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Book part
Publication date: 2 December 2021

Sumita Raghuram

As the world looks ahead to the possibilities of creating a new normal post COVID-19, organisations are examining the implications of extended remote work. A central piece here is…

Abstract

As the world looks ahead to the possibilities of creating a new normal post COVID-19, organisations are examining the implications of extended remote work. A central piece here is redefining the organisational culture which has been impacted by a distributed workforce during this time. Many leaders have voiced concern over maintaining a strong organisational culture during this pandemic. This chapter reviews research that shows the relationship between remote work and organisational culture and its subsequent impact on key outcomes of interest, such as organisational identification, socialisation, knowledge sharing, employee turnover, and productivity. It also includes contingent conditions to examine the impact of multiple factors that moderate the relationship between remote work and organisational culture. These include social, technological, and normative conditions. Based on existing knowledge drawn from the experiences from voluntary as well as mandatory programmes for remote work, this chapter offers a model and propositions. This is followed by a set of research implications and practice guidelines for introducing an organisational culture that is consistent with the new reality of increased technological utilisation and altered workforce expectations.

Details

Work from Home: Multi-level Perspectives on the New Normal
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-662-9

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 March 2024

Sandra Jekabsone, Purmalis Karlis and Irina Skribane

The need for the study is justified by the fact that scientists and policy makers around the world are trying to identify the potential threat of digitalisation, looking for ways…

Abstract

The need for the study is justified by the fact that scientists and policy makers around the world are trying to identify the potential threat of digitalisation, looking for ways to adapt to new changes and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the information society and the knowledge economy and to mitigate risks. Digitalisation also changes the labour market – using information and communication technology (ICT) in the working process opens up new opportunities. Moving from a traditional office to another environment, combining work with private life and recreation more effectively, while remote work deals with costly jobs, spaces and congestion on the city streets. The study aims to assess the development of remote work in the European Union (EU) and Latvia, assessing its effectiveness and the possibilities for long-term use by analysing its impact on the transformational directions of the economy. During the analysis, the following findings were made: identified the potential and problems of the deployment of remote work in Latvia, determined the main challenges of remote work and policies to improve the situation. The analysis employs theoretical and empirical research methods. The theoretical method of analysis and deduction provides information on its impact on the economy from the scientific literature on remote work and its diverse aspects. The comparative method is widely used to identify aspects of remote work distribution and economic development and their interaction. Practical implications of research – to make recommendations on policy directions to improve the situation, which would promote the further development of remote work.

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Contemporary Challenges in Social Science Management: Skills Gaps and Shortages in the Labour Market
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-165-3

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 28 June 2016

Luisa Errichiello and Tommasina Pianese

To provide a conceptual framework for understanding the role of organizational control in the context of remote work arrangements.

Abstract

Purpose

To provide a conceptual framework for understanding the role of organizational control in the context of remote work arrangements.

Methodology/approach

The framework has been developed drawing on two distinct research streams. Existing frameworks on remote work arrangements enabled to identify relevant dimensions to include in our framework, namely drivers of adoption and outcomes of implementation. They also evidenced the importance of opening up the remote work implementation process addressing crucial management issues, notably organizational control. On the basis of extant organizational research we deconstructed the complexity of organizational control in its constituent elements and identified mechanisms of control enactment over time.

Findings

The framework links the dynamics of change in organizational control initiated by the adoption of remote work arrangements with its antecedents (drivers of adoption and characteristics of the remote work model) and implementation outcomes at individual, group and organizational level. It opens the implementation stage focusing on the dynamics of organizational control and clarifies its role when the organization decides to adopt remote working.

Originality/value

The framework assumes that organizational control is not a static entity but a process of mutual constitution between structures of controls and actions enacted over time by both managers and employees (remote workers and on-site colleagues). It shows the value of a process perspective that emphasizes time mechanisms underlying changes in organizational control of remote work. Moreover, it constitutes a valuable reference guide to interpret in an integrated way existing research on the issue and identify inconsistencies in empirical findings, relevant gaps and opportunities for future research.

Details

Performance Measurement and Management Control: Contemporary Issues
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-915-2

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 November 2015

Daniel Hickey and Neely Tang

This chapter explores what academic librarians and their supervisors must consider when looking to a remote or telework arrangement as a staffing solution. The popular and…

Abstract

This chapter explores what academic librarians and their supervisors must consider when looking to a remote or telework arrangement as a staffing solution. The popular and scholarly literature on remote work is surveyed and contextualized for information professionals. Research is clear that with proper planning, remote work arrangements can succeed, benefitting organizations and individuals. Even so, liaison librarians are unlikely to have central support for remote work arrangements due to communication and cultural hurdles unique to the profession. While these have been mitigated by technology to varying degrees in other sectors and industries, adoption in libraries has been slow. When librarians do pursue remote work, they are often unsure how to gauge fit, negotiate an arrangement, overcome technical obstacles and cultural misconceptions, and balance work and life. Authors Hickey and Tang: (1) summarize and apply research on remote work for library science professionals; (2) propose a theoretical framework for understanding the future of remote work for practitioner librarians in higher education; (3) present a case study of a successful remote work arrangement at Cornell University; (4) provide thought-provoking coaching questions for librarians and supervisors considering remote arrangements; (5) and identify next-steps for advancing the discussion and study of remote work in libraries. The practical implication of this information, aimed at service providers and managers, is to help them create a better workplace where flexible remote work arrangements are an opportunity for both the individual and organization that facilitate the achievement of personal, library unit, and institutional goals.

