Abstract
Workers and organisations around the world had to adapt to changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the biggest challenges that organisations had to face was ensuring that they responded in a way that would not hinder the productivity of the business while ensuring that their employees were taken care of. The pandemic fundamentally changed where and how people worked.
The purpose of the study was to comprehensively explore the psychological contract of female managers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aimed to provide valuable insights for enhancing the work environment for female professionals following the pandemic. The study adopted a qualitative approach, and semi-structed interviews were used to collect data from 16 participants. Thematic analysis was used in analysing the data and seven themes emerged. The themes found were (a) perceived employee expectations during COVID-19, (b) perceived employer expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic, (c) perceived employer expectations – return to work, (d) employee expectations – return to work, (e) fulfilled expectations, (f) unfulfilled expectations and (g) women’s expectations following the pandemic.
The study contributes by providing insights into the psychological contract during a pandemic, which, in turn, can be used not only to inform management but also to meet the expectations of female managers during future disruptive events.
Keywords: women, COVID-19 pandemic, state-owned organisation, management, psychological contract.