VOICE IN THE EMERGENCY: THE ANALYSIS OF EMPLOYEE VOICE DURING THE UK CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWN

The outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the world has caused mayhem in Employment Relations, yet medication for the virus is still to be discovered. This outbreak is not the first time the world experiencing an outbreak of this magnitude, in the past some countries have experienced some species of coronavirus known as HCoV-229E, CoV-HKUI, CoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. This study aimed to analyse the impact of a shutdown during the COVID-19 virus in the UK. Three case studies were used in this study (1) A Healthcare Assistant and Student Nurse (2) A Senior Nurse with a local hospital, and (3) Qualified Secondary School Teacher. These three participants were interviewed through telephones, and the researcher used a semi-structured interview technique to collect sufficient data. Discussions were audio-recorded, and critical issues noted down during conversation for further follow-up. The results indicated that many participants feel that despite the need for an emergency response to the virus outbreak, their Voice was widely suppressed by the government and their organisations, leaving them powerless. Again, participants have their workload at home increased due to work from home and social distancing directives. Majority of participants do not agree with the governments job retention scheme as they see it as a threat to their salaries. Nevertheless, participants feel obliged to continue going to work to maintain their salary size. This study concludes that considering Employee Voice is paramount in any situation, and the decision-makers should consider Employee Voice to reduce confusion and reduce anxieties.