this article presents prevalent HRM reactions
of Hungarian organisations (companies and institutions) and tests if these reactions
are
connected to the organisation's size (employee headcount and revenue), ownership and
sector (main field of activity). The testing is conducted separately on two relatively
large
non-representative samples (N1 > 300, N2 > 900) employing statistical (rank-correlation,
rank-sum, and association) analyses. One of the characteristic changes the pandemic
triggered in the companies and institutions is that the functions of HRM have been
expanded
with new activities (e.g. home office, health protection). The respondents indicated
considerable new efforts, especially after the second wave, such as replacing plans,
providing new employees, and addressing employees' social problems. Our research also
highlighted that smaller SMEs regard it as less important to maintain and operate
an active
HRM function even during the pandemic. With the increase in organisational size (employee
headcount and revenue) home office, the new workplace safety and occupational health
measures, the hiring freeze and downsizing are substantially more frequent at larger
companies as opposed to smaller ones. We are aware of the fact that the practices
applied
by a country of 10 million people during the pandemic have no substantial global influence;
at the same time, the experiences gained and presented here can expand and diversify
the
methods and toolkits applied in this area