Details

Library Staffing for the Future
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-499-7

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Article
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Justin B. Keeler, Noelle F. Scuderi, Meagan E. Brock Baskin, Patricia C. Jordan and Laura M. Meade

The purpose of this study is to investigate the complexity of how demands and stress are mitigated to enhance employee performance in remote working arrangements.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the complexity of how demands and stress are mitigated to enhance employee performance in remote working arrangements.

Design/methodology/approach

A time-lagged snowball sample of 223 full-time remote working adults in the United States participated in an online survey. Data were analyzed using R 4.0.2 and structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results suggest remote job resources involving organizational trust and work flexibility increase performance via serial mediation when considering information communication technology (ICT) demands and work–life interference (WLI). The findings provide insights into counterbalancing the negative aspects of specific demands and stress in remote work arrangements.

Practical implications

This study provides insights for managers to understand how basic job resources may shape perspectives on demands and WLI to impact performance. Specific to remote working arrangements, establishing trust with the employees and promoting accountability with their work flexibility can play an important part in people and their performance.

Originality/value

This study contributes theoretically to the literature by evidencing how components of the E-Work Life (EWL) scale can be used with greater versatility beyond the original composite measurement because of the job-demand resource (JD-R) framework and conservation of resources theory (COR). This study answers several calls by research to investigate how ICT demands and WLI play a complex role in work performance.

Details

Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2051-6614

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Article
Publication date: 16 November 2023

Akanksha Jaiswal and Neethu Prabhakaran

COVID-19 forced employees to work remotely. Since this shift from physical to remote working was sudden and unprecedented, the authors aimed to examine the impact of employee…

Abstract

Purpose

COVID-19 forced employees to work remotely. Since this shift from physical to remote working was sudden and unprecedented, the authors aimed to examine the impact of employee well-being on performance in the context of remote work. Further, the authors explored how feelings of professional isolation and employees' control over their personal and professional boundaries (i.e. boundary control) moderated the well-being and performance link. The authors invoke the equity theory and boundary theory to augment their hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach

With 218 full-time employees representing large information technology organisations in India, the authors tested the hypothesised relationships using regression and double moderation in the PROCESS macro.

Findings

Results indicate that well-being has a significant positive impact on employee performance as they worked remotely. Further, the authors found that professional isolation and boundary control moderated the link between well-being and performance such that when boundary control is high and professional isolation is low, the aforementioned relationship strengthened and vice versa.

Research limitations/implications

The authors extend the boundary theory as the crisis-induced remote work highlighted the employees' need for deploying alternating boundary management styles to balance their personal and professional lives.

Practical implications

Organisations must develop flexible work policies to facilitate remote work and managers must efficiently craft the overall management of professional isolation and employees' boundaries to boost their well-being and performance.

Originality/value

The authors not only examine the impact of employee well-being on performance in the context of remote work but also, in a first, examine the role of boundary control and professional isolation in this relationship.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 46 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 31 October 2023

Johan Ingemar Lorentzon, Lazarus Elad Fotoh and Tatenda Mugwira

This paper aims to explore the impacts of remote auditing on auditors’ work and work-life balance.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the impacts of remote auditing on auditors’ work and work-life balance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopted a qualitative online survey approach using open-ended reflections from 98 highly experienced auditors. The survey design aligns with a “Big Q” approach to qualitative data. The reflections were interpreted through the theoretical lens of the social presence theory.

Findings

Auditors underscore that remote auditing has improved their work-life balance since it offers flexibility, greater autonomy and efficient use of time. However, they believe less social contact due to remote auditing can hurt their work.

Research limitations/implications

This study aimed to holistically comprehend the concept of work-life balance in a remote auditing setting. Therefore, the study refrained from making comparisons based on demographic information (e.g. gender, experience and type of audit firm).

Practical implications

The findings highlight the need for adopting flexible work arrangements that prioritise auditors’ well-being. This is critical for making the audit profession attractive and enhancing overall audit quality. Updated regulatory guidance and controls are needed concerning the use of technologies in remote auditing to ensure high-quality audits.

