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Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Lisa Bellmann, Lutz Bellmann and Olaf Hübler

We enquire whether short-time work (STW) avoids firings as intended by policymakers and is associated with unintended side effects by subsidising some establishments and locking…

Abstract

Purpose

We enquire whether short-time work (STW) avoids firings as intended by policymakers and is associated with unintended side effects by subsidising some establishments and locking in some employees. Additionally, where it was feasible, establishments used working from home (WFH) to continue working without risking an increase in COVID-19 infections and allowing employed parents to care for children attending closed schools.

Design/methodology/approach

Using 21 waves of German high-frequency establishment panel data collected during the COVID-19 crisis, we investigate how STW and WFH are associated with hirings, firings, resignations and excess labour turnover (or churning).

Findings

Our results show the important influences of STW and working from home on employment dynamics during the pandemic. By means of STW, establishments are able to avoid an increase in involuntary layoffs and hiring decreases significantly. In contrast, WFH is associated with a rise in resignations, as can be expected from a theoretical perspective.

Originality/value

While most of the literature on STW and WFH is unrelated and remains descriptive, we consider them in conjunction and conduct panel data analyses. We apply data and methods that allow for the dynamic pattern of STW and working from home during the pandemic. Furthermore, our data include relevant establishment-level variables, such as the existence of a works council, employee qualifications, establishment size, the degree to which the establishment was affected by the COVID-19 crisis, industry affiliation and a wave indicator for the period the survey was conducted.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 45 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 June 2023

Decha Dechawatanapaisal

This study applies the job demands-resources model the conservation of resources theory to explain and examine the impacts of home-work conflict, perceived insufficient…

Abstract

Purpose

This study applies the job demands-resources model the conservation of resources theory to explain and examine the impacts of home-work conflict, perceived insufficient organizational support, and perceived social isolation, that is, work-from-home stressors, o

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 418 Thai employees who worked from home during the nationwide lockdowns at two time points. The hypotheses were tested and analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and a bootstrapping procedure.

Findings

The results indicate that the three work-from-home stressors significantly cause emotional exhaustion and that these stressors are negatively associated with job embeddedness and life satisfaction via the mediation of emotional exhaustion.

Research limitations/implications

To reduce error in parameter estimation due to self-report data, future research could use a more rigorous longitudinal design with a longer time lag and collect data from multiple sources.

Practical implications

Realizing how critical situations shape the workplace would help organizations understand the issues concerning a remote work approach and create more applicable interventions to improve employees' retention and wellbeing.

Originality/value

This study reinforces the application of COR in times of crisis and extends the traditional JD-R model beyond the normal work context.

Details

Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-4323

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2023

Thi Trang Giang, Cong-Hoang Nguyen and Yi-Hui Ho

Well-being is an important dimension of human life but plays a controversial role in organizations, especially in different working environments. This study aims to explore the…

Abstract

Purpose

Well-being is an important dimension of human life but plays a controversial role in organizations, especially in different working environments. This study aims to explore the role of well-being in work from home (WFH) context, and its consequence on job outcomes among accountants in a fast-developing country, Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study is conducted with the data from Vietnamese accountants who had to work from home during the pandemic time. Partial least squares structural equation modeling method is applied to analyze the data.

Findings

The results show a direct and significant relationship of WFH with the employees’ well-being and job satisfaction (JS). Well-being fully mediates the influence of home-based work and JS on job performance.

Originality/value

This study generates valuable knowledge and practical implication in organizational policies and initiatives that aim to enhance employees’ well-being and promote positive job outcomes in the context of remote work. Organization employers should take their employees’ well-being as a key factor and consider it in personnel policy to enhance their work performance.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 32 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 June 2024

Dorothee Tautz, Jörg Felfe, Laura Klebe and Annika Krick

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of transformational leadership (TFL) for employee well-being when working from home (WFH) and under the light of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of transformational leadership (TFL) for employee well-being when working from home (WFH) and under the light of stressors coming from the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Design/methodology/approach

Moderation analyses were conducted with a sample of 763 employees who work at least one day a week from home.

Findings

The results suggest that TFL still has a positive effect on employee well-being during WFH, but that its effectiveness decreases when certain ICT demands that inhibit communication occur. Contrary to our expectations, constant availability did not weaken the effects of TFL.

Practical implications

Leaders must be aware of the influence of ICT demands on their leadership effectiveness and take countermeasures to increase effective communication and decrease the occurrence of ICT demands.

