Employee Rights and Dignity During National Crisis: Experiences of Healthcare Workers in Zimbabwe During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created insurmountable pressure on healthcare workers worldwide. Healthcare workers across the globe were exposed to vulnerable situations with devastating consequences on their rights and dignity. The safeguarding of fundamental employee rights and dignity was a contentious matter globally and in some parts of Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe. This chapter, guided by the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of 1998, seeks to provide a detailed analysis of how healthcare workers’ rights and dignity were undermined during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe and make recommendations for the future. The chapter argues that although the humanistic approach has gained popularity in the public sector, in practice, particularly in times of national crises, the mechanistic approach dominates, and this needs to change. Evidence in support of this line of argument was collected qualitatively through unobtrusive research. The findings of the chapter provide insights for enhancing the humanistic approach in the health sector during times of crisis to maintain harmonious and productive employee wellbeing even during crises.