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Book part
Publication date: 19 April 2023

Mareike Reimann

During the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home (WFH) has become the norm for many employees and their families in Germany. Although WFH has been suggested as a form of flexible…

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home (WFH) has become the norm for many employees and their families in Germany. Although WFH has been suggested as a form of flexible work to foster work–life integration (especially for workers with greater care responsibilities), studies have also pointed to its risks when the boundaries between these two life spheres become blurred. To help disentangle these inconsistent findings in relation to work–family conflict, this study focuses on two main concerns: the relevance of additional forms of flexibility for those who work from home (i.e., temporal flexibility, job autonomy, fixed rules about availability) and the implications of WFH for employees’ social relationships with co-workers and supervisors. Based on linked employer–employee data collected in the spring of 2021, the study examined work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) among a sample of 885 employees who worked from home. The results indicate that three factors – temporal flexibility, job autonomy, and fixed rules about availability as a way to set boundaries between work and family life – are important predictors of fewer work–family conflict. This equally applies to employees with caring obligations who overall experience more work–family conflicts while WFH. For those who cared for relatives, autonomy contributed even to fewer work–family conflicts. Supportive relationships with supervisors and co-workers are certainly directly beneficial when it comes to avoiding conflict, but they also reinforce the positive implications of flexible work, whereas poor relationships counteract the benefits of such flexibility. Thus, employers need to provide additional forms of flexibility to employees who work from home and should pay attention to social relationships among their employees as a way to support families and other individuals.

Details

Flexible Work and the Family
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-592-7

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Article
Publication date: 17 November 2023

Simon Lansmann, Jana Mattern, Simone Krebber and Joschka Andreas Hüllmann

Positive experiences with working from home (WFH) during the Corona pandemic (COVID-19) have motivated many employees to continue WFH after the pandemic. However, factors…

Abstract

Purpose

Positive experiences with working from home (WFH) during the Corona pandemic (COVID-19) have motivated many employees to continue WFH after the pandemic. However, factors influencing employees' WFH intentions against the backdrop of experiences during pandemic-induced enforced working from home (EWFH) are heterogeneous. This study investigates factors linked to information technology (IT) professionals' WFH intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

This mixed-methods study with 92 IT professionals examines the effects of seven predictors for IT professionals' WFH intentions. The predictors are categorized according to the trichotomy of (1) characteristics of the worker, (2) characteristics of the workspace and (3) the work context. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the quantitative survey data. In addition, IT professionals' responses to six open questions in which they reflect on past experiences and envision future work are examined.

Findings

Quantitative results suggest that characteristics of the worker, such as segmentation preference, are influencing WFH intentions stronger than characteristics of the workspace or the work context. Furthermore, perceived productivity during EWFH and gender significantly predict WFH intentions. Contextualizing these quantitative insights, the qualitative data provides a rich yet heterogeneous list of factors why IT professionals prefer (not) to work from home.

Practical implications

Reasons influencing WFH intentions vary due to individual preferences and constraints. Therefore, a differentiated organizational approach is recommended for designing future work arrangements. In addition, the findings suggest that team contracts to formalize working patterns, e.g. to agree on the needed number of physical meetings, can be helpful levers to reduce the complexity of future work that is most likely a mix of WFH and office arrangements.

Originality/value

This study extends literature reflecting on COVID-19-induced changes, specifically the emerging debate about why employees want to continue WFH. It is crucial for researchers and practitioners to understand which factors influence IT professionals' WFH intentions and how they impact the design and implementation of future hybrid work arrangements.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 2 December 2021

Anirudh Agrawal, Payal Kumar, Shalaka Sharad Shah and Pawan Budhwar

In this chapter, the authors study work from home (WFH) and work from office (WFO) formats using institutional logic. Four start-ups in India have been studied using qualitative…

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors study work from home (WFH) and work from office (WFO) formats using institutional logic. Four start-ups in India have been studied using qualitative interview data reflecting their transition to WFH during the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent nationwide lockdown. Institutional logics is the framework drawn upon to enhance our understanding of the phenomenon. While conceptualising institutional logics in the context of WFH and WFO, the authors discuss the implications of WFH for both entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. Finally, it is proposed that hybrid workspaces may be the way for the future.

