From stationary to remote: Employee risks at pandemic migration of workplaces

The first lockdown due to COVID-19 in the year 2020 created a particular scenario that forced a change to telework among diverse professions and social groups. This article presents the results of research carried out among samples of Polish, Lithuanian and Spanish remote workers concerning working conditions in organizations and at home, and the potential impact of some professional hazards from home-based telework. On the contrary to earlier published papers on pandemic-induced telework that focused on how the limitations at home of first-time remote workers impacted on their well-being and work–family balance, our research contributes to a more recent endeavor that focuses the analysis on the work design perspective. The results of the survey indicate that employees felt more stressed and in conflict at their remote workstations when they had to telework during the lockdown, and that this negative output was significantly related to the deterioration of some working dimensions like space, quality and design but not to the perception of professional hazards from home-based telework. According to our research, the forced situation seemed not to be a favorable factor for implementing changes in light of the insufficient technical and organizational preparation of employers as well as the employees’ mental preparation. It should be necessary to update sequentially the results of the epidemic-induced telework and conduct research for various stages of the pandemic and the subsequent economic recovery. This could help popularize remote work as one of the tools of the labor market in the future and as a tool for treating labor resources as an element of sustainable development. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Factors Explaining Remote Work Adoption in the United States

The Rural Online Initiative program at Utah State University Extension supported this quantitative study investigating the factors explaining the process of remote work adoption by organizations in the U.S. Given the potential for remote work with respect to technological advances, shifts in traditional work arrangements, and its impact on organizational/operational efficiency, there was a need to investigate how organizational characteristics and leaders’ perceptions of remote work relate to its adoption. This study was guided by Rogers’ theory of diffusion of innovations where research objectives were to (1) determine where organizations range in the innovation-decision process of remote work adoption, (2) categorize organizations’ level of innovativeness with respect to remote work adoption over time, (3) describe how organizational characteristics relate to remote work adoption, (4) describe how the attributes of remote work relate to the likelihood of remote work adoption among organizations, and (5) describe the extent to which organizations have implemented remote work in response to COVID-19 and their favorability towards the practice. This study followed a non-experimental design with a correlational analysis, collecting cross sectional data from a sample of 1,259 organizational leaders recruited through the use of opt-in panels. Data collection was facilitated by an online survey instrument using Qualtrics software, and principles of the Tailored Design Method were used to substantiate construct and face validity. Results showed that the practice of remote work has been implemented by most organizations in the U.S. Findings indicated organizational leaders perceived the practice of remote work positively and international organizations were twice as likely to adopt remote work compared to those operating only domestically. Results also demonstrated how remote work has become a widespread workplace practice that is becoming increasingly standard across organizations in the U.S. Leaders can use the results to develop formal remote work arrangements in their organizations and should consider training existing employees and leaders in the best practices of remote work operations. Findings from this study also provide the Cooperative Extension System with insights into how it should respond to the widespread adoption of remote work with relevant, research-based educational programming in their local communities

The Relationship between Remote Work and Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Perceived Autonomy

The job satisfaction of employees is one of the main keys to leading the success of an organization. It represents how you feel about your job and what you think about your job. Despite the continuous effort by the Malaysian government, the outcome of the implementation and occurrence of remote work practices towards job satisfaction in Malaysia is equivocal. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate whether the impacts of remote work led to employee job satisfaction performance. This study also looks at whether perceived autonomy mediates the relationship between remote work and job satisfaction. The respondents are from one oil and gas company in Kuala Lumpur. The data were collected using an online survey among (n = 185) employees from various departments in the organization. A Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was developed to examine how the variables were related. Results showed that: (1) remote work has a significant relationship with job satisfaction and (2) Perceived Autonomy mediates the relationship between remote work and job satisfaction. The novelty of this research is the contribution of the present body of knowledge through the development of the adapted model of remote work-job satisfaction concerning the oil & gas industry. The findings also could guide the stakeholders and policymakers in formulating a plan and action towards the betterment of the remote work process that can elevate the job satisfaction of the organization

Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy

Knowledge affects all aspects of the economy, but digitalization probably represents the most ubiquitous of its appearances. This book analyzes, from a constructive point of view, some of its applications, extracting lessons to maximize its utility and exporting its use to other sectors. It also shows the caveats of its applications, allowing managers to learn its difficulties and how to overcome them from real-life cases. All the information is presented in an academic and rigorous way and represents an excellent starting point to study the effects of digitalization for both practitioners and researchers

Flexibility and precarity in the post-pandemic era: Unveiling new workplace inequalities among young european workers

