Paradigm Shifting—The Use of Mobile Communications at Work and the Subsequent Effects

Claudiu George Bocean,Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru,Silvia Puiu

doi:10.3390/electronics10222747

Claudiu George Bocean, Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10222747

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Journal: Electronics	Publication Date: Nov 10, 2021
Citations: 6	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Craiova

Abstract

The physical distancing measures generated by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced companies to rethink employment patterns and to pay much more attention to the possibility of carrying out work through telework. The expansion of telework, a phenomenon that manifested itself even before the pandemic’s health crisis, has gained a particular momentum, changing how work is carried out. The main purpose of this paper is to study the main macroeconomic effects of the accelerated expansion of telework on the economic performance and the employment structure by the economic sectors of the workforce. Using artificial neural network analysis and structured equation modeling, the study highlights the significant influences of telework on economic performance and speeding up the transition service-based economy. The share of teleworkers has a significantly positive influence on economic performance. Moreover, the employees’ use of computers, mobile devices, and the internet has a strong mediation effect on the relationship between telework and employment in services. Given these considerations, teleworking is a phenomenon that will become a permanent feature of the future.

Highlights

Forced and accelerated telework implementation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic was a necessary practice for many companies and their employees during periods with physical distancing restrictions
To study the main macroeconomic effects of the accelerated expansion of telework on the economic performance and the employment structure by economic sectors of the workforce, we used the indicators collected from the Eurostat database [7,52,53,54,55] as macroeconomic variables: the share of the teleworkers in the total number of jobs (T.W.), the gross domestic product per capita (GDPC), employment in services (E.I.S.), employment in industry (E.I.I.), employment in agriculture (E.I.A.), the use of computers and mobile devices for internet by employees (UCIE), and enterprises with internet access (I.A.)
The first research led us to conclude that the teleworker share has a significantly positive influence on economic performance, as shown by other studies [17,18,43,44]

Summary

Introduction

Forced and accelerated telework implementation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic was a necessary practice for many companies and their employees during periods with physical distancing restrictions. This phenomenon significantly impacted companies in all sectors, regardless of past telework experience [1]. Telework has been an essential means of maintaining production during the COVID-19 health crisis, but its effects on economic performance are unclear. Bloom et al [3] show that telework implemented without prior training and without the right working conditions at home can decrease employees’ economic performance. Many studies show a decrease in employee performance [5], others, on the contrary, suggest an increase in overall performance due to the time saved by working from home [6]

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