Issue 1 IM Abstract: Is Online Hiring in the High-Tech Sector Better?

Case Overview

It was early in March 2021 when the offices of Learning Management Pro (LMP) were preparing to reopen, after two years during COVID-19 pandemic. Employees had been working from home and all of the hiring and onboarding completed by the HR team had been conducted online. The switch to online hiring and onboarding had advantages and disadvantages and Asha Jemerson, director of human resources at LMP was not sure that they should switch back to their pre-pandemic approach to hiring and onboarding. This case, based on real people and real organizations, is meant for HR undergraduate or graduate courses, and explores concepts related to moving traditionally in-person business functions to an online environment.

Course Suitability

This case is intended for undergraduate, or MBA human resources or organizational behaviour courses. This case is well suited to curricula exploring the complexities of hybrid office scenarios where managers negotiate which business functions should be moved online rather than in-person. Specifically, it can be used in recruitment and selection courses either in modules relating to selection or onboarding.

Recommended Reading

Cromwell, J. & Blade, K. (2021, February 17). A framework for innovation in the COVID-19 era and beyond. MIT Sloane Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/a-framework-for-innovation-in-the-covid-19-era-and-beyond

Frisch, B. & Greene, C. (2020, July 23). 3 things virtual meetings offer that in-person ones don’t. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/07/3-things-virtual-meetings-offer-that-in-person-ones-dont

Hooijberg, R. & Watkins, M. (2021, February 9). The future of team leadership is multimodal. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-future-of-team-leadership-is-multimodal/

Kane, G. C., Nanda, R., Phillips, A. & Copulsky, J. (2021, February 10). Redesigning the post-pandemic workplace. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/redesigning-the-post-pandemic-workplace/

Knight, R. (2015, January 23). How to conduct an effective job interview. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2015/01/how-to-conduct-an-effective-job-interview

Peshkam, A. & Petriglieri, G. (2020, April 10). Keep your people learning when you go virtual. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/04/keep-your-people-learning-when-you-go-virtual

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