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The effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers

Author

Listed:
  • Longqi Yang

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • David Holtz

    (University of California
    MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy)

  • Sonia Jaffe

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Siddharth Suri

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Shilpi Sinha

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Jeffrey Weston

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Connor Joyce

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Neha Shah

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Kevin Sherman

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Brent Hecht

    (Microsoft Corporation)

  • Jaime Teevan

    (Microsoft Corporation)

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a rapid shift to full-time remote work for many information workers. Viewing this shift as a natural experiment in which some workers were already working remotely before the pandemic enables us to separate the effects of firm-wide remote work from other pandemic-related confounding factors. Here, we use rich data on the emails, calendars, instant messages, video/audio calls and workweek hours of 61,182 US Microsoft employees over the first six months of 2020 to estimate the causal effects of firm-wide remote work on collaboration and communication. Our results show that firm-wide remote work caused the collaboration network of workers to become more static and siloed, with fewer bridges between disparate parts. Furthermore, there was a decrease in synchronous communication and an increase in asynchronous communication. Together, these effects may make it harder for employees to acquire and share new information across the network.

Suggested Citation

  • Longqi Yang & David Holtz & Sonia Jaffe & Siddharth Suri & Shilpi Sinha & Jeffrey Weston & Connor Joyce & Neha Shah & Kevin Sherman & Brent Hecht & Jaime Teevan, 2022. "The effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 43-54, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:6:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41562-021-01196-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01196-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dingel, Jonathan I. & Neiman, Brent, 2020. "How many jobs can be done at home?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    2. Erik Brynjolfsson & John J. Horton & Adam Ozimek & Daniel Rock & Garima Sharma & Hong-Yi TuYe, 2020. "COVID-19 and Remote Work: An Early Look at US Data," NBER Working Papers 27344, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Zenon Pokojski & Agnieszka Kister & Marcin Lipowski, 2022. "Remote Work Efficiency from the Employers’ Perspective—What’s Next?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, April.
    3. Deole, Sumit S. & Deter, Max & Huang, Yue, 2023. "Home sweet home: Working from home and employee performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
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    6. Jooss, Stefan & Conroy, Kieran M. & McDonnell, Anthony, 2022. "From travel to virtual work: The transitional experiences of global workers during Covid-19," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    7. Divyakant Tahlyan & Hani Mahmassani & Amanda Stathopoulos & Maher Said & Susan Shaheen & Joan Walker & Breton Johnson, 2024. "In-Person, Hybrid or Remote? Employers' Perspectives on the Future of Work Post-Pandemic," Papers 2402.18459, arXiv.org.
    8. Shen, Lucas, 2022. "Does working from home work? A natural wxperiment from lockdowns," MPRA Paper 115446, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Yiling Lin & Carl Benedikt Frey & Lingfei Wu, 2022. "Remote Collaboration Fuses Fewer Breakthrough Ideas," Papers 2206.01878, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2023.
    10. Battisti, Enrico & Alfiero, Simona & Leonidou, Erasmia, 2022. "Remote working and digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Economic–financial impacts and psychological drivers for employees," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 38-50.
    11. Duanyi Yang & Erin L. Kelly & Laura D. Kubzansky & Lisa Berkman, 2023. "Working from Home and Worker Well-being: New Evidence from Germany," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 76(3), pages 504-531, May.
    12. Konstantin Flassak & Julia Haag & Christian Hofmann & Christopher Lechner & Nina Schwaiger & Rafael Zacherl, 2023. "Working from home and management controls," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 193-228, January.
    13. Vij, Akshay & Souza, Flavio F. & Barrie, Helen & Anilan, V. & Sarmiento, Sergio & Washington, Lynette, 2023. "Employee preferences for working from home in Australia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 782-800.
    14. Fan, Ying, 2023. "Collaborative integration, workplace flexibility and scholarly productivity: Evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1-15.
    15. Julia Lanzl, 2023. "Social Support as Technostress Inhibitor," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 65(3), pages 329-343, June.
    16. David Evans & Claire Mason & Haohui Chen & Andrew Reeson, 2024. "Accelerated demand for interpersonal skills in the Australian post-pandemic labour market," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 32-42, January.
    17. Shen, Lucas, 2023. "Does working from home work? A natural experiment from lockdowns," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    18. Wang, Richard & Ye, Zhongnan & Lu, Miaojia & Hsu, Shu-Chien, 2022. "Understanding post-pandemic work-from-home behaviours and community level energy reduction via agent-based modelling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    19. Alexander Lammers & Felix Lukowski & Kathrin Weis, 2023. "The relationship between works councils and firms’ further training provision in times of technological change," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(2), pages 392-424, June.
    20. Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, 2023. "The remote work revolution: Impact on real estate values and the urban environment: 2023 AREUEA Presidential Address," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 51(1), pages 7-48, January.
    21. Oltean Ovidiu & Taylor Andrew, 2023. "Back to the Future: How the Convergence of Globalization and Technology is Changing Labour and Mobility," Social Change Review, Sciendo, vol. 20(1), pages 19-44, December.
    22. Yuejun Lawrance Cai, 2023. "Strengthening perceptions of virtual team cohesiveness and effectiveness in new normal: A hyperpersonal communication theory perspective," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 1649-1682, September.
    23. van der Wouden, Frank & Youn, Hyejin, 2023. "The impact of geographical distance on learning through collaboration," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).

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