Originality/value

Current literature on TFL was enhanced by examining its effectiveness in a WFH context and providing important insights into the challenges of remote work for leadership and employee well-being.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 39 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 April 2024

Omokolade Akinsomi, Olayiwola Oladiran and Zoe Kaseka

This paper aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on office space in Johannesburg. This study further explores the role of changing work practices in the office sector in South…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on office space in Johannesburg. This study further explores the role of changing work practices in the office sector in South Africa because of the pandemic and its impact on future office space use planning and management.

Design/methodology/approach

To understand the footprints that the COVID-19 pandemic has left on the office space market in Johannesburg, this study uses semi-structured interviews, which were administered to corporate office users, and a thematic analysis was adopted to understand the views, perspectives and expectations of office users.

Findings

The study showed that space users perceive COVID-19-induced remote working as having benefits, opportunities and challenges. A notable shift in office space utilization has emerged, with employees increasingly opting for roles that permit remote work. This newfound flexibility, accommodating both on-site and remote work, often makes working from home more appealing than traditional office environments that may no longer align with users’ preferences for office spaces.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to Johannesburg, South Africa, and may not apply to other African markets. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted, and analysis and results were deduced; this may be considered a limitation of this study.

Practical implications

The pandemic’s impact has brought about irreversible changes, compelling policymakers and business leaders to strategize and prepare. This proactive stance aims to prevent avoidable challenges for employees and companies during future pandemics. A thoughtful approach to the post-pandemic world can usher positive changes in the office and property sector. This includes the coexistence of both remote work and on-site working models.

Originality/value

This paper provides valuable insight into some of the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa that are essential for future office space use planning and management. The insights from this study extend the literature and provide novel knowledge based on an office sector in the “global south.”

Details

Journal of Corporate Real Estate , vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-001X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 April 2023

Bokolo Anthony Jnr

As the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) impacts the world, software practitioners are collaboratively working remotely from home. The pandemic has disrupted software…

Abstract

Purpose

As the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) impacts the world, software practitioners are collaboratively working remotely from home. The pandemic has disrupted software practitioners’ productivity forcing changes to agile methodology adopted by software practitioners in software organizations. Therefore, this study aims to provide implication on the issues and recommendations for improving software practitioners’ productivity and also examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agile software development.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a narrative literature review to provide early assessment based on secondary data from the literature and available document reports from studies published from 2019 to 2022 to explore software practitioners’ productivity and agile software development during the working from home directive amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 60 sources which met the inclusion criteria were used to provide preliminary evidence grounded on secondary data from the literature. Descriptive analysis was used to provide qualitative findings from the literature.

Findings

Findings from this study present the significance of working from home directive on agile software development and software practitioners’ productivity. More importantly, findings from the secondary data shed light on software practitioners’ productivity adopting agile software development amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the findings present virtual collaborative platforms used by software practitioners, technical and social barriers of agile software development during the pandemic and recommendations for remote agile software development.

Originality/value

This study explores the significance of working from home directive on software practitioners’ productivity during COVID-19 pandemic and further investigates how are software practitioners’ productivity adopting agile software development practices amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, this study discusses the challenges software practitioners currently face and offers some strategies to bridge the gaps in agile software development to help software practitioners, system developers, software managers and software organizations adapt to the changes caused by the pandemic.

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 December 2023

Karin Högberg and Sara Willermark

This study aims to develop the understanding of learning processes related to the new ways of interacting in the enforced digital workplace over time.

2793

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop the understanding of learning processes related to the new ways of interacting in the enforced digital workplace over time.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple, longitudinal case study of knowledge-based workers in three firms located in Sweden has been conducted from March 2020 to March 2023. In total, 89 interviews with 32 employees in three knowledge-based firms have been collected.

Findings

The study shows how the intricate interaction between rules and norms for interaction and work must be renegotiated as well as un- and relearned when the physical work environment no longer frames the work context. Furthermore, technology can be viewed as both an enable and a barrier, that is, technology has enhanced collaboration between organizational members yet also created social difficulties, for example, related to communication and interaction. The study emphasizes that individuals learned through trial and error. That is, they tried behaviors such as translating social interactions" to a digital arena, appraised the outcomes and modified the practices if the outcomes were poor.

Research limitations/implications

The present study does have several limitations. First, it is based on interviews with respondents within three organizations in Sweden. To broaden and deepen the understanding of both organizational and learning, future studies can contribute by studying other contexts as well as using a mixed method approach in other countries.

