HR Crisis Management and Workforce Resilience

Aims

This course aims equip HR practitioners, managers and organisational leaders with practical knowledge and skills to protect employees, maintain workforce operations and strengthen organisational resilience before, during and after emergencies, with particular reference to the Hong Kong context. 

Specifically, the programme aims to:

• Strengthen understanding of HR’s strategic role in crisis management.
• Build practical capability in workforce preparedness and continuity planning.
  
• Enhance crisis communication, leadership and stakeholder coordination.
• Promote employee safety, wellbeing and workforce resilience.
• Foster personal resilience and sustainable HR leadership.
• Advance recovery, organisational learningand long-term resilience.

Intended Learning Outcomes 

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students are expected to be able to: 

• To analyze advanced theories and practices of various areas of talent management.
• To apply effective talent development strategies in the aim of enhancing organizational performance and employee engagement.
• To utilize HR analytics and AI-driven technologies to make data-informed decisions and solve complex workforce-related challenges.
• To independently evaluate strategic HR initiatives while demonstrating ability to make decisions complying with professional standards, and the alignment of HR practices with organizational goals.
• To communicate complex HR strategies and data insights effectively to diverse stakeholders.

• Session 1: Understanding Disasters and the Strategic Role of HR  

This session introduces key concepts of emergency and disaster management, including hazards, vulnerability, risk, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. It will examine how disasters affect organisations, employees, workplaces and communities. The session will highlight the strategic role of HR in risk identification, workforce preparedness, emergency planning and organisational resilience. 

• Session 2: Workforce Planning, Safety and Business Continuity  

This session focuses on HR responsibilities in maintaining essential operations during crises. It will cover workforce deployment, succession and contingency planning, staff safety, flexible work arrangements, leave policies, employee data management and coordination with business continuity plans. Participants will consider how HR policies and systems can support continuity of operations while protecting staff wellbeing. 

• Session 3: Crisis Communication, Leadership and Employee Support  

This session examines how HR can lead and communicate effectively with employees and stakeholders during emergencies. It will address crisis communication principles, internal  

communication protocols, managing rumours and misinformation, leadership under pressure. 

Crucially, the session will also focus on the dual role of HR: supporting the psychological and practical needs of the wider workforce while simultaneously building the personal resilience required to sustain themselves as leaders during prolonged and high-stress events. Participants will learn to identify the signs of burnout in themselves and their teams, and will develop strategies for self-care, peer support, and ethical decision-making under duress. This ensures that HR professionals can effectively manage their own wellbeing while being a pillar of strength for the rest of the organisation. 

• Session 4: Recovery, Organisational Learning and Future HR Resilience  

This session focuses on post-disaster recovery and long-term organisational resilience. It will explore how HR supports return-to-work arrangements, rehabilitation, workforce stabilisation, learning reviews and policy improvement after a crisis. The session may also cover emerging risks such as climate-related disruptions, pandemics, cyber incidents and AI-enabled HR emergency management. 

The applicants should

(a) hold a recognized bachelor’s degree in area of Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, IT or Business, or equivalent, awarded by a recognized institution; 
OR
(b) (i) hold an Associate Degree or Higher Diploma awarded by a recognized institution in the same areas listed in (a); AND (ii) have at least 2 years of recognized professional experience; 

OR
(c)  normally aged 25 or above, with other post-secondary qualifications and at least 5 years of work experience in HR or related fields, including 3 years in industry, commerce or public administration, including 2 years in a managerial capacity, will also be considered. 

Applicants do not possess the above entry requirements will be considered on case by case basis. These applicants are required to attend an admission interview for better understanding of their goals and experiences.

Students who have passed and completed the assessments, and attended at least 75% of the course will be presented with a Certificate of Completion awarded by PolyU SPEED.

1.  Application form can be downloaded from this website.  Before completing the application form, please read carefully the "Guide for Applicants" on the form.

2.  Please submit the completed application form with a copy of your HKID card and settle the course fee by bank draft/ crossed cheque/ On-line Card Payment System for each course applied. For details of payment methods, please refer to Section 4 of the application form or this web page.

3.  Non-permanent residents of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) holding

(i) work visa/ entry permit; OR

(ii) visa/ entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) (except those from Mainland, Macao and Taiwan); OR

(iii) dependent visa/ entry permit (except those from Mainland, Macao and Taiwan), issued by the Director of Immigration of HKSAR Government may enroll in short-term courses in SPEED without seeking prior approval from the Director of Immigration.

These applicants are required to attach a copy of their identity document(s) and the valid visa/ entry permit to their application.  On admission, they will be required to provide the original identity document(s) and visa/ entry permit for verification. Throughout the course of study, it is the responsibility of individual students to ensure that their identity documents and visas/ entry permits are valid. Other non-local applicants can neither be registered as students nor commence their studies on the short-term courses in SPEED.

4.  Applications should be submitted on or before the deadline for application via one of the following means -

(a) By post:

Send the following documents to
CPCE Academic Registry - Continuing Education
Room N301, 3/F, North Tower, PolyU West Kowloon Campus, 9 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Hong Kong

• Completed application form
• A copy of your HKID Card and valid visa/ entry permit (if applicable)
• Proof of academic qualification or/and proof of work experience with specified employment period(s)
• A bank draft/ crossed cheque/ payment confirmation page (for online payment)

(b) By e-mail (for application with payment settled via online system only):

Send the following documents by e-mail to ce.car@speed-polyu.edu.hk

• Completed application form
• A copy of your HKID Card and valid visa/ entry permit (if applicable)
• Proof of academic qualification or/and proof of work experience with specified employment period(s)
• A bank draft/ crossed cheque/ payment confirmation page (for online payment)
   

*** Incomplete submission of required documents may delay processing or result in your application not being considered.

Please choose either one of the following payment methods for course fee: 

(1)  Bank Draft/ Crossed Cheque

You could submit a bank draft/ crossed cheque (made payable to "The Hong Kong Polytechnic University")  by post or by hand.  Please write your name, the course code and class code at the back of the bank draft/ crossed cheque.  Post-dated cheque will not be accepted.

(2)  On-line Card Payment System (by Visa/ Master/ FPS/ China UnionPay card) 
You could settle the course fee via On-line Card Payment System by Visa/ Master/ FPS/ China UnionPay card.  For successful payment, please print the payment confirmation page for record and quote the invoice number (as shown on the payment confirmation page) on Section 4 of the application form. No separate hardcopy of the payment receipt will be issued for you.

According to the School's Refund Policy, course fees paid are normally not refundable, except cases of unsuccessful applications/ course cancellation.  Fees paid and places allocated are not transferrable.