ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformations across industries, but also introduced new challenges into workplaces, including the difficulties of effectively socializing with colleagues when working remotely. This challenge is exacerbated for new employees who need to develop workplace networks from the outset. In this paper, by analyzing a large-scale telemetry dataset of more than 10,000 Microsoft employees who joined the company in the first three months of 2022, we describe how new employees interact and telecommute with their colleagues during their "onboarding"period. Our results reveal that although new hires are gradually expanding networks over time, there still exists significant gaps between their network statistics and those of tenured employees even after the six-month onboarding phase. We also observe that heterogeneity exists among new employees in how their networks change over time, where employees whose job tasks do not necessarily require extensive and diverse connections could be at a disadvantaged position in this onboarding process. By investigating how web-based people recommendations in organizational knowledge base facilitate new employees naturally expand their networks, we also demonstrate the potential of web-based applications for addressing the aforementioned socialization challenges. Altogether, our findings provide insights on new employee network dynamics in remote and hybrid work environments, which may help guide organizational leaders and web application developers on quantifying and improving the socialization experiences of new employees in digital workplaces. © 2023 ACM.
ABSTRACT
This chapter is contextual in nature. It provides an overview of the impact of COVID-19, highlighting both the significant number of deaths caused by the pandemic as well as the economic disruption that occurred. Particular attention is paid to the role of digital technologies during the pandemic, which enabled a wide range of activities (e.g. work, education and shopping) to go online. The disruptive impact of COVID-19 is widespread and far-reaching, with the pandemic acting as a 'change agent' expanding and encouraging the greater use of digital technologies. The second half of the chapter presents summaries of the other chapters in the book. In doing so, it illustrates the scope and scale of the impact of COVID-19, the multitude of different challenges it has caused, and how these varied across different regions and contexts, as well as the diversity of reactions to the pandemic. Some of these reactions are technical in nature, while others are commercial and political. The summaries also draw attention to ongoing policy debates, the significance of which has been heightened by the pandemic. © 2023 the authors.
ABSTRACT
Both enterprises and their employees have globally experienced remote work at an unprecedented scale since the outbreak of COVID-19. As the pandemic becomes less of a threat, some companies have called their employees back to a physical office, citing issues related to working remotely, but many employees have refused to return. Thus, working in the metaverse has gained much attention as an alternative that could complement the weaknesses of completely remote work or even offline work. However, we do not know yet what benefits and drawbacks the metaverse has as a legitimate workspace, because there are few real cases of 1) working in the metaverse and 2) working remotely at such an unprecedented scale. Thus, this paper aims to identify real challenges and opportunities the metaverse workspace presents when compared to remote work by conducting semi-structured interviews and participatory workshops with various employees and company stakeholders (e.g., HR managers and CEOs) who have experienced at least two of three work types: working in a physical office, remotely, or in the metaverse. Consequently, we identified 1) advantages and disadvantages of remote work and 2) opportunities and challenges of the metaverse. We further discuss design implications that may overcome the identified challenges of working in the metaverse. © 2023 Owner/Author.
ABSTRACT
The growing platformization of health has spurred new avenues for healthcare access and reinvigorated telemedicine as a viable pathway to care. Telemedicine adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic has surfaced barriers to patient-centered care that call for attention. Our work extends current Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research on telemedicine and the challenges to remote care, and investigates the scope for enhancing remote care seeking and provision through telemedicine workflows involving intermediation. Our study, focused on the urban Indian context, involved providing doctors with videos of remote clinical examinations to aid in telemedicine. We present a qualitative evaluation of this modified telemedicine experience, highlighting how workflows involving intermediation could bridge existing gaps in telemedicine, and how their acceptance among doctors could shift interaction dynamics between doctors and patients. We conclude by discussing the implications of such telemedicine workflows on patient-centered care and the future of care work. © 2023 Owner/Author.
ABSTRACT
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians provide patient care within a high-stakes, unpredictable, and complex work environment in which conflict is inevitable. Our objective was to explore the extent to which added stressors of the pandemic exacerbated EMS workplace conflict. We administered our survey to a sample of U.S. nationally certified EMS clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2022. Out of 1881 respondents, 46% (n = 857) experienced conflict and 79% (n = 674) provided free-text descriptions of their experience. The responses were analyzed for themes using qualitative content analysis, and they were then sorted into codes using word unit sets. Code counts, frequencies, and rankings were tabulated, enabling quantitative comparisons of the codes. Of the fifteen codes to emerge, stress (a precursor of burnout) and burnout-related fatigue were the key factors contributing to EMS workplace conflict. We mapped our codes to a conceptual model guided by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report on using a systems approach to address clinician burnout and professional well-being to explore implications for addressing conflict within that framework. Factors attributed to conflict mapped to all levels of the NASEM model, lending empirical legitimacy to a broad systems approach to fostering worker well-being. Our findings lead us to propose that active surveillance (enhanced management information and feedback systems) of frontline clinicians' experiences during public health emergencies could increase the effectiveness of regulations and policies across the healthcare system. Ideally, the contributions of the occupational health discipline would become a mainstay of a sustained response to promote ongoing worker well-being. The maintenance of a robust EMS workforce, and by extension the health professionals in its operational sphere, is unquestionably essential to our preparedness for the likelihood that pandemic threats may become more commonplace.
Subject(s)
Burnout, Professional , COVID-19 , Emergency Medical Services , Humans , Pandemics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Burnout, Professional/epidemiology , Burnout, Psychological , Surveys and Questionnaires , WorkforceABSTRACT
This conceptual paper examines voluntary versus mandatory cloud-based training, generating recommendations to harmonise the complementarity of face-to-face and online media in future careers. Technological change was already accelerating when the COVID-19 pandemic response turbocharged transformations of knowledge dissemination in training, thus impacting learning and competency development for the future. The methodology applies comprehensive, structured literature review following PRISMA guidelines with development of a novel conceptual framework illuminating facets of knowledge dissemination. Exploring the context of workplace training and the future of careers with aid of NVivo it was found that altered social cues in cloud training are generating changes in learner attention span, engagement, and peer-to-peer interaction, potentially increasing contract cheating. It is hence recommended that stakeholders demarcate theoretical and practical learning outcomes to develop hybrid cloud media and face-to-face knowledge dissemination to accentuate professional accreditation requirements, engagement and etiquette in virtual spaces, and improve understanding of work-home balance.
ABSTRACT
PurposeThe study explores the perceptions of graduates on their employability and future of work, in light of the challenges thrown upon by new vicissitudes in the work environment. The study intends to assess the preparedness of management graduates in facing the challenges and uncertainties of the actual job market.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured and informal interviews with 65 management graduates from UK, Canada, Italy and India. The thematic analysis uncovered the concerns and areas to develop for management graduates regarding their future employability perceptions.FindingsThe authors benefited from a unique opportunity to capture the views and experience of graduates who are undergoing management education during this ambiguous period. Three major themes were developed on how to develop oneself for an ambiguous future of work which includes Psychological strengths, Skill enhancement and Future mindset. The study also unearthed the major focus areas for better employability from a graduate perspective.Practical implicationsPractical contribution comes from strategies to prepare university graduates for sustainable careers. Study hints at the importance of work experience, adaptability and skill enhancement in meeting the challenges of the future.Originality/valueFrom a global approach this is one among the first studies to look into the graduate perspective of their preparedness for future work.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the source of large-scale disruption to the work practices of university staff, across the UK and globally. This article reports the experiences of n = 4731 professional services staff (PSS) working in UK universities and their experiences of pandemic-related work disruption. It specifically focuses on a transition to remote-working as a consequence of social restrictions and campus closures, presenting both quantitative and qualitative findings that speak to the various spatio-relational impacts of PSS working at distance from university campuses. These survey findings contribute to a new narrative of work organisation in higher education which addresses the potential of remote-working as a means for boundary crossing, social connectedness and trust relationships in universities in the immediate context and strongly anticipated post-pandemic future.
ABSTRACT
PurposeThe world of work is changing and creating challenges and opportunities for the employment inclusion of young people with disabilities. In this article, the perceptions held by young adults with disabilities regarding participation in the future of work are examined.Design/methodology/approachOne-on-one interviews were conducted with Canadian young adults (ages 18–36 years) living with a disability. Participants were asked about their thoughts regarding the impact of the changing nature of work on their labor market involvement and career aspirations. A thematic analysis was performed to identify and examine emergent salient themes.FindingsIn total, 22 young adults were interviewed;over half held secure employment. Career aspirations and work-related decisions were primarily shaped by a participant's health needs. The future of work was seen as a more proximal determinant to employment. Digital technologies were expected to impact working conditions and create barriers and facilitators to employment. Participants who indicated being securely employed held positive expectations regarding the impact of digital technology on their work. Participants working precariously held negative appraisals regarding the impact of digital technologies on employment opportunities. The role of technological and soft skills was critical to participating in a labor market reliant on advanced technology. Participants reported barriers to developing job skills related to their disability and their work arrangements.Originality/valueThis research highlights the importance of considering changes in the future of work, especially the digital transformation of the economy, in the design of initiatives which promote the employment inclusion of young adults with disabilities. Despite the significance of the changing nature of work, supporting health needs and encouraging access to secure work arrangements also remain paramount.
ABSTRACT
Recognizing societal and organizational trends toward individualization of work (Rousseau, D. M. (2005). I-deals: Idiosyncratic deals employees bargain for themselves. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe.) coined the term idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) to describe personalized work arrangements negotiated by employees to fulfill their unique needs unmet by their employer's standard offerings. Since then, this area has received considerable attention from research and practice alike. We believe i-deals are "ideal” for addressing the changing needs and preferences of employees, employers, and the wider society in the post-pandemic era. Core aspects of i-deals are expounded by leading scholars in the preceding 12 chapters of this book. The book provides a comprehensive review and critique of i-deals literature from multiple perspectives. The discussion begins with an examination of motivations and outcomes of i-deal seekers and grantors. Particular attention is given to issues of fairness during negotiation and implementation of i-deals in workgroups wherein the recipients' co-workers observe and react to the differentiated work arrangements. Recommendations are made for best practices for institutionalizing i-deals as a global strategic human resource management device. In this concluding chapter, we reflect on these insights, identify gaps in i-deals research, and suggest avenues for future research. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
ABSTRACT
Over the past few decades, a small but growing group of people have worked remotely from their homes. With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, millions of people found themselves joining this group overnight. In this position paper, we examine the kinds of work that 'went remote' in response to the pandemic, and consider the ways in which this transition was influenced by (and in turn came to influence) contemporary trends in digital workplace measurement and evaluation. We see that employers appeared reluctant to let certain classes of employee work remotely. When the pandemic forced staff home, employers compensated by turning to digital surveillance tools, even though, as we argue, these tools seem unable to overcome the significant conceptual barriers to understanding how people are working. We also observed that, in the United Kingdom context, the pandemic didn't mean remote work for a significant proportion of the population. We assert that, to maximize its impact, 'future of work' research in human-centred computing must be more inclusive and representative of work, rather than focusing on the experiences of knowledge workers and those involved in new forms of work.
ABSTRACT
PurposeBy integrating job demands-resource (JD-R) theory and organizational change approach, the paper investigates determinants of positive mental health (PMH) of employees experiencing unpredictable organizational change (i.e. transition from physical work to remote work and other associated changes during the Covid-19 pandemic). The paper aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of continuous learning (CL) and mindfulness (MF) on PMH of employees via their perceived change-efficacy (CE).Design/methodology/approachTime-lagged primary data were collected from a cohort of information technology employees experiencing organizational change in the past one year. During the first stage, data was collected on variables, including CF, MF and CE, whereas response on PMH of employees was collected after one month. AMOS-24 has been used to assess the measurement model and perform the analysis.FindingsAt the outset, the study affirms that CL, MF and CE significantly contribute toward PMH of employees. The mediation analysis suggests that CE significantly mediates both relationships (i.e. CL-PMH and MF-PMH).Practical implicationsFirst, CL and MF are key to recovering from a crisis and enhancing PMH of employees. Second, employees' CE is an essential ingredient for organizations to successfully implement organizational changes while amplifying the PMH of employees.Originality/valueThe study is one of its kind which examines the antecedents of employees' mental health during organizational change while examining the mediating role of their CE. The findings contribute substantially to the literature of organizational change and JD-R theory by integrating and extending it to organizational change context.