Practical implications

Results from the study can provide a practical understanding of how the rapid change from working at the office to working from home using digital technologies can be understood and managed.

Originality/value

Contributions include combining interaction order and un- and relearning among organizational employees. This insight is important given that the rapid digital transformation of our society has changed how work is performed and how the future workplace will be both structured and organized.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 36 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 August 2023

Debolina Dutta and Sushanta Kumar Mishra

The fear of the pandemic, confinement at home and the need to work created a unique situation. The pandemic catalyzed work-from-anywhere practice by adopting information and…

1236

Abstract

Purpose

The fear of the pandemic, confinement at home and the need to work created a unique situation. The pandemic catalyzed work-from-anywhere practice by adopting information and communication technologies (ICT) across all industries. While ICT saved organizations, it increased technostress among the workforce. A better understanding of the adverse effects of ICT usage might enable organizations to manage the mental well-being of the workforce. While technostress is gaining increasing interest, scholarly work investigating the dimensions of technostress and its impact on creating stress across various employee demographics and industry types is missing. Contrary to the prevalent assumptions, the authors theorized and tested the adverse moderation effect of the home-work interface on the linkage between technostress dimensions and stress. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objective.

Design/methodology/approach

The study captures dimensions of technostress and the resulting stress at work using a survey-based analysis of 881 working employees in India, representing multiple industries and functions.

Findings

The study indicates that techno-overload, techno-complexity and techno-invasion significantly impact employees during the pandemic. The authors further found that the home-work-interface is a powerful factor in understanding the complex linkage between dimensions of technostress and its outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Job-Demand-Resources model, this study highlights the adverse impact of this trend on employee well-being. However, the study suffers from a cross-sectional research design. The technostress research has focused primarily on static, at-premise environments and mostly on high ICT usage industries. Due to the pandemic, it has neglected the impact of various technostress dimensions across employee cohorts subjected to rapid technology-enabled working. Further, most studies focus on the voluntary choice of remote work. Employees struggle with the unexpected and involuntary shift to technology-enabled remote work. This study contributes to the literature by examining the consequences of technostress in the context of non-voluntary remote work. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, this study highlights the adverse effect of organizational home-work interface in influencing ICT-created stress.

Practical implications

The increasing use of ICT enables telecommuting across the workforce while increasing organizational productivity. Due to the pandemic, these trends will likely change the future of work permanently. To minimize employee stress, practitioners need to reconsider the dimensions of technostress. Further, the study cautions against the prevalent interventions used by practitioners. While practitioners facilitate a home-work interface, it could have adverse consequences. Practitioners may consider the adverse consequences of home-work interface while designing organizational policies.

Social implications

This study during the pandemic is crucial as research forecasts the likelihood of other cataclysmic events, such as future pandemics and political or climate change events, which may sustain technology-driven remote work practices and remain a feature of the future workplace. Hence understanding the implications of the dimensions of technostress would help organizations and policymakers to implement necessary interventions to minimize employee stress.

Originality/value

The present study examines the dimensions of technostress across multiple industries and job functions in an emerging market marked by a high economic growth rate and an Eastern cultural context. This study presents the dark side of excessive ICT adoption and indicates how organizations and HRM practices can help mitigate some of these effects.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 37 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 June 2024

Shilpa Jain, Aarushi Singh and Ruchi Bhalla

The pandemic has necessitated employees to work virtually due to mandatory work-from-home setup. Since every employee is not comfortable working online owing to their individual…

Abstract

Purpose

The pandemic has necessitated employees to work virtually due to mandatory work-from-home setup. Since every employee is not comfortable working online owing to their individual differences which impact performance, thus, it is essential to identify individual characteristics governing performance. As per conventional theories, cognition and metacognition have a significant impact on employee performance, and the key to performance in a collaborative online environment also is metacognition. However, this has been scarcely explored in the context of virtual workspace. This study, therefore, empirically investigates the influence of metacognition and its sub-domains on employees' virtual performance given the challenges they face in a virtual work environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling technique for data collection. Data collected from 534 professionals with high and low levels of metacognitive ability is analysed using univariate analysis to ascertain whether metacognitive ability helps employees deal with challenges associated with virtual work environments and perform better.

