Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Impact of the pandemic: Employers begin to pay greater attention to their workers well-being

October 27, 2021

Enforcement, legal responsibility, compliance, and the law alone are insufficient to provide workers with fairness and dignity

The image of migrant workers trudging back home as cities were shut down by the coronavirus lockdown in March 2020 is one that most people will never forget. The blue-collar workers lacked jobs, income, and the means to remain in cities, prompting an exodus to their ancestral villages. This tragedy brought to light a topic that had not previously received much attention: the need for responsible enterprises and profitable firms to coexist, as well as the importance of putting worker wellbeing first.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a substantial economic impact in addition to its influence on public health. We focus on three questions in this study as we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the small business landscape in the United States. First, how did small firms respond to the COVID-19-related economic disruptions? Second, how long did businesses anticipate the crisis lasting, and how did this influence their decisions? Third, what influence may various policy options have on business and job security?

The pandemic has clearly revealed that corporations are not looking at sustainable human capital support, according to Nalini Shekar, Co-founder and Executive Director of Hasiru Dala, a member-based cooperative of rubbish pickers in Bengaluru. “What we need is a values-driven business,” she remarked at the Sankalp Global Summit 2021. Entrepreneurs, investors, and politicians will gather on a virtual platform from October 12-14 to discuss ideas and grow together. She claims that the residents of this village understand the subtleties of sorting and classifying rubbish and turning it into a valuable product. “They have an intrinsic entrepreneurial spirit.” All of these people are trained workers who can classify and grade plastic into 74 different categories, something none of us can do. We should see them as persons with capabilities rather than as labour, and we should take advantage of their entrepreneurial abilities.”