Hostname: page-component-6bb9c88b65-vqtzn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-07-26T23:28:46.639Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Forced flexibility and remote working: opportunities and challenges in the new normal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2021

Esme Franken Open the ORCID record for Esme Franken [Opens in a new window] ,
Tim Bentley Open the ORCID record for Tim Bentley [Opens in a new window] ,
Azadeh Shafaei Open the ORCID record for Azadeh Shafaei [Opens in a new window] ,
Ben Farr-Wharton Open the ORCID record for Ben Farr-Wharton [Opens in a new window] ,
Leigh-ann Onnis Open the ORCID record for Leigh-ann Onnis [Opens in a new window]  and
Maryam Omari Open the ORCID record for Maryam Omari [Opens in a new window]
Esme Franken*
Affiliation:
School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Tim Bentley
Affiliation:
School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Azadeh Shafaei
Affiliation:
School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Ben Farr-Wharton
Affiliation:
School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Leigh-ann Onnis
Affiliation:
School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Maryam Omari
Affiliation:
School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Esme Franken, E-mail: e.franken@ecu.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has seen a shift in remote work from being a discretionary flexible work policy to a mandatory requirement for several workplaces. This ‘forced flexibility’ has meant that organisations and their employees have had to adapt swiftly to new requirements and arrangements for how work is done. Working remotely, often at home in ‘virtual workspaces’, has become commonplace for many employees across Australia and globally. Drawing on findings from two qualitative phases of research in an Australian resources company, we use conservation of resources theory to explore the factors influencing processes related to wellbeing and productivity for employees working remotely in the COVID-19 environment. We identify challenges associated with working remotely, as well as important resources for wellbeing and productivity. Practical implications are also discussed.

Keywords

Flexible workjob resourcesremote workvirtual workspaces

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 27 , Special Issue 6: Physical and virtual work environments during COVID-19 , November 2021 , pp. 1131 - 1149
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Albrecht, S. L. (2015). Challenge demands, hindrance demands, and psychological need satisfaction. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 14(2), 70–79.Google Scholar
Ashforth, B. E. (2020). Identity and identification during and after the pandemic: How might COVID-19 change the research questions we ask?. Journal of Management Studies, 57(8), 1763–1766.Google Scholar
Bahn, K., Cohen, J., & van der Meulen Rodgers, Y. (2020). A feminist perspective on COVID-19 and the value of care work globally. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(5), 695–699.Google Scholar
Barsness, Z. I., Diekmann, K. A., & Seidel, M.-D. L. (2005). Motivation and opportunity: The role of remote work, demographic dissimilarity, and social network centrality in impression management. Academy of Management Journal, 48(3), 401–419.Google Scholar
Bentley, T. A., Teo, S. T., McLeod, L., Tan, F., Bosua, R., & Gloet, M. (2016). The role of organisational support in teleworker wellbeing: A socio-technical systems approach. Applied Ergonomics. 52, 207–215.Google Scholar
Brynjolfsson, E., Horton, J. J., Ozimek, A., Rock, D., Sharma, G., & TuYe, H. Y. (2020). COVID-19 and remote work: An early look at US data (No. 27344). National Bureau of Economic Research.Google Scholar
Butterfield, L. D., Borgen, W. A., Amundson, N. E., & Maglio, A. S. T. (2005). Fifty years of the critical incident technique: 1954–2004 and beyond. Qualitative Research, 5(4), 475–497.Google Scholar
Carnevale, J. B., & Hatak, I. (2020). Employee adjustment and well-being in the era of COVID-19: Implications for human resource management. Journal of Business Research, 116, 183–187.Google Scholar
Cascio, W. F. (2000). Managing a virtual workplace. Academy of Management Perspectives, 14(3), 81–90.Google Scholar
Cascio, M. A., Lee, E., Vaudrin, N., & Freedman, D. A. (2019). A team-based approach to open coding: Considerations for creating intercoder consensus. Field Methods, 31(2), 116–130.Google Scholar
Cavanaugh, M. A., Boswell, W. R., Roehling, M. V., & Boudreau, J. W. (2000). An empirical examination of self-reported work stress among US managers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(1), 65.Google Scholar
