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From Stationary to Remote: Employee Risks at Pandemic Migration of Workplaces

Author

Listed:
  • Janusz Rymaniak

    (Department of Management, Faculty of Management and Finance, WSB University in Gdańsk, 80-266 Gdańsk, Poland)

  • Katarzyna Lis

    (Department of Labour and Social Policy, Poznań University of Economics and Business, 61-875 Poznań, Poland)

  • Vida Davidavičienė

    (Department of Business Technologies and Entrepreneurship, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania)

  • Manuela Pérez-Pérez

    (Department of Business Management and Organization, School of Engineering and Architecture, University of Zaragoza, 50015 Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Ángel Martínez-Sánchez

    (Department of Business Management and Organization, School of Engineering and Architecture, University of Zaragoza, 50015 Zaragoza, Spain)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Janusz Rymaniak & Katarzyna Lis & Vida Davidavičienė & Manuela Pérez-Pérez & Ángel Martínez-Sánchez, 2021. "From Stationary to Remote: Employee Risks at Pandemic Migration of Workplaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-25, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7180-:d:582721
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Monica Aureliana Petcu & Maria Iulia Sobolevschi-David & Adrian Anica-Popa & Stefania Cristina Curea & Catalina Motofei & Ana-Maria Popescu, 2021. "Multidimensional Assessment of Job Satisfaction in Telework Conditions. Case Study: Romania in the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Petruta Ionela Stanca & Tudor Tarbujaru, 2021. "Remote Working: How the Working Life Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, Ovidius University of Constantza, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 0(2), pages 520-526, December.
    3. Jun Yu & Yihong Wu, 2021. "The Impact of Enforced Working from Home on Employee Job Satisfaction during COVID-19: An Event System Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-22, December.
    4. Ana Maria Mihaela Iordache & Codruța Cornelia Dura & Cristina Coculescu & Claudia Isac & Ana Preda, 2021. "Using Neural Networks in Order to Analyze Telework Adaptability across the European Union Countries: A Case Study of the Most Relevant Scenarios to Occur in Romania," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-28, October.
    5. Amaya Erro-Garcés & Begoña Urien & Giedrius Čyras & Vita Marytė Janušauskienė, 2022. "Telework in Baltic Countries during the Pandemic: Effects on Wellbeing, Job Satisfaction, and Work-Life Balance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-15, May.

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