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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

Keywords

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

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 August 2022

Sini V. Pillai and Jayasankar Prasad

This paper aims to investigate the continuing experience of the employer and employees in terms of work–life balance (WLB) and productivity from the employees engaged in knowledge…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the continuing experience of the employer and employees in terms of work–life balance (WLB) and productivity from the employees engaged in knowledge work working from home. Based on the findings, this study expands the key performance indicators (KPIs) of remote work and future policy decision including reorienting training practices that can be implemented to manage the workforce in a hybrid model.

Design/methodology/approach

Focus group interviews with the corporate executives and human resources (HR) managers of information technology (IT) sectors were conducted to pool critical success and challenging variables in various phases as in the initial and matured phase of work from home (WFH) followed by administering a structured questionnaire to identify employee perceptions toward work from office, home and hybrid mode among knowledge work employees.

Findings

WLB and lower stress were the highlights of WFH, and women employees benefit from flexibility of work as the major highlighted success factor. But there were challenges ahead; teams have become more siloed with issues of ineffective communication resulting in team coherence issues, increased health risks and also can result in attrition. Productivity increased throughout, but in the extended phase of WFH, it has affected the WLB of a major portion of technology-driven employees in terms of health risks, burnout and job attrition.

Research limitations/implications

Only the current employees working at IT companies in Kerala were surveyed, and this limited scope may not be consistent with other types of industries. The companies can approach the next phase of work by embracing the positives and learning from the challenges of WFH. The employers need to identify what exactly the employees feel through their interpersonal relationship through connect and trust.

Practical implications

A model with listed KPIs which will address the strategy enhancement for the future of work to uphold the success of work from anywhere at any time is suggested guaranteeing the best talent and productivity to progress forward. To foster the positive experience of WFH and hybrid mode of work, human resources (HR) interventions by reorienting effective training among employees are investigated and suggested as best practices to manage WLB and drive in flexibility to bring out the productivity potential among employees.

Social implications

Coworking spaces can be arranged for those employees who have space and location issues and also taking into consideration, the nature of work. Out of five to six working days, three days of work can be from office desk based on employee preference as quality of deliverables and performance seem to be the established striking factor of traditional mode of work.

Originality/value

A model with listed KPIs and investigating the role of training which will address the strategy enhancement for the future of work to uphold the success of work from anywhere at any time is recommended guaranteeing the best talent and productivity to progress forward.

Details

Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 55 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0019-7858

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2021

Samin Marzban, Iva Durakovic, Christhina Candido and Martin Mackey

This paper aims to provide a snapshot of workers’ experience while working from home (WFH) during the Australian lockdown in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. It focuses on…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a snapshot of workers’ experience while working from home (WFH) during the Australian lockdown in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. It focuses on lessons to inform organizations, employees and the design of the workspaces post-2020, human, organizational and environmental considerations may affect satisfaction, productivity and health.

Design/methodology/approach

Two separate surveys were designed for this study to target Australian organizations and knowledge workers. Participants included 28 organizations and 301 employees, and descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted.

Findings

Organizations stated productivity losses, maintaining culture and workplace health and safety concerns with WFH setup while employees were more concerned about their social interactions, internet connectivity and increased workload. Employees also found the social aspects of WFH challenging and disclosed that face-to-face interactions with their colleagues was the most important reason they wanted to return to the office. High level of trust and value was reported amongst the organizations and workers.

Originality/value

In the scarcity of academic literature around negative and positives of the WFH experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the main sources of information have been industry-focused reports. This study aims to contribute to this knowledge gap by identifying positives and negative aspects of WFH during the first wave of lockdowns in Australia in 2020 from the organization and workers’ perspective, including human, organizational and environmental considerations.

Details

Journal of Corporate Real Estate , vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-001X

Keywords

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: 18 August 2022

Heather Tolland and Emma Drysdale

The purpose of this paper was to explore the well-being and experiences of working from home (WFH) for psychology staff across a range of specialties working within one health…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to explore the well-being and experiences of working from home (WFH) for psychology staff across a range of specialties working within one health board in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 161 clinical psychology professionals took part in an online survey that explored experiences of WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed well-being during this period.

Findings

A number of challenges with WFH were identified, including challenges with carrying out clinical work (e.g. communication difficulties, risk assessment) and fewer opportunities for collaborative working and technical/equipment issues. During the WFH period, 46% experienced fatigue, 45% felt stressed and anxious and 30% felt lonely and isolated, compared to normal. Physical health complaints were also common with 37% experiencing aches/pains in back compared to normal and 40% experiencing headaches or migraines.