Chawla, N., MacGowan, R. L., Gabriel, A. S., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2020). Unplugging or staying connected? Examining the nature, antecedents, and consequences of profiles of daily recovery experiences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(1), 19–39.Google Scholar
Chen, S., Westman, M., & Eden, D. (2009). Impact of enhanced resources on anticipatory stress and adjustment to new information technology: A field-experimental test of conservation of resources theory. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(3), 219–230.Google Scholar
Choi, S. (2018). Managing flexible work arrangements in government: Testing the effects of institutional and managerial support. Public Personnel Management. 47(1), 26–50.Google Scholar
Craig, L., & Churchill, B. (2021). Dual-earner parent couples’ work and care during COVID-19. Gender, Work & Organization, 28, 66–79.Google Scholar
Dawson, K. M., O'Brien, K. E., & Beehr, T. A. (2016). The role of hindrance stressors in the job demand-control-support model of occupational stress: A proposed theory revision: Hindrance stressors in the JDCS model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37(3), 397–415.Google Scholar
Department of Industry, Science, Energy, & Resources. (n.d.). The Australian resources sector – Significance and opportunities. Retrieved June 11, 2021, from https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/australias-national-resources-statement/the-australian-resources-sector-significance-and-opportunities.Google Scholar
Desrochers, S., Hilton, J. M., & Larwood, L. (2005). Preliminary validation of the work–family integration-blurring scale. Journal of Family Issues, 26(4), 442–466.Google Scholar
Dodge, R., Daly, A., Huyton, J., & Sanders, L. (2012). The challenge of defining wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 2(3), 222–235.Google Scholar
Eddleston, K. A., & Mulki, J. (2017). Toward understanding remote workers’ management of work–family boundaries: The complexity of workplace embeddedness. Group & Organization Management, 42(3), 346–387.Google Scholar
Eurofound & the International Labour Office (2017). Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work. Geneva: Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, and the International Labour Office.Google Scholar
Flanagan, J. C. (1954). The critical incident technique. Psychological Bulletin, 51(4), 327.Google Scholar
French, K. A., Dumani, S., Allen, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2018). A meta-analysis of work–family conflict and social support. Psychological Bulletin, 144(3), 284–314.Google Scholar
Gallacher, G., & Hossain, I. (2020). Remote work and employment dynamics under COVID-19: Evidence from Canada. Canadian Public Policy. Analyse de Politiques, 46(S1), S44–S54.Google Scholar
Gardner, D., O'Driscoll, M., Cooper-Thomas, H. D., Roche, M., Bentley, T., Catley, B., … Trenberth, L. (2016). Predictors of workplace bullying and cyber-bullying in New Zealand. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(5), 448.Google Scholar
Golden, T. D., & Fromen, A. (2011). Does it matter where your manager works? Comparing managerial work mode (traditional, telework, virtual) across subordinate work experiences and outcomes. Human Relations, 64(11), 1451–1475.Google Scholar
Herttuala, N., Kokkinen, L., & Konu, A. (2020). Social-and healthcare managers' work wellbeing – Literature review and key informant interviews. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 13(6), 633–648. Doi:10.1108/IJWHM-05-2019-0077Google Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524.Google Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology, 50(3), 337–421.Google Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J.-P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 103–128.Google Scholar
Horwitz, F. M., Bravington, D., & Silvis, U. (2006). The promise of virtual teams: Identifying key factors in effectiveness and failure. Journal of European Industrial Training, 30(6), 472–494.Google Scholar
Kehoe, R. R., & Collins, C. J. (2017). Human resource management and unit performance in knowledge-intensive work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(8), 1222.Google Scholar
Kim, T., & Mullins, L. B. (2016). How does supervisor support and diversity management affect employee participation in work/family policies? Review of Public Personnel Administration, 36(1), 80–105.Google Scholar
Lambert, A. D., Marler, J. H., & Gueutal, H. G. (2008). Individual differences: Factors affecting employee utilization of flexible work arrangements. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(1), 107–117.Google Scholar
