Makanza, Patience2024-08-062024-08-062023Makanza, Patience. (2023). The impact of human resource practices on employee productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic in the South African construction industry [Master’s dissertation , University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace.https://hdl.handle.net/10539/39999https://hdl.handle.net/10539/39999A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023The study examined the impact of human resource practices on employee productivity in the South African construction industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, the study investigated four human resource practices - training, employee wellness, compensation, and employee engagement - to determine their impact on productivity, with the Covid-19 pandemic as the intermediary variable. The study found that training had a positive impact on productivity, indicating that regular training opportunities should be provided to employees to enhance productivity. However, no conclusive evidence was found to support the hypothesis that training improved productivity during the pandemic. The study further revealed that compensation was strongly linked to productivity, but participants were indifferent about the impact of changes in compensation during the pandemic. The empirical evidence showed that although superiors offered support to their subordinates, participants were neutral about the link between employee wellness and productivity. Although it was discovered that employee involvement has a beneficial effect on productivity, participants were unable to affirm if it enhanced their performances during the epidemic as also reiterated by Ramakrishnan and Yogarajah (2021) The results of the study have important repercussions for the South African construction sector, notably during the Covid-19 epidemic as also stated by Amoah and Simpeh, (2021).Construction businesses should follow the study's advice and pay attention to employee wellness, as it has a significant impact on productivity. Furthermore, companies should consider increasing compensation packages to improve productivity, and they should promote employee engagement as it positively impacts productivity. Overall, this study highlights the importance of human resource practices in improving employee productivity during the Covid-19 pandemic in the South African construction industry. The recommendations presented in this study are crucial for construction companies in South Africa as they provide a basis for optimising employee productivity during challenging times. This study contributes to the existing literature on the impact of human resource practices on employee productivity during the Covid-19 pandemic vi and calls for further research in this area to enhance the understanding of the best practices in human resource management during such crises.en© 2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.Human Resource Management PracticesTraining and DevelopmentEmployee WellnessCompensationEmployee EngagementEmployee ProductivityCOVID-19 pandemicSouth African construction industryUCTDSDG-8: Decent work and economic growthSDG-3: Good health and well-beingDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg