The New Normal: Managing Virtual Work From a Human Resources Perspective

Human Resources jobs are becoming more and more challenging as the work dynamics are changing during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The processes of organisations have improved, and machines have become more complicated, but the basic principles of organisational processes remain the same (Wang et al., Appl Psychol 70(1):16–59, 2021). In contrast, Human Resources is about dealing with people who are constantly changing in terms of behaviour, habits, thinking, or according to their circumstances, albeit personal or professional (Hembrom, HR Future:32–33, 2020). This makes organisational processes more difficult because, while managing and understanding people, their state of mind is more important when communicating with them (Bui, The roles of leaders in virtual working environment, 2020). Talking to people in person, Human Resources managers can view body language, facial expressions of the employee, among others, which is helpful during communication. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic where the workforce is mostly working virtually from home the situation is a bit more complicated. The turn of events in the 4IR during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been very encouraging for organisations and business being slow and layoffs across the world have brought new Human Resources challenges (Richter, Int J Inf Manage 55:102–107, 2020;Rosario, HR Future 2020(10):34–35, 2020). It could be contemplated that it is easier to communicate without paying attention to emotions. However, the impact it has on the employees and their families is immense. Human Resources, known for its empathetic attitude, understanding nature, for offering solace and support to the employees, is now no more than a robot, delivering messages without any feelings by Zoom or WhatsApp, based on a decision taken by the organisation. The aim of this chapter is to conceptualise a new dimension of Human Resources, where a change in strategy is required to manage virtual work in the ‘new normal'. Organisations may never return to the old ways of working. There might be a mix of both office and virtual work. For organisations that prefer to return to the ‘old normal' and do not allow for more flexible and virtual working practices, there is a very real risk that top talent will go elsewhere (Hubbard, Finweek, p 10. www.fin24.com/finweek, 2020;Waizenegger et al., Eur J Inf Syst 29(4):429–442, 2020). © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

How COVID-19 Pandemic Drives Digital Transformation of the Workplace: A Case Study of an Industrial SME

The digital transformation of SMEs is unstoppable and one of its consequences will be the change of the workplace, which implies advantages but also disadvantages for companies and employees. The COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdown made remote work, facilitated by digital technologies, a necessity. Based on a case study in an industrial SME, through semi-structured interviews, we obtained relevant information on the response given to this new situation. As a result, we propose three issues to be addressed to advance in the digital transformation of the workplace: firstly, SMEs must address needs at the operational level;secondly, professional relationships and, finally, new requirements derived from the very nature of digital work. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Refugees in the Digital Economy: The Future of Work among the Forcibly Displaced

The current scale and duration of displacement prompts renewed urgency about livelihoods prospects for displaced people and the role of humanitarian organisations in fostering them. This special issue focuses on how aid organisations, together with the private sector and other actors, have worked to include refugees in new forms of online work within the web-based digital economy. Building on comparative analysis and a comprehensive review of the field of digital livelihoods among the forcibly displaced, in this introductory article we argue that including refugees in this digital economy is currently neither a sustainable form of humanitarian relief nor is it a development solution that provides large-scale decent work. We show how digital livelihoods approaches have gained a special footing in the middle ground between short-term economic relief and long-term development. Indeed, digital economies seemingly offer a variety of ‘quick-fix' solutions at the transition from humanitarian emergency towards long-term development efforts. While digital economies harbour significant potential, this cannot be fully realised unless current efforts to include refugees in digital economies are complemented by efforts to address digital divides, uphold refugees' rights, and ensure more decent working conditions.

Long-term effects of COVID-19 on work routines and organizational culture - A case study within higher education's administration.

As a sudden, external event, the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly disrupted the workplace and required organizations to digitalize their working approaches. To understand how such external events affect organizations in the short- and long-term, we investigated the case of a higher education institution's administration, which combines features of public and private organizations. We applied a longitudinal case study and conducted interviews with 39 German higher education institution (HEI) employees at two time points during the first (2020) and second (2021) lockdown. Content analyses revealed that a general openness toward change and distinct technical infrastructure enabled efficient coping with the pandemic despite struggles with digitalization and rigidity. Advantages in work outcomes were contrasted with losses in social interactions. Flexible models (e.g., working from home or the office) were desirable long-term work concepts. We integrated our findings in a framework on factors that contribute to supporting organizational adaptations and derived practical recommendations.