Lee, A. C. (2020). COVID-19 and the advancement of digital physical therapist practice and telehealth. Physical Therapy, 100(7), 1054–1057.Google Scholar
Leonardi, P. M., Treem, J. W., & Jackson, M. H. (2010). The connectivity paradox: Using technology to both decrease and increase perceptions of distance in distributed work arrangements. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 38(1), 85–105.Google Scholar
LePine, J. A., Podsakoff, N. P., & LePine, M. A. (2005). A meta-analytic test of the challenge stressor–hindrance stressor framework: An explanation for inconsistent relationships among stressors and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 48(5), 764–775.Google Scholar
Maliszewska, M., Mattoo, A., & van der Mensbrugghe, D. (2020). The potential impact of COVID-19 on GDP and trade: A preliminary assessment. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3573211.Google Scholar
Nash, M., & Churchill, B. (2020). Caring during COVID-19: A gendered analysis of Australian university responses to managing remote working and caring responsibilities. Gender, Work, and Organization, 27(5), 833–846.Google Scholar
Olson, M. H. (1983). Remote office work: Changing work patterns in space and time. Communications of the ACM, 26(3), 182–187.Google Scholar
Ozimek, A. (2020). The future of remote work. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3638597.Google Scholar
Plimmer, G., Berman, E. M., Malinen, S., Franken, E., Naswall, K., Kuntz, J., & Löfgren, K. (2021). Resilience in public sector managers. Review of Public Personnel Administration. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X20985105.Google Scholar
Poulsen, S., & Ipsen, C. (2017). In times of change: How distance managers can ensure employees’ wellbeing and organizational performance. Safety Science, 100, 37–45.Google Scholar
Rockmann, K. W., & Pratt, M. G. (2015). Contagious offsite work and the lonely office: The unintended consequences of distributed work. Academy of Management Discoveries, 1(2), 150–164.Google Scholar
Salmela-Aro, K., Rantanen, J., Hyvonen, K., Tilleman, K., & Feldt, T. (2011). Bergen burnout inventory: Reliability and validity among Finnish and Estonian managers. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 84(6), 635–645.Google Scholar
Searle, B. J., & Tuckey, M. R. (2017). Differentiating challenge, hindrance, and threat in the stress process. In Leiter, M. P. & Cooper, C. L. (Eds), Routledge companion to wellbeing at work (pp. 25–36). London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Shockley, K. M., & Allen, T. D. (2010). Investigating the missing link in flexible work arrangement utilization: An individual difference perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76(1), 131–142.Google Scholar
Sims, H. P. Jr., & Manz, C. C. (1982). Social learning theory: The role of modeling in the exercise of leadership. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 3(4), 55–63.Google Scholar
Spicer, A. (2020). Organizational culture and COVID-19. The Journal of Management Studies, 57(8), 1737–1740.Google Scholar
Stevano, S., Ali, R., & Jamieson, M. (2020). Essential for what? A global social reproduction view on the re-organisation of work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Revue Canadienne D'etudes Du developpement. Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 178–199. https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2020.1834362.Google Scholar
Sull, D., Sull, C., & Bersin, J. (2020). Five ways leaders can support remote work. MIT Sloan Management Review, 61(4), 1–10.Google Scholar
ten Brummelhuis, L. L., Haar, J. M., & van der Lippe, T. (2010). Collegiality under pressure: The effects of family demands and flexible work arrangements in the Netherlands. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(15), 2831–2847.Google Scholar
ter Hoeven, C. L., & van Zoonen, W. (2015). Flexible work designs and employee well-being: Examining the effects of resources and demands. New Technology, Work and Employment, 30(3), 237–255.Google Scholar
Ventura, M., Salanova, M., & Llorens, S. (2015). Professional self-efficacy as a predictor of burnout and engagement: The role of challenge and hindrance demands. The Journal of Psychology, 149(3-4), 277–302.Google Scholar
Whyman, P. B., & Petrescu, A. I. (2014). Partnership, flexible workplace practices and the realisation of mutual gains: Evidence from the British WERS 2004 dataset. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(6), 829–851.Google Scholar
Williams, P. J. (2017). Take it from the top: Shaping supervisor support for flexible work arrangements (Doctoral dissertation). Queensland University of Technology.Google Scholar
Yin, R. K. (2013). Validity and generalization in future case study evaluations. Evaluation, 19(3), 321–332.Google Scholar