Supporting Smart Workers During a Pandemic. Lessons Learned from a Case Study

The purpose of this study is to analyze the adoption of practices and tools finalized to support smart workers to improve their work conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, we believe that such a peculiar situation has represented an important “opportunity” for companies to reaffirm the centrality of the wellbeing of their people and the need to take care of it, to put at the heart of internal policies wellbeing and inclusion reinforcing - and in some cases redesigning - their already existing systems. In detail, our research aims to examine how some practices even more fostered through electronic channels have been used and how these are expected to change the usual people management with an impact on future organizational behaviours. The analysis was carried out on the case study of a big MNC. During the pandemic, this company has implemented an ongoing survey articulated in three waves (April 2020, July 2020, and October 2020) to understand employees’ feelings toward working in the new situation and their perception of organizational inclusion in conditions of physical distance – being aware that the “new” approach represents a no-return point in the evolution of HRM. These results offer interesting stimuli for practitioners and scholars in the field of HRM and OB towards the new normal. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

How Smart is This Working? Traces of Proactivity in the Italian Experience During Covid-19

The purpose of this study is to analyse the adoption of proactive behaviours by smart workers and the role played by the remote support provided to employees in encouraging such behaviours during the COVID-19 lockdown. In detail, it aims at examining how two dimensions of proactivity, responsibility and self-regulation, can be fostered by the support from superiors, co-workers, and organisation. These topics are present in the debate on smart working (SW) among scholars and practitioners in the fields of human resource management and organisational behaviour and have assumed greater significance due to the sudden and unplanned switch to SW during the lockdown. A survey was carried out on a sample of 254 employees in Italy in May 2020. The findings demonstrate the importance of support from organisation and co-workers in encouraging proactive behaviours, as well as the positive role that such support, in turn, plays in reinforcing support from superiors. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Neuro-telehealth for fragile patients in a tertiary referral neurological institute during the COVID-19 pandemic in Milan, Lombardy

BACKGROUND: Lombardy was severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic since February 2020 and the Health System underwent rapid reorganization. Outpatient clinics were stopped for non-urgent patients: it became a priority to manage hundreds of fragile neurological patients who suddenly had less reference points. In Italy, before the pandemic, Televisits were neither recognized nor priced. METHODS: At the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, we reorganized outpatient clinics to deliver Neuro-telemedicine services, including Televisits and Teleneurorehabilitation, since March 2020. A dedicated Working Group prepared the procedure, tested the system, and designed satisfaction questionnaires for adults and children. RESULTS: After a pilot phase, we prepared a procedure for Telemedicine outpatient clinics which was approved by hospital directions. It included prescription, booking, consenting, privacy and data protection, secure connection with patients (Teams Microsoft 365), electronic report preparation and delivery, reporting, and accountability of the services. During the March-September 2020 period, we delivered 3167 Telemedicine services, including 1618 Televisits, to 1694 patients (972 adults, 722 children) with a wide range of chronic neurological disorders. We successfully administered different clinical assessment and scales. Satisfaction among patients and caregivers was very high. CONCLUSIONS: During the dramatic emergency, we were able to take care of more than 1600 patients by organizing Neuro-telehealth in a few weeks, lessening the impact of the pandemic on fragile patients with chronic neurological disorders;this strategy is now stably embedded in our care pathways. In Italy, Telehealth is at present recognized and priced and is becoming a stable pillar of the health system.