From ‘digital nomadism' to ‘rooted digitalism': The remote work and im/mobilities of IT professionals in times of COVID-19

This article explores the interplay between digital work and mobility through a look at the career trajectories, remote work practices and im/mobilities of professionals in the information technology (IT) sector. We draw upon a qualitative study conducted with IT professionals who work remotely for Swiss or Swiss-based international companies. IT professionals have been pioneers in practising Delivered by Intellect to: Elsevier BV (Scopus) (id22130532) virtual work long before the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis and have long engaged in various forms of mobility, including tourism and labour migration. A focus on their remote work and im/mobility practices can shed light on the possi-bilities and challenges of the virtualization of work, especially in the context of the pandemic. We discuss how geographical immobility, combined with digital tech-nology, becomes important in building a career and a personal life, staying ‘rooted' and reconstituting the boundaries between work and non-work. © 2022 Intellect Ltd Article. English language.

Risk, Resilience and Reward: Impacts of Shifting to Digital Sex Work

Workers from a variety of industries rapidly shifted to remote work at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While existing work has examined the impact of this shift on office workers, little work has examined how shifting from in-person to online work affected workers in the informal labor sector. We examine the impact of shifting from in-person to online-only work on a particularly marginalized group of workers: sex workers. Through 34 qualitative interviews with sex workers from seven countries in the Global North, we examine how a shift to online-only sex work impacted: (1) working conditions, (2) risks and protective behaviors, and (3) labor rewards. We find that online work offers benefits to sex workers' financial and physical well-being. However, online-only work introduces new and greater digital and mental health risks as a result of the need to be publicly visible on more platforms and to share more explicit content. From our findings we propose design and platform governance suggestions for digital sex workers and for informal workers more broadly, particularly those who create and sell digital content. © 2022 Owner/Author.

From ‘digital nomadism' to ‘rooted digitalism': The remote work and im/mobilities of IT professionals in times of COVID-19

This article explores the interplay between digital work and mobility through a look at the career trajectories, remote work practices and im/mobilities of professionals in the information technology (IT) sector. We draw upon a qualitative study conducted with IT professionals who work remotely for Swiss or Swiss-based international companies. IT professionals have been pioneers in practising virtual work long before the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis and have long engaged in various forms of mobility, including tourism and labour migration. A focus on their remote work and im/mobility practices can shed light on the possibilities and challenges of the virtualization of work, especially in the context of the pandemic. We discuss how geographical immobility, combined with digital technology, becomes important in building a career and a personal life, staying ‘rooted' and reconstituting the boundaries between work and non-work.

The 'New' New Normal-Digitalization and Hybridization of Work and Education Before, during and after the Covid-19 Pandemic

Before the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, work and education on the university campus were considered superior to equivalent activities conducted digitally or remotely. Despite being significantly digitally mature, many organizations did not consider or even permit digital or hybrid participation in meetings and education. In March 2020, the lockdown following the pandemic caused the transition of many organizations and most universities to online-only operation in record time. Often, this occurred while maintaining quality and production, even if some aspects relating to the user experience were lost. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze how digitalization following the pandemic influenced and transformed the digital work environment in higher education. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, provided the experiences and data for this article. In conclusion we distinguished different phases of digital work and education before, during and after the pandemic: 1. The Pre-Pandemic Phase, 2. The Emergency Remote Phase, 3. The New Normal, 4. The Slow Acceptance Phase, and 5. The Dividing Phase, or what we refer to as The 'New' New Normal. In this phase it looks like it will be a battle between three perspectives;those who are looking to get back to the pre-pandemic conditions, those living in The New Normal, and those actively analyzing the lessons learned and aiming for The Thoughtful Blended Phase. Analyzing these five phases we discern that the implications for the future will be heavily dependent on the following aspects: management commitment and support;well-functioning technology and support organization;understanding the effects digitalization will have on culture, organization and well-being;increasing interest in participating in pedagogical development;new designs needed for hybrid work and education;the need to rethink structure and contents of meetings;and paying extra care and attention to the psychological well-being of staff and students.

Digitized Visual Fatigue Detection for Humanizing Digital Work Environments

The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in digital screen time. This extended screen time has led to an increase in visual fatigue levels in the users of digital information displays. Users of these displays tend to ignore the visual fatigue in the initial stages thus causing it to accumulate over time. A visual fatigue level beyond the circadian limit can lead to serious problems. In order to avoid the build-up of visual fatigue to such an extent, it is imperative that the visual fatigue level of the users is checked and managed at regular intervals. This research work was aimed at developing an easy to administer digital test for checking the visual fatigue level of the digital information display users. The decline in visual accommodation with increase in visual fatigue has been used as the basis for developing this test. The digital test has been calibrated against the readings from a standard visual fatigue test. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

