Organisational Stressors Among Humanitarian Aid Workers: A Systematic Literature Review of HR Management Implications

Humanitarian aid workers work in complex and demanding environments affected by conflict, displacement, natural disasters and other emergencies. In addition to the challenges of humanitarian crises employees also face organisational stressors related to workplace conditions, management practices, employment arrangements and organisational policies. These may all contribute to employee stress and wellbeing concerns but their implications for human resource management are not sufficiently well understood.This systematic literature review explored empirical evidence on organisational stressors among humanitarian aid workers and their impact on HR management policies and practices. Academic literature was identified using Consensus.app (an AI-assisted research discovery platform). 22 publications were selected for preliminary assessment from which 20 full texts were retrieved. After screening against inclusion and exclusion criteria, five empirical studies were retained for thematic narrative synthesis.Three main themes emerged: workplace demands and management practices; employment conditions and organisational fairness; organisational support and staff care. Studies showed associations between workplace psychosocial stressors and burnout, management-related concerns affecting job satisfaction, inequalities in employment and reward practices and barriers to accessing organisational psychosocial support. Research designs, populations and outcomes varied across humanitarian settings and employee groups so direct comparisons were not possible.The review emphasises the need to address organisational working conditions alongside external humanitarian risks. From HR management point of view the findings have implications for workforce planning, management practices employment fairness employee relations and organisational duty of care but evidence is limited (e.g. effectiveness of specific HR interventions). Empirical research is needed to examine organisational stressors across different humanitarian contexts and HR management responses.