ABSTRACT
One of the major issues with reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on work values and dynamics is leadership and management of both material and human resources. We have started this chapter with the challenges of people management in government bodies, corporate outfits, health organisations and educational systems. Relationality and inter-subjectivity have been considered as essential ingredients in preparing for the future. We have looked at the dimensions of preparedness as mimicking the dimensions of the human being so that there are physical, psychological and spiritual aspects. Physical preparedness directly involves the material resources that make it possible to handle the changes in work hours, technological needs and competence upskilling. Psychological preparedness has been discussed with resilience at the core so that health organisations, businesses and governance target specific aspects of resilience needed for people to thrive. Spiritual preparedness is briefly explained as a continual memory of the capacities of transcendence inherent to the human being so that rapid technological growth never becomes dehumanising. Recommendations are made based on a deeper understanding of these different dimensions in an individual and collective way. © 2022 Kemi Ogunyemi and Adaora I. Onaga. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to reflect on the future of work dimensions through the new concept of inclusive organizational behaviour (IOB) and its practices. Design/methodology/approach: This work is a reflective concept development paper that focuses on new dimensions of organizational behaviour (OB) exploring IOB practices in the new workplace which can broaden the concept of OB that fits into the future of work. Findings: The IOB practices will adapt and help in adapting to the new work dynamics that can create more humane and stimulating workplaces, thereby benefiting society at large. Individual positive psychological traits, team dynamics and a fusion of digital corporate culture with a human-centric approach and sustainability are highlighted in the redefined IOB, expanding the concept of OB from the three levels of analysis (individual, group and the entire organization's behaviour) in the new normal post-COVID situation. Research limitations/implications: Limited research studies are being conducted to investigate the future of work dynamics in the new standard post-COVID environment, which is dominated by digitization. The lack of literature and the changing situations that impact OB are the limitations. Practical implications: Corporate houses, policymakers and leaders who understand the workplace dynamics in the post-COVID scenario can effectively leverage the insights from this work and may chalk out a road map for future work through IOB practices. Originality/value: This research extends knowledge pertaining to IOB practices and the changing dynamics that need to be followed in the future OB practices. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
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.
ABSTRACT
The world of work over the past 3 years has been characterized by a great reset due to the COVID-19 pandemic, giving an even more central role to scholarly discussions of ethics and the future of work. Such discussions have the potential to inform whether, when, and which work is viewed and experienced as meaningful. Yet, thus far, debates concerning ethics, meaningful work, and the future of work have largely pursued separate trajectories. Not only is bridging these research spheres important for the advancement of meaningful work as a field of study but doing so can potentially inform the organizations and societies of the future. In proposing this Special Issue, we were inspired to address these intersections, and we are grateful to have this platform for advancing an integrative conversation, together with the authors of the seven selected scholarly contributions. Each article in this issue takes a unique approach to addressing these topics, with some emphasizing ethics while others focus on the future aspects of meaningful work. Taken together, the papers indicate future research directions with regard to: (a) the meaning of meaningful work, (b) the future of meaningful work, and (c) how we can study the ethics of meaningful work in the future. We hope these insights will spark further relevant scholarly and practitioner conversations.
ABSTRACT
This contribution to the journal "Group. Interaction. Organization." (GIO) takes a closer look at the mobile work of the future. Mobile work as well as virtual collaboration is becoming more and more integrated into our everyday working lives-not least reinforced by the COVID-19 Pandemic. In a Delphi-based study, we investigated the question of what mobile and virtual work will look like in the future. For this purpose, 35 future scenarios were described or processed in four rounds with a total of 460 experts and their desirability and probability of occurrence were evaluated. Positive developments are expected for the organization in terms of technology (e.g., advances in virtuality and artificial intelligence), leadership (e.g., increase in shared leadership and participation) and the work-life integration of employees (e.g., more flexibility and self-management). Negative effects are seen for teamwork (e.g., it becomes more difficult to build and maintain team cohesion and social exchange). How the challenges can be dealt with in terms of work design is shown and discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (German) Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation." (GIO) setzt sich genauer mit der mobilen Arbeit der Zu- kunft auseinander. Mobile Arbeit sowie virtuelle Zusammenarbeit wird verstarkt durch die Corona Pandemie immer mehr in unseren Arbeitsalltag integriert. In einer Delphi-basierten Studie haben wir uns mit der Frage auseinandergesetzt, wie die mobile und virtuelle Arbeit der Zukunft aussehen wird. Dazu wurden in vier Runden mit insgesamt 460 Expert*innen 35 Zukunftsszenarien beschrieben bzw. bearbeitet und deren Erwunschtheit und Eintretenswahrscheinlichkeit bewertet. Positive Entwicklungen werden fur die Organisation hinsichtlich Technologie (z. B. Fortschritte in der Virtualitat und der kunstlichen Intelligenz), Fuhrung (z. B. Zunahme der geteilten Fuhrung und Beteiligung) und die Work-Life-Integration der Mitarbeitenden (z. B. mehr Flexibilitat und Selbstmanagement) erwartet. Negative Auswirkungen werden dagegen fur die Teamarbeit gesehen (z. B. wird es schwieriger, Teamzusammenhalt und sozialen Austausch aufzubauen und aufrecht- zuerhalten). Es wird aufgezeigt und diskutiert, wie mit den Herausforderungen arbeitsgestalterisch umgegangen werden kann. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The global economy has been in a state of disruption brought about mainly by advances in technology. The Indian IT industry is poised to lead this change, given its previous achievement in this area and the country's young, educated population. However, the cost advantage it has thrived on so far is soon waning due to rising talent costs and automation replacing most routine IT work. This calls for a new set of skills that include both tangible technical skills as well as intangible ones such as critical thinking and decision-making, which are currently in short supply in the Indian IT talent market. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and accelerated this change and raised new talent challenges for Indian IT companies in the form of the necessity to enable remote work quickly, ensure employees wellbeing-both physical and mental-and deal with employees reassessing their what they seek from their employer.The position of the Indian middle manager in these conditions might seem fragile as organizations try to restructure themselves to meet these challenges but research shows that this layer can play a crucial role in keeping workers motivated and engaged, connecting various layers of management and employees, and offering innovative solutions due to their involvement with day-to-day work. But how can it be enabled to drive and nurture this change and play a key role in it? What changes will these professionals need to make to not only survive this transformation but to lead it? (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
PurposeHuman resources (HR) management has encountered unforeseen obstacles and issues in recruiting, retaining, training and developing workforces under the "new normal” due to pandemic circumstances followed by the Russo–Ukrainian War and global economic turmoil. As the world is now well-equipped with technological advancements and internet-based connectivity, many pandemic disruptions have been avoided through rapid adaptation of technological systems. Despite the constructive outcomes of this contemporary approach to learning and development (L&D), this study explores the further depths of massive open online courses (MOOC) platform adoption in human resource development initiatives during pandemic times.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was adopted to understand the employee and HR perspective on the changes in L&D approaches in organizations. To gather the primary data, respondents were divided into two clusters;different sets of questionnaires were developed for interview sessions.FindingsResults suggest that employee L&D was much more improvised with distance or online learning, including organizational e-learning systems and MOOC platforms. To accomplish their HR development goals, organizations went through significant transformations during the Coronavirus pandemic;organizational attempts to initiate online training and MOOC-based learning fostered positive results in employee capacity development, process improvement, employee engagement and motivation.Originality/valueThis research will assist organizations in developing interactive training methods as an effective replacement for traditional training. Additionally, it will assist readers, practitioners and HR specialists in understanding how MOOCs are changing the L&D ecosystem.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has significantly impacted expatriates, affecting their ability to work effectively and their personal and family lives. This study explores their experiences in different phases of the pandemic, and their perspectives on the future of international living in light of such global disruption. Involving over 600 expatriates in 48 countries, the research shows shifts in motivation and priorities as a result of the crisis and reveals how family (extended and immediate) topped expatriates' concerns. The study examines if and how support systems worked and looks at coping mechanisms, skills, traits, previous experience, and attitudes which participants found useful. A common theme was "falling between two stools”—where expatriates were ineligible for support in either their home country or in their host country. Others described being "pulled in different directions” or "torn by a dilemma” with pros and cons in either choice. The study contributes to the questions about the future of global work with results of the survey revealing changing norms for expatriation and global mobility raising the possibility of more nuanced approaches to global projects and less binary options for global professionals and their families. © 2022 The Authors. Thunderbird International Business Review published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.