Details

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

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Book part
Publication date: 19 April 2023

Alexandra Mergener, Ines Entgelmeier and Timothy Rinke

This chapter examines the extent to which Working from Home (WfH) affects the temporal alignment of work and private life, i.e., the consideration of personal and family interests…

Abstract

This chapter examines the extent to which Working from Home (WfH) affects the temporal alignment of work and private life, i.e., the consideration of personal and family interests in work scheduling, for male and female employees with and without children. A distinction is made between telework that is formally recognized home working time by the employer, and informal overtime at home that is not recorded. It is argued that while the first represents a job resource, by increasing flexibility in work scheduling, the latter constitutes a job demand, which hinders the consideration of personal and family responsibilities in work time planning. Due to differences in status beliefs, identification and the distribution of childcare, gender gaps as well as differences according to family responsibilities are predicted in these associations. Using data from the German BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey 2018, the temporal alignment of work and private life is found to be positively associated with telework, particularly so for men, and negatively associated with informal overtime at home, particularly so for women. While mothers do not benefit from telework during regular working hours in particular, they have the worst temporal alignment of work and private life when they work informal overtime at home.

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2022

Laxmikant Manroop and Daniela Petrovski

This article identifies the contextual demands impacting the work from home (WFH) experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and considers their respective impact on employees'…

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Abstract

Purpose

This article identifies the contextual demands impacting the work from home (WFH) experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and considers their respective impact on employees' personal and work-related outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on a qualitative methodology, the authors thematically analyzed written narratives from 41 employees who had been required to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

Data analysis identified four layers of contextual demands (omnibus, task, social and personal) that had resulted in participants being required to work from home. Drawing on this finding, the authors develop a conceptual process model to extend current theory and explain how the respective demands impact individual affective reactions and work-related experiences, health and wellbeing. The authors’ findings offer new insights into contexts where WFH becomes mandatory, indicating that it is characterized by a range of challenges and opportunities.

Practical implications

This paper signals the need to provide employees with a realistic preview of working from home demands, including interventions to better prepare them to navigate the daily stressors of working from home; and provision of virtual employee assistance programs in the form of online counseling.

Originality/value

This paper explores a unique phenomenon – the mandatory requirement to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on employees' personal and work-related experiences and outcomes.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 52 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

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Article
Publication date: 9 July 2021

Rayees Farooq and Almaas Sultana

This study aims to test the relationship between work from home (WFH) and employee productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also examines the moderating role of…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to test the relationship between work from home (WFH) and employee productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also examines the moderating role of gender in the relationship between WFH and employee productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 250 respondents from hospitality, banking and information technology was taken from the National Capital Region and Punjab State of India. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and multi-group moderation analysis.

Findings

The findings provide support for the negative relationship between WFH and employee productivity. This study also provides empirical evidence that gender moderates the relationship between WFH and employee productivity.

Originality/value

This study is the first of its kind to test the relationship between WFH and employee productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study contributes to the organizational behavior literature by providing empirical support to the organizational adaptation theory.

Details

Measuring Business Excellence, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-3047

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Article
Publication date: 31 May 2022

Navya Kumar, Swati Alok and Sudatta Banerjee

Even after COVID-19 pandemic, several organizations intend extending work-from-home (WFH), to the extent of making it permanent for many. However, WFH's impact on productivity…

Abstract

Purpose

Even after COVID-19 pandemic, several organizations intend extending work-from-home (WFH), to the extent of making it permanent for many. However, WFH's impact on productivity remains uncertain. Therefore, this paper aims to study personal and job factors determining the likelihood of amount of work done at home being same/more vis-à-vis office.

Design/methodology/approach

Employees' basic psychological needs and job crafting tendencies; job-related aspects of task independence, technology resources and supervisory support; and several demographic factors are examined as determinants. Firth logistic regression analysis of data from 301 Indian white-collar employees is performed.

Findings

Demographically, longer exposure to WFH, greater work experience and being a support function worker increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home. Being a woman or married reduced the likelihood, while being a manufacturing/services worker was non-significant. Among psychological needs, greater needs for autonomy and relatedness decreased and increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home, respectively. Regarding personal and job resources, job crafting to increase structural job resources and supervisor support increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home versus office.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the limited India-centric literature on WFH; uniquely examining influences of individual personal attributes on amount of work done by combining job demands-resources (JD-R) model and basic psychological needs theory.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Article
Publication date: 7 July 2022

Kjersti Berg Danilova, Andreas Ulfsten, Tom Roar Eikebrokk, Jon Iden, Trond Vegard Johannessen and Daniel Johanson

This study investigates which factors are conducive to individual job performance in large-scale work from home (WFH) arrangements that rely on the current generation of…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates which factors are conducive to individual job performance in large-scale work from home (WFH) arrangements that rely on the current generation of technology, such as information and communications platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers proposed a research model based on research on WFH arrangements. The model was tested based on a survey of 1,183 respondents who engaged in large-scale WFH arrangements during an extensive national COVID-19 lockdown.

