Benefits and challenges of remote work : the management of remote work in organizations that excel in their management practices

Abstract

Remote work has been a common practice in many organizations for years. With increased technological developments, remote work has further expanded, and following the Covid-19 pandemic, numerous organizations around the world were forced to step into the remote work environment. This has resulted in many organizations revaluating their work culture and environment, the effect of remote work on employees’ performance and well-being, as well as future processes and expectations. Several research papers have been presented in the past on remote work, exploring its benefits such as increased flexibility and productivity, and challenges including lack of visible leadership and support. Numerous research and articles have been published on how leaders can manage remote employees successfully. They focus on factors such as clear expectations, committing to flexibility, and extensive communication. The purpose of this paper is to explore further how remote work has affected employees, focusing on their well-being and performance. A qualitative survey was performed, followed by interviews with leaders from four different organizations. These organizations are known for their contribution to management excellence, receiving various awards for their achievements. The aim is to give an insight into countermeasures, presented in the survey, that these organizations have taken and how they have met the challenges and reaped the benefits of remote work. The main conclusion is that remote work does not influence the performance and productivity of employees and they appreciate the flexibility. Results also indicate that managers do not show more interest in the well-being of their employees that are working remotely although they support them by other means.