Social implications

The findings of this study can positively reshape public perception of the audit profession. Firstly, enhanced work-life balance can improve audit quality. Secondly, incorporating emerging technologies in auditing can result in society perceiving auditors as adaptive to innovation and technological advancement that has been touted for their potential for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of audit and audit quality, potentially enhancing societal trust in auditing.

Originality/value

The findings of this study complement the auditing literature that has mainly focused on the traditional work paradigm, requiring in-person presence. The authors identify potential challenges emanating from auditors’ remote work and propose solutions for audit firms to improve work-life balance in a remote work setting.

Details

Accounting Research Journal, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1030-9616

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 8 May 2023

Minna Hurmekoski, Arja Häggman-Laitila, Johanna Lammintakanen and Anja Terkamo-Moisio

This study aimed to describe nurse leaders’ experiences of remote leadership in health care sector.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to describe nurse leaders’ experiences of remote leadership in health care sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Semistructured interviews were conducted among nurse leaders (N = 12) between January and March 2022. All of the interviewees had experiences of remote leadership and worked as immediate – (n = 5) or middle-level (n = 7) leaders in health care organizations across four provinces in Finland. The collected data were analyzed by inductive content analysis.

Findings

The leaders had experienced a rapid transition to remote leadership and highlighted the need for guidelines and joint discussions with different stakeholders. The interviewees felt that working life has changed in the last two years and that remote leadership will now be a key part of leadership in health care. The leaders’ experiences highlighted how important trust is in remote leadership. Furthermore, the interviewees pointed out a need for face-to-face contact and described other good practices for remote leadership. Overseeing work-related well-being was also stressed as important in the remote context; however, the interviewees expressed a need for instructions and tools concerning the management of employee well-being. The sudden change to remote leadership was not only described as interesting but also challenging, which has affected the leaders’ work-related well-being. Support – both from the organization and other employees – was found to be crucial to health care leaders’ work-related well-being.

Originality/value

The current study complements the little-researched topic of remote leadership in the health care sector. The results provide insights that can be used to develop remote leadership and/or guide future research.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 September 2022

Baiyun Gong, Perl Tobias and Jessica Young-Bristol

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations adopted remote work policies. Meanwhile, the loss of the collocated work environment made it challenging for the supervisors to…

Abstract

Purpose

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations adopted remote work policies. Meanwhile, the loss of the collocated work environment made it challenging for the supervisors to have a clear vision of their employees, which may impact the quality of the performance evaluation and developmental decisions. This paper aims to resolve this problem by identifying resources in the remote workplace that can help supervisors restore their capacity for a clear vision of the remote employees.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors take the perspectives of the job resource-demand model and illustrate the theoretical framework that recognizes resources and resource holders at various levels of the organization. The authors see this as the key for supervisors to meet the demand of “seeing” their employees in the remote workplace.

Findings

Specifically, the employees should offer their information resources via skillful communication because supervisors have lost opportunities for in-person observation. Further, the administration is urged to deliver competence resources through training and development because supervisors may lack the experience of remote work management. Moreover, the organizations should provide social support resources by creating avenues for virtual networking activities, so as to make up the random social opportunities available in the collocated work environment.

Research limitations/implications

Improving supervisors’ vision is a new challenge coming with the installation of the remote workplace. Further research is called for to empirically test this theoretical framework and identify more ways to increase the resources and reduce the demands for supervisors; thus, helping them ease into the new ways of supervision in the virtual workplace.

Practical implications

This research informs the organizations to adjust their strategy for management development to adapt to the remote workplace.

Originality/value

The authors noted that increasing concerns of the low visibility of remote workers was partially due to the impaired vision of supervisors, who lost the context of in-person observation. Supervisors’ vision of their employees was taken for granted in the traditional work environment and there was not much research done on this topic. This prompted us to develop a theoretical framework based on the job resource demand model.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 46 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 March 2023

Omaima Hajjami and Oliver S. Crocco

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influenced employee engagement in the context of remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and compare them…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influenced employee engagement in the context of remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and compare them with antecedents of employee engagement in traditional workplaces.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted an integrative literature review design of 27 empirical and conceptual peer-reviewed journal articles from a host of academic databases. Data were analyzed via a matrix and mapped onto individual and organizational antecedents of employee engagement.

Findings

This study identified 18 antecedents of remote work, which were categorized into individual antecedents, for example, mindfulness and digital literacy, as well as organizational antecedents, for example, job autonomy and supportive leadership. These findings were compared with antecedents of employee engagement in traditional workplaces to generate new knowledge about the impact of remote work on employee engagement as a result of the large shift to remote work in 2020.

Originality/value

This study synthesizes the most recent literature on antecedents of employee engagement in remote work settings as the result of the pandemic and contrasts these new approaches with previously identified antecedents of employee engagement in traditional workplaces.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 48 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

Keywords

21 – 30 of over 34000