Findings

The proposed research model explains 41% of the variance in individual job performance in WFH arrangements. The findings show that the strongest positive predictors for job performance are home office quality and the reach and communication quality of information and communications platforms. A sense of professional isolation was found to have a negative impact.

Originality/value

This study is based on a unique situation of large-scale mandatory WFH arrangements that are comparable to a natural experiment, and it is one of the first studies to conduct an extensive exploration of WFH that relies on the current generation of digital technology.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 36 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2022

Najmonnisa Khan, Rabia Aslam, Muhammad Mujtaba Asad, Lubna Oad and Norah Mansour Almusharraf

The present study aims to examine the effects of work from home (WFH) on employees' performance and wellbeing during the second wave of pandemic and to find out the effects of…

Abstract

Purpose

The present study aims to examine the effects of work from home (WFH) on employees' performance and wellbeing during the second wave of pandemic and to find out the effects of institutional head's support as mediating variables and employees' self-efficacy as moderating variables on employees' performance and wellbeing during WFH.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach with causal comparative research design was adopted to collect the data from the respondents. The participants of the study were 586 teachers from public and private universities of Karachi, Pakistan, who were teaching from home during the second wave of pandemic, selected randomly from the population. An adopted questionnaire was used to collect data which consists of six parts.

Findings

Results found the positive significant effects of WFH on teachers' social wellbeing, negative significant effects on teachers' performance, their physical and mental wellbeing. No significant effects of WFH were found on teachers' financial wellbeing. The study also found that head's support plays a partially mediating significant role in the relationship between WFH and job performance, and social wellbeing, while no mediation on physical, social and financial wellbeing was found. Moderating effects of teachers' self-efficacy exist between the relationship of WFH and teachers' job performance, mental wellbeing and social wellbeing, while no effects exist between the relationship of WFH and teachers' physical and financial wellbeing.

Originality/value

The new research model will contribute significantly to education practitioners' knowledge, especially the government of Pakistan, which needs to measure their work from home policy's effectiveness during the pandemic.

Details

Journal of Professional Capital and Community, vol. 7 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-9548

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Article
Publication date: 9 October 2023

Tavleen Kaur and Santanu Mandal

COVID-19 disrupted the usual way of working for many people across the globe, making full-time work from home and hybrid models two popular work arrangements. Despite the…

Abstract

Purpose

COVID-19 disrupted the usual way of working for many people across the globe, making full-time work from home and hybrid models two popular work arrangements. Despite the proliferation and high acceptance of the hybrid model, very little research has focused on the same. This study aims to compare the impact of transitions caused by remote work on work disengagement under two settings: remote work and hybrid model.

Design/methodology/approach

The data is collected from three corporate hubs in India: Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Bangalore. This study’s respondents represent two working models: full-time work from home and a hybrid model. Responses were collected using Google forms-based questionnaire, which resulted in the following usable responses: 356 (hybrid) and 398 (work from home).

Findings

The findings reveal that the structural model for the hybrid sector explained 11% of the variance in work disengagement, while the same for work from home model accounted for 20% of the variance in work disengagement. The authors also tested for the moderation of individual resilience between work-home and home-to-work conflicts and home-to-work transitions and work-to-home conflict under full-time work-from and hybrid models. Based on 356 respondents from hybrid category and 398 from work from home, the study found that employees experience less work-to-home and home-to-work conflicts in the hybrid model and employees experience more work-to-home and home-to-work conflicts in the full-time work from home model.

Originality/value

The study is also the first to examine the moderating role of individual resilience as a tool to bounce back and handle conflicts. As the full-time work from home model leads to more work-to-home and home-to-work conflicts, individuals have more scope to exhibit resilience, and thus, the moderating relationship is stronger in the full-time work from home model. The paper offers theoretical and managerial implications.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

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