Abstract
Hong Kong is an international city where almost all the companies did not have a WFH policy before the pandemic since it is a very small place. During the pandemic period, Hong Kong governments, major banks and large private organizations have adopted WFH policy. The purpose of this article is to examine impact of work from home (WFH) practice on work engagement with the company during the pandemic period in Hong Kong. According to a stimulus-organism-response model, this study explores the dark side the WFH arrangement during the pandemic period. Convenience sampling method was used to collect 206 valid responses from individuals who were working from home in Hong Kong. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used in the analysis of data. It was found that teamwork climate is negatively associated with physical isolation and sense of belonging is negatively associated with psychological isolation. Work engagement was impaired. Affective social presence may not be so easily established through virtual ways. Virtual informal gatherings, such as virtual breakfasts, lunch or tea breaks where work-related matters are not discussed, could be arranged.
Highlights
The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 forced many companies to introduce work from home (WFH) measures
It was found that teamwork climate is negatively associated with physical isolation and sense of belonging is negatively associated with psychological isolation
Only few works have highlighted the disadvantages of WFH, this study provides empirical evidence suggesting that WFH negatively affects the work engagement of employees
Summary
The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 forced many companies to introduce work from home (WFH) measures. Global tech giants are early adaptors of WFH arrangements, and with the persistence of the pandemic, many large corporations have extended. Reuters and Amazon announced that their staff would continue working from home until early 2021, whereas Google and Facebook announced a WFH extension up to mid-2021. Several multinational corporations in other industries have adopted similar policies, including the leading music entertainment groups. Warner and Sony, the digital music service provider Spotify, and the Royal. All of which have extended their WFH policies to 2021. As the pandemic may persist for an indefinite period, some companies do not impose a fixed duration for WFH. Spotify would open its offices on a city-by-city basis in accordance with the guidelines of local governments, whereas Mastercard currently has no plans of formally returning to office [1]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
