The Observed Effects of Mass Virtual Adoption on Job Performance, Work Satisfaction, and Collaboration

Abstract

Since the dawn of modern technology, managers have long discussed the effectiveness of virtual work. While general trends have indicated increased acceptance of virtually working in recent years, the onset of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced a majority of the world’s professional workforce to quickly embrace virtual work. Building upon previous research, this chapter suggests that virtual work is positively correlated with productivity. Using an online open survey, the study examined the extent to which sustained virtual work impacts perceived individual productivity, perceived organisational productivity, collaboration, job satisfaction, and connectedness over a 15-week period. Findings demonstrate that perceived productivity and connectedness were particularly high in the initial weeks, tapering downward as a function of time physically removed from co-workers. Job satisfaction remained largely unchanged and collaboration yielded no reportable trends. Managers reported more negatively than non-managers in all tested variables. Findings support more flexible working systems for employees in the future.

Citation

Gibaldi, C. and McCreedy, R.T.W. (2021), "The Observed Effects of Mass Virtual Adoption on Job Performance, Work Satisfaction, and Collaboration", Kumar, P., Agrawal, A. and Budhwar, P. (Ed.) Work from Home: Multi-level Perspectives on the New Normal, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-661-220210001