How do human relationships change in the digital environment after COVID-19 pandemic? The road towards agility

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global digitalization of organizational activities: the pandemic forced people and organizations to profoundly review values, purposes and norms. However, the research on how digital technologies impact human relationships and interactions at work results fragmented. Still, the importance of understanding which behaviors and norms enhance social interactions and organizational performances in digital environments remains critical, especially after COVID-19 advent. Therefore, this study explores how human relationships change in a wholly digital environment and what to expect for the new normal. Design/methodology/approach: The study first explores the research gap through a systematic literature review to clearly understand what emerged so far. Second, through semi-structured interviews and a focus group, an empirical analysis was conducted. Findings: Findings suggest that both work and emotional dimensions are crucial to nurturing human relationships in a digital environment. More precisely, the study unveils the need for innovative leaders to review their approaches to communication and the work experience and consider the emotional dimension in terms of community purpose and individual well-being, while identifying rituals as an overlapping tool. Finally, the authors propose a parallelism between these results and the agile revolution to inspire leaders to rethink their leadership and behaviors getting closer to the agile approach, which may represent a valuable way to rethink human relations in our professional environment. Originality/value: The paper sheds light on an ongoing phenomenon that touches the lives of each organizational actor. The two-step structure hopes to provide both a structured base of the knowledge developed to date, proposing a systematic view of what has been studied since the outbreak of the pandemic to date and to provide insights for future developments. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Understanding Digital Work and its Use in Organizations from a Literature Review

Background: Digital work is becoming increasingly popular due to its benefits and the continuous surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite numerous studies in attempting at understanding the adoption of digital work and its impact from various perspectives, there is lack of a systematic review of such studies. As a result, a systematic review of this nature is becoming critical as such a review can summarize what has been done and provide a solid foundation for future research. Method: A comprehensive review of existing studies of digital work and its use in organizations is conducted in a systematic manner. This leads to the identification of 87 papers published between 2010 and 2020 in major journals from the mostly popular databases including ProQuest, Emerald, ScienceDirect and Web of Science. Such papers then have been critically analyzed and synthesized. Results: The review of the related literature leads to the formulation of a working definition for digital work, the identification of the characteristics of digital work, and the emerging issues that influence the adoption of digital work in organizations. An integrated framework is proposed for better understanding the adoption of digital work from the perspectives of individuals, organizations, and society. Conclusion: This study proposes an integrated framework for better understanding the adoption of digital work in organizations. Such a framework can be tested and validated in various contexts. The study contributes to existing research from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Theoretically, this study identifies the characteristics of digital work and the emerging issues for affecting the adoption of digital work through reviewing the related literature in a holistic manner. Practically, this study provides organizations with useful information on how to address the emerging issues in the adoption of digital work.

The co-evolution of remote work and expectations in a COVID-19 world utilizing an expectation disconfirmation theory lens

Purpose: As researchers are being called to examine the evolving technology research issues for COVID-19 and other pandemics, remote work has been accelerated and represents the future of work. Although it is known that one of the top forces shaping the future of work is changing employee expectations, the knowledge of remote work during a pandemic remains scant. Thus, this paper aims to determine the impact of remote worker’s expectations on their level of satisfaction and intention to continue to work remotely. Design/methodology/approach: Using one of the prominent theories on expectations, Expectation Disconfirmation Theory (EDT), the authors conduct an online survey of 146 individuals who are currently working remotely. Findings: By applying EDT, the findings demonstrate that an individual’s expectations regarding remote work impact their level of satisfaction with remote work and intention to continue to work remotely. Incorporating extant research, the findings extend the research stream to indicate that employees’ expectations about remote work significantly impact both their level of satisfaction and level of productivity. Originality/value: The discussion elucidates the significance of understanding employee expectations regarding remote work in the evolving new normal. The findings from the study demonstrate the importance of an individual’s expectations regarding remote work on their level of satisfaction with remote work and intention to continue to work remotely. Thus, this study fills a gap in the literature by applying EDT to the remote work context. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Locked-down digital work.

Covid-19 and the related lockdown in many countries made digital work no longer just an option, but the new norm for many office workers who began to make sense of a new range of benefits of digital work tools. Based on my own observations and on observations shared by executives in New Zealand and Europe, I illustrate in this article how the lockdown acted as a facilitator for digital work. Further, I show how the lockdown gave many individuals a flawed impression of digital work, i.e. their experience occurred during exceptional circumstances and led them to draw false conclusions about digital work. I examine some misconceptions of locked-down digital work and discuss the implications of locked-down digital work for research and practice.