Abstract
The ongoing epidemiological crisis has suddenly steered us towards a new futuristic work scenario in which most service sector employees work remotely, which could be a permanent reality for most service sector employees. This paper focuses on the strategic role that leadership could play in the radical change process that is taking place in work environments. Particular attention was paid to the role of ‘middle managers’ who perform an important function as a link between the strategic vision of top management and the workforce. In addition, special attention was paid to gender differences in work-life dynamics, which are particularly relevant in countries with traditional cultural identities. As this is a conceptual contribution, the most recent studies on this specific role of middle managers have been taken into account and embedded in the current scenario. Therefore, the main contribution in terms of originality was that the current review aimed to leverage such a legacy of knowledge and create a system of evidence-based practical implications for effectively supporting change in organizational culture through the identification of the most appropriate middle management leadership models for remote working that could prevent and/or limit any psychosocial risks (e.g., workaholism and technostress) and longer-term outcomes such as sustainable work-life interface.
Highlights
Apart from the obvious health consequences, the epidemiological emergency following the SARS-COV-2 virus outbreak had a significant social and economic impact, with the expansion of ‘forced’ remote working for a large proportion of workers being one of the main reasons
Some studies have already highlighted the challenging role of destructive leadership in emergency remote work [58] by increasing the risk of technostress [33] or internet addiction [79], which is an increased risk in contexts characterized by always-on cultures without boundaries between work and the rest of life [14,80]
This paper aims to fill a gap in research on middle managerial leadership by discussing some of the potential risks and difficulties while considering the bright and dark sides of leadership that may be associated with the worklife interface
Summary
Apart from the obvious health consequences, the epidemiological emergency following the SARS-COV-2 virus outbreak had a significant social and economic impact, with the expansion of ‘forced’ remote working for a large proportion of workers being one of the main reasons. During the epidemiological crisis, the difference between those who already had psychosocial resources useful for a positive work-life balance before the crisis and those who did not have these resources and experienced the negative effects of remote work seems to intensify [5] In this context, gender differences play a important role [6]. The abrupt change in work modalities as a result of the pandemic left middle managers unable to cope with the challenges they often faced (e.g., difficulties in maintaining work-life boundaries, difficulties in controlling processes and outcomes, difficulties in managing employees, etc.), leading to negative feelings of stress and pressure. Sci. 2021, 11, 112 post-pandemic organizational context (workaholism, technostress), as well as possible opportunities associated with the enhancement of the role of middle managers, with particular reference to the issue of work-life interface
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