As the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to influence workplace procedures and employment conditions, there has hitherto been limited scholarly attention given to the ramifications of these impacts on younger workers. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the preferences and experiences of younger workers regarding teleworking arrangements and precarious employment conditions in a post-pandemic European context. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating extensive quantitative survey data encompassing 27 European countries with qualitative data derived from 12 in-depth interviews of an exclusively Italian sample. By analysing workers’ values, preferences and socio-structural experiences of teleworking and employment conditions since the coronavirus outbreak, the study uncovers several workplace inequalities encountered by younger workers. Specifically, the findings indicate that younger workers have faced more precarious employment conditions since the pandemic compared to their older counterparts. Moreover, younger workers, who preserve diverse workplace values and preferences compared to older workers, have experienced fewer opportunities to access teleworking arrangements and secure employment. Based on these findings, the study formulates several predictions regarding the future implementation of teleworking and employment conditions in a post-pandemic context, considering the shifting values and inclinations of the individuals who inhabit the contemporary and future workforces. By examining the values and experiences surrounding individual preferences for flexible workplace arrangements and secure employment, this study offers valuable insights for future policy- making that align with the needs and desires of workers of all ages.Apesar dos efeitos da pandemia de coronavírus continuarem a influenciar os procedimentos e as condições de trabalho no local de trabalho, tem havido, até ao momento, uma atenção académica limitada relativamente às ramificações desses impactos nos trabalhadores mais jovens. Abordando essa lacuna, este estudo investiga especificamente as preferências e experiências dos trabalhadores mais jovens em relação às modalidades de teletrabalho e às condições precárias de emprego em um contexto europeu pós-pandêmico. O estudo emprega uma abordagem metodológica mista, integrando a análises estatísticas em relação a 27 países europeus, com dados qualitativos resultantes da aplicação de 12 entrevistas em profundidade de uma amostra de jovens a residir em Itália. Ao analisar os valores, as preferências e as experiências socioestruturais referentes ao teletrabalho e às condições de emprego dos trabalhadores desde o surto de coronavírus, o estudo revela várias desigualdades no local de trabalho encontradas pelos trabalhadores mais jovens. Especificamente, os resultados indicam que os trabalhadores mais jovens enfrentaram condições de emprego mais precárias desde a pandemia em comparação com seus colegas mais velhos. Além disso, os trabalhadores mais jovens, que preservam diversos valores e preferências no local de trabalho em comparação com os trabalhadores mais velhos, tiveram menos oportunidades de acesso a acordos de teletrabalho e emprego seguro. Ao examinar os valores e as experiências que fundamentam as preferências individuais no sentido de arranjos e acordos flexíveis no local de trabalho e de valorização do emprego seguro, este estudo oferece informações valiosas para futuras decisões políticas

Sustainable Human Resource Management

The concept of sustainability is important for companies both in the case of SMEs and worldwide multinational companies. Some key factors to help a company achieve its sustainability objectives are based on human resource management. Sustainable human resource management is a typical cross-functional task that becomes increasingly important at the strategic level of a company. Industry 4.0 technologies, Internet of Things, and competitive demands, as signs of globalization, have led to significant changes across the organizational structures and human resource strategies of companies. The increasing importance of sophisticated human resource strategies in the life of companies and the intention to find optimal design and operation strategies for sustainable human resource management were a motivation for launching this book. This book offers a selection of papers which explain the impact of smart human resource management on economy. Authors from 14 countries published working examples and case studies resulting from their research in this field. The aim of this book is to help students at the level of BSc, MSc, and PhD level, as well as managers and researchers, to understand and appreciate the concept, design, and implementation of sustainable human resource management solutions

Out of reach out of touch? The impact of flexible work arrangement use on collaboration within teams

Organisations are faced with a growing interest in flexible work arrangements that enable employees to control where, when and for how long they work and need to find ways to adapt and integrate these practices into work routines and processes. Because these arrangements reduce employees’ facetime at the office, doubts remain regarding their impact on collaboration within teams. In this thesis I explore the impact of the use of part-time work, telework and flexible working hours on collaboration within teams and the contextual features that explain this relationship. Seven case studies were conducted in software development teams in three organisations in The Netherlands and Belgium. Findings suggest that telework, part-time work and flexible working hours impact on collaboration within teams because of reduced passive facetime – passive presence of team members at the office without necessarily engaging in interactions with each other. Passive facetime was interpreted as availability to others and an enabler to collaboration. A theoretical framework is put forth outlining six sets of contextual features that impact on this relationship. At the team-level, these included skill differentiation, task characteristics (task complexity and goal clarity), temporal characteristics (temporal stability and task urgency) and structural characteristics (regular face-to-face meetings, amount of absence, predictability of absence and synchronisation of presence). At the individual level, proactive behaviours were found to have an impact. Finally, the whole framework is nested in and dependent on environmental characteristics, in particular the organisational setting. This thesis contributes to theory by outlining the double-faceted role of passive facetime in the relationship between FWA use and collaboration, by delineating how structural characteristics can provide teams with sufficient passive facetime, and by presenting a framework explaining the influence of FWA use on collaboration and the features that explain how and when this happens