Findings

Results confirm a significant relationship between the level of metacognitive ability and virtual performance. Further, the findings also confirm the interaction effect of the level of metacognitive ability and challenge of maintaining work and non-work boundaries and the need for the physical presence of team member/s in predicting virtual performance.

Originality/value

This study is the first empirical attempt to examine the linkage between metacognitive ability and performance among professionals in the context of post-pandemic virtual work environment and challenges.

Details

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1093-4537

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 September 2024

Cristóbal Rodríguez-Montoya, Raquel De Castro Morel and Diana Frías-Rodríguez

This study aims to explore the phenomenon of “Quiet Quitting” from the perspective of employers in the Dominican Republic, particularly in the context of changes brought about by…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the phenomenon of “Quiet Quitting” from the perspective of employers in the Dominican Republic, particularly in the context of changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

From a qualitative approach, based on methods of Grounded Theory, in-depth interviews were conducted with managers from various sectors. The data were analysed using open, axial and selective coding techniques to identify emerging themes.

Findings

The study identifies four main scenarios contributing to quiet quitting: Social Disconnection, Stress and Anxiety, Re-evaluation of Priorities and Changes in Job Expectations. These factors indicate a significant shift in the employee–employer relationship post-pandemic.

Research limitations/implications

The exploratory nature of this study limits its generalizability.

Practical implications

Organizations can mitigate quiet quitting by implementing flexible work policies, promoting work-life balance and enhancing communication between supervisors and employees.

Social implications

Addressing quiet quitting can lead to improved employee well-being, higher productivity and a more positive work environment.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to examine quiet quitting in the Dominican Republic from the employers’ perspective, providing unique insights into this understudied phenomenon in the region.

Propósito

Este estudio explora el fenómeno de la “Renuncia Silenciosa” desde la perspectiva de los empleadores en la República Dominicana, particularmente en el contexto de los cambios provocados por la pandemia de COVID-19.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Desde un enfoque cualitativo, basado en métodos de la Teoría Fundamentada, se realizaron entrevistas en profundidad con gerentes de varios sectores. Los datos se analizaron utilizando técnicas de codificación abierta, axial y selectiva para identificar temas emergentes.

Resultados

El estudio identifica cuatro escenarios principales que contribuyen a la renuncia silenciosa: Desconexión Social, Estrés y Ansiedad, Reevaluación de Prioridades y Cambios en las Expectativas Laborales. Estos factores indican un cambio significativo en la relación empleado-empleador postpandemia.

Implicaciones prácticas

Las organizaciones pueden mitigar la renuncia silenciosa implementando políticas de trabajo flexible, promoviendo el equilibrio entre vida laboral y personal, y mejorando la comunicación entre supervisores y empleados.

Implicaciones sociales

Abordar la renuncia silenciosa puede llevar a un mayor bienestar de los empleados, mayor productividad y un entorno laboral más positivo.

Originalidad/valor

Esta investigación es la primera en examinar la renuncia silenciosa en la República Dominicana desde la perspectiva de los empleadores, proporcionando perspectivas únicas sobre este fenómeno poco estudiado en la región.

Objetivo

Este estudo explora o fenômeno da “Abandono Silencioso” a partir da perspectiva dos empregadores na República Dominicana, particularmente no contexto das mudanças provocadas pela pandemia de COVID-19.

Design/metodologia/abordagem

A partir de uma abordagem qualitativa, baseada nos métodos da Teoria Fundamentada, foram realizadas entrevistas aprofundadas com gerentes de vários setores. Os dados foram analisados usando técnicas de codificação aberta, axial e seletiva para identificar temas emergentes.

Resultados

O estudo identifica quatro cenários principais que contribuem para a demissão silenciosa: Desconexão Social, Estresse e Ansiedade, Reavaliação de Prioridades e Mudanças nas Expectativas de Trabalho. Esses fatores indicam uma mudança significativa na relação empregado-empregador após a pandemia.

Implicações práticas

As organizações podem mitigar a demissão silenciosa implementando políticas de trabalho flexíveis, promovendo o equilíbrio entre vida pessoal e profissional e melhorando a comunicação entre supervisores e funcionários.

Implicações sociais

Abordar a demissão silenciosa pode levar a um maior bem-estar dos funcionários, maior produtividade e um ambiente de trabalho mais positivo.

Originalidade/valor

Esta pesquisa é a primeira a examinar a demissão silenciosa na República Dominicana a partir da perspectiva dos empregadores, fornecendo insights únicos sobre esse fenômeno pouco estudado na região.

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