Practical implications

Remote therapy should be directed to those with less complex needs or who require straightforward assessments. There should be increased access to occupational health assessments and provision of ergonomic furniture when WFH, and all staff should be supported to access well-being resources available within the health board. Further evaluation should be carried out to support evidence-based practice of remote clinical work.

Originality/value

Few studies have explored the experiences of WFH and/or remotely from the perspectives of clinical psychologists in a Scottish health board. It is expected that this way of working will continue, albeit to a smaller extent; therefore, WFH policy will be informed by the findings.

Details

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-6228

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2022

Santanu Mandal, Payel Das, Gayathri V. Menon and R. Amritha

With the emergence of COVID-19 and increased infections, organizations urged their employees to work from home. Furthermore, with the on-going pandemic, employees take measures to…

1201

Abstract

Purpose

With the emergence of COVID-19 and increased infections, organizations urged their employees to work from home. Furthermore, with the on-going pandemic, employees take measures to ensure individual safety and their families. Hence, work from home culture can result in long-term employee satisfaction. However, no study addresses the development of work from the home culture in an integrated framework. Therefore, the current research explores the role of safety during the pandemic, organizational commitment and employee motivation on work from home culture, which may influence employee satisfaction. Furthermore, job demands and home demands were also evaluated for employee satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used existing scales of the factors to develop the measures and collect perceptual responses from employees working from home, supported with a pre-test. The study executed a survey with effective responses from 132 individuals spread across different sectors to validate the hypotheses. The responses were analysed using partial least squares in ADANCO 2.2.

Findings

Findings suggest safety concerns along with organization commitment enhances work from home culture. Such work from home culture enhances employee motivation and employee satisfaction. Furthermore, job demands and home demands also influence employee satisfaction.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors knowledge, the study is the foremost to develop an integrated empirical framework for work from home culture and its antecedents and consequences. The study has several important implications for managers.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

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

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 October 2020

Ada Hiu Kan Wong, Joyce Oiwun Cheung and Ziguang Chen

Working-from-home (WFH) practice has been adopted by many companies of a variety of industries in a diverse manner; however, it is not until the recent outbreak of the coronavirus…

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Abstract

Purpose

Working-from-home (WFH) practice has been adopted by many companies of a variety of industries in a diverse manner; however, it is not until the recent outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic WFH gains worldwide popularity. With so many different views out there and based on work–family balance theory, this study aims to find out the factors which affect peoples' WFH effectiveness and whether they want the extended WFH practice when the pandemic crisis is over.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopted an online survey approach by posting questionnaires on the university website and different social media channels to collect views from full-time Hong Kong workers who have had WFH experience during the coronavirus outbreak. A total of 1,976 effective responses were collected for the data analysis.

Findings

The findings of this study indicate that WFH effectiveness is improved by personal and family well-being but reduced by environmental and resource constraints. When workers are experiencing higher WFH effectiveness, they have a higher preference for WFH even after the pandemic; the female workers preferred WFH twice per week, while the male workers more often preferred WFH once per week. Finally, workers from the management and the self-employed levels demonstrated a lower preference for WFH, compared to the front-line and middle-grade workers.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils to provide a timely reflection on workers' post-pandemic WFH preference, the factors affecting their WFH effectiveness and the demographic differences inducing to the differentiated preferences.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 July 2021

May Mei Ling Wong, Ka Hing Lau and Chad Wing Fung Chan

COVID-19 has changed the way we teach and learn, including service-learning (S-L). This study examines the impacts of the work-from-home (WFH) mode on the work performance and…

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Abstract

Purpose

COVID-19 has changed the way we teach and learn, including service-learning (S-L). This study examines the impacts of the work-from-home (WFH) mode on the work performance and learning outcomes of student interns on an eight-week S-L internship programme, and the key factors in terms of its success.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research methodology is adopted by interviewing nine student interns and four supervisors from three community partner organisations (CPOs) to understand their experiences of how the WFH mode has impacted intern work performance and learning outcomes. Thematic analysis is used for the data analysis.

Findings

The interns uncover a number of negative WFH impacts on the S-L internship, including ineffective communication and management practice, low work efficiency and quality, a lack of task variety and learning opportunities and distractions in the home environment. Furthermore, five critical factors for WFH success are also identified, including prior preparation, effective communication systems, personal motivators at work, the nature of the job in relation to it being suited to the WFH mode, and organisational support.

Originality/value

The study examines impacts on student work performance and learning outcomes in an S-L summer internship programme operating under the WFH mode as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key success factors and practical recommendations have been developed for enhancing the future success of S-L internships operating under the WFH mode.

Details

Journal of Work-Applied Management, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2205-2062

Keywords

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