Ensuring Business Continuity and Supporting Workforce During COVID-19: Turkey Example

OpenAlex İngilizce

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has become threatening for economies, causing recession and increased unemployment rates. Many employees in the sectors affected by the crisis face the risks of losing their jobs, getting on unpaid leave, and decreasing their weekly working hours. Various governments including the Turkish government have started struggling with unemployment and embraced macro level measures including support for SMEs, wage subsidies, and new working models. At the micro level, implementation of flexible working methods has been encouraged and has increased with respect to scope and scale. Both governments and companies tried their best to ensure business continuity and prevent unemployment. Actually, business continuity has gained great importance for ensuring sustainability and minimizing the effects of the pandemic. However, previous studies have revealed that approximately 25% of companies all over the world have a continuity plan. This chapter aims to examine the effects of the pandemic and macro level and micro level measures taken by Turkish authorities to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on employment rates and business continuity, thus providing insight into crisis management through a real experience. This study also attempts to explain how Turkish authorities can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through pandemic measures and teleworking.