Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on management. remote work – new challenges for employees and companies

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to discuss issues related to remote work. The article is addressed to all persons who recently had to switch to remote work. Remote work is a novelty for many people. Just like every change, it often triggers adverse reactions, including fear, anxiety and reluctance. The article explores this type of work, presenting both its advantages and disadvantages. It summarises drawbacks and merits of remote work for both companies and individual employees. Moreover, it outlines challenges faced by companies and associated with the remote work system. Design/methodology/approach: Literature research of the subject was carried out. Findings: According to the data of OECD, we are currently one of the hardest working nations of Europe. However, this makes apparent the adverse trend related to remote work – a lot of overtime. This is a proof that many employees are unable to draw the line between their professional life and private life, with a significant harm to the latter. Therefore, the problem must be explored further. However, with a high degree of probability, where remote work proves to be effective, companies will combine remote and office work by deploying a hybrid work model. Such a solution is advantageous from both social – it is important for employees to experience team work and feel that they belong to a group – and well-being – isolation is often harmful for mental health – point of view. Practical implications: A modern organisation, corporation or company is an entity that quickly and decidedly responds to changing market needs. Every employee must be able to use modern technologies. Such skills turned out to be a necessity to perform tasks and professional duties, since use of cutting-edge technologies is a foundation of remote work. Originality/value: A holistic view on the issue of remote work from the perspective of employees for whom it is a novelty. Presentation of certain hazards associated with remote work along with its undeniable advantages for employees and employers. Keywords: company management, remote work, pandemics, human factor. Category of the paper: General review.