Abstract:
The objective of this study was to assess the characteristics and correlation of elements that are
associated with work hours lost during COVID-19 (WHL), related to the South Asian region. WHL is the number
of hours deducted from the standard work time due to the effect of the pandemic. Therefore, the strictness of
lockdown, employee social protection benefits, and COVID-19 confirmed cases related to the year 2020 (based
on data availability) in seven countries namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri
Lanka were assessed on preliminary basis using secondary data. The data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics and correlation analysis. Results show that the region is experiencing an average WHL of 11.54 %. It
was also found that Nepal has faced the highest WHL (17.4%). While maintaining considerably less lockdown,
Afghanistan has experienced the lowest WHL (6.5%). It was also found that Sri Lanka has faced a moderate effect
on WHL, which may result from promoting government action. Correlation results depict that social protection
benefits are negatively related to WHL while the stringency of lockdown and confirmed COVID-19 cases are
positively related to WHL. The findings would support the organizations such as the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and HRM professionals to make possible changes in working conditions possibly
by enabling working from home, and employee insurance to withstand COVID-19 as well as possible future
pandemics to avoid economic disruptions.
