Engaging new ways of work: the relevance of flexibility and digital tools in a post-COVID-19 era

PurposeNew ways of working have rapidly increased in organizations, promising employees a better control over their work time, space, and more autonomy. The present study analyzes the relationship between new ways of working and employee engagement and productivity.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to evaluate organizational practices developed based on flexible schemes and the relevance of employee engagement for better productivity based on digital tools. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsNew ways of work requires an integration of workspaces' design, social interaction, and individual wellness. Organizations need to recognize how employees' trust, commitment, and passion are fundamental to face current and future changes. Flexibility in time and space and digital tools for work are critical.Practical implicationsA personalization of organizational practices to support individual well-being and flexible and hybrid schemes of work are needed. Developing policies collaboratively to work together respectfully in a hybrid environment is necessary.Social implicationsHybrid work format is allowing women to balance career and childcare, reducing the wage gap with men. The green imperative has also played a role reducing the amount of carbon monoxide produced via commuter.Originality/valueThe present study exposes how organizational practices must ensure employee well-being and autonomy to perform their tasks. In this regard, employees need to be recognized as individuals, physically and mentally. Attempting to force a one-size-fit-all solution can have detrimental effects on the workforce, particularly on women, people of lower socioeconomic status, and people in less advanced economies. Personalization requests empowerment and democratization at work.

Pandemic Challenges and Opportunities for Gender Equity in Clinical Research

In the arena of clinical research, gender equity accelerates research excellence: we need multiple perspectives and all the brain power we can muster to maximize research productivity and quality. [...]women physician investigators enhance enrollment of women as participants in clinical trials, which is crucial to our ability to generalize from the data and to maintain the health of women. Women are underrepresented among academic grand rounds speakers,14 speakers at medical conferences15, and award recipients from medical specialty societies.16 Time pressure is especially intense on young women faculty. Besides spending more time on domestic chores, they spend more time at work on teaching, service, and mentoring. Female primary care physicians spend more time with patients.22 Elderly hospitalized patients treated by female internists experience lower mortality and readmission rates.23 Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting had shorter hospital length of stay when treated by an all-female physician team as compared with an all-male team.24 Female patients treated by male physicians following acute myocardial infarction have higher mortality than those treated by female physicians.25 Sex discordance between patient and surgeon is associated with increased likelihood of adverse postoperative outcomes-and that observation that is driven by worse outcomes for female patients treated by male physicians.26 Clinical trials play a fundamental role in bringing new medications and interventions to our patients, yet women have often been excluded from participation. Among 60 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of lipidlowering therapies reported between 1990 and 2018, there was a modest increase in enrollment of women over time, but women remain underrepresented compared with the relative burden of disease.30 In another study of 317 RCTs of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction published in highimpact journals over the past 20 years, only 25% of participants overall were female, and females were under-enrolled in 72% of these trials.

PENGARUH SISTEM KERJA WORK FROM HOME DAN LINGKUNGAN KERJA TERHADAP PRODUKTIVITAS KARYAWAN PT ADI GEOTAMA KONSTRUKSINDO PADA SAAT ERA COVID-19

The purpose of this study is to find out the extent of the influence of work from home and work environment on employee productivity at PT. Adi Geotama Konstruksindo. The population in this study were employees who worked in PT. Adi Geotama Konstruksindo, especially in the Human Resources (HR), Finance, Marketing, Engineer, and Operational sections, which amounted to 50 people with a total sample taken of 50 respondents. As for the research methods used, quantitative methods. Which aims to test hypotheses using existing theoretical theories. Meanwhile, for data processing calculations and analyzers using linear regression analysis, partial test (t-test), Simultaneous UJi F-which is calculated with the help of the SPSS software program version 26.0. By referring to the results of the research obtained, it is known that the Work From Home System system does not affect employee productivity, while the work environment affects employee productivity. That way, it can be concluded that the more the work from home system continues, the more employee productivity is, while the more developed the work environment, the employee productivity will continue to increase. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Tujuan dilakukannya penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui sejauh mana pengaruh work from home dan lingkungan kerja terhadap produktivitas karyawan di PT. Adi Geotama Konstruksindo. Populasi dalam penelitian ini merupakan para pegawai yang bekerja di perusahaan PT. Adi Geotama Konstruksindo, terutama pada bagian Human Resource (HR), Finance, Marketing, Engineer, dan Operational, yang berjumlah 50 orang dengan jumlah sampel yang diambil sebanyak 50 orang responden. Adapun metode penelitian yang digunakan, metode kuantitatif. Yang bertjuan untuk menguji hipotesis dengan menggunakan teori teori yang sudah ada. Sementara itu, untuk perhitungan olah data dan penganalisisnya menggunakan analisis regresi linear, Uji parsial (t-test), UJi F-Simultan yang dihitung dengan bantuan program software SPSS versi 26.0. Dengan mengacu pada hasil penelitian yang diperoleh, diketahui bahwa Sistem Sistem Work From Home tidak berpengaruh terhadap produktivitas karyawan, sedangkan lingkungan kerja berpengaruh terhadap produktivitas karyawan. Dengan begitu, bisa disimpulkan bahwa semakin meneruskan sistem work from home maka produktivitas karyawan, sedangkan semakin berkembangnya lingkungan kerja maka produktivitas karyawan akan terus meningkat. (Indonesian) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Syntax Literate is the property of Ridwan Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Student Satisfaction on Lecturers' Effectiveness, Efficiency and Productivity: Malaysian Education Landscape during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the whole planet, including the education sector in Malaysia. As a result, the quality of lecturers' work is critical in maintaining the number of students in a university, particularly during a pandemic. Lecturers are put through their paces as they move from traditional to e-learning, learning new ways to teach classes, navigating technology, using new skills, and utilising their own knowledge. This study analysed responses of 892 local students from various officially registered public higher learning institutions throughout Malaysia. Convenient sampling method was used to gather responses through online google forms from the above respondents. The outcomes of this study provided some insight on how Malaysian higher education institutions might redeem themselves by offering better service to the society, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction

Individualised employment relations formed a key pillar of the shift to neoliberal economic policy in the 1980s, complementing other dimensions of orthodoxy deployed across governments, public administrations and central banks in the same time. In the neoliberal narrative, market forces would ‘naturally' and justly compensate labour for its contribution to productivity, like any other input to production. Consequently, redistributive institutions empowering workers to win more adequate wages and conditions (through minimum wages, Awards, unionisation, and collective bargaining) were dramatically eroded, or discarded entirely. Combined with welfare state retrenchment, this restructuring of labour market policy increased the pressure on people to sell their labour, and under terms over which workers wielded little influence. Since then, forms of insecure, non-standard work have proliferated globally, and employment relations have been increasingly individualised. Now, most workers in Anglo-Saxon market economies, and a growing proportion of workers in European and Nordic nations, rely on individual contract instruments (underpinned only by minimum wage floors typically far below living wage benchmarks) to set the terms and conditions of employment. Wages have stagnated, the share of GDP going to workers has declined, and inequality and poverty (even among employed people) has intensified. More recently, after years of this employer-friendly hegemony in workplace relations, successive crises (first the GFC and then the COVID-19 pandemic) have more obviously shattered traditional expectations of a natural linkage between economic growth and workers' living standards.After a generation of experience with this individualised model of employment relations, and with the human costs of that approach becoming ever-more obvious, there is renewed concern with reimagining policies and structures which could support improvements in job quality, stability, and compensation. Important policy dialogue and innovation is now occurring in many industrial countries, in response to the negative consequences of neoliberal labour market policies. In those conversations, institutions like collective bargaining have returned to centre stage.

Emergent time-spaces of working from home: Lessons from pandemic geographies

The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent health regulations compelled office-based knowledge workers to work from home (WFH) en masse. Government and employer directives to WFH disrupted common norms of commuting to city office spaces and reshaped the geographies of office-based knowledge work, with potentially lasting implications. Pandemic-induced cohabitation of work-space and home-space saw more workers navigating the performance of paid labour in the home to produce new relational geographies of home, work, and worker. This paper provides a window on the lived experiences of the sizeable cohort of office-based knowledge workers displaced from Sydney's CBD to undertake WFH in the Illawarra region during the pandemic. We explore the unfolding pandemic geographies of work and home by drawing together feminist economic geography and geographies of home literatures. Our analysis reveals the emergent and variegated time-spaces of WFH that emerged as the rhythms and routines of WFH shaped the home and vice versa. The analysis also reveals the differentiated agency of embodied workers to orchestrate emergent configurations of WFH, shaped by gender and by the socio-materialities of home shaped by size, tenure, and life-cycle stage. We conclude by drawing out important lines of analysis for further research as "hybrid work" evidently becomes entrenched post-COVID.

Harnessing the Opportunities for Sustainable Small-Scale Rural Farming Towards Attaining Food Security in Southern Africa

Agriculture is the main food production industry in emerging economies. Its importance in increasing food security is reflected in SDGs 1 and 2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Thus, improving food production through small-scale agriculture transformation and sustainability is crucial. However, recent pandemic (COVID-19) awareness and impacts necessitate urgent need for sustainable small-scale farming. This study sought to find ways for small-scale agriculture in Southern Africa to withstand natural disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify solutions to boost production amid COVID-19 effects on labour, markets, and access to knowledge or inputs. Local and international reports on small-scale agriculture in Southern Africa, and literature from 2009 to 2022, were systematically used. Technology that could be harnessed to ameliorate the identified challenges and enhance small-scale farming productivity in the region is recommended. Finding solutions to the issues encountered by small-scale farmers in general and due to the pandemic will promote the transformation and sustainability of small-scale agriculture and hence food security in the region. Additionally, the importance of science communication related to small-scale farming in Southern Africa, along with practical and policy implications to enhance and support small-scale farming, and subsequently food security is highlighted. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Public Health Impact of UK COVID-19 Booster Vaccination during Omicron Predominance

Objectives: To estimate the public health impact of COVID-19 booster vaccination in the UK during Omicron predominance, and to explore the impact in counterfactual scenarios with different booster eligibility or uptake. Method(s): A dynamic transmission model was developed to compare public health outcomes for actual and hypothetical UK Spring and Autumn 2022 booster programs. Outcomes were projected over an extended time horizon from April 2022-April 2023, assuming continued Omicron predominance as in Jan-Mar 2022. Health outcomes included averted cases, hospitalizations, long COVID cases, and deaths. NHS resource use outcomes were averted general ward and intensive care unit bed days and general practitioner visits. Patient productivity loss outcomes considered productive days lost for those in and outside the paid work force. Analyses used publicly available data. Result(s): Model output suggested that actual Spring and Autumn 2022 programs, which offered boosters to older adults and vulnerable populations, would avert approximately 716,000 hospitalizations, 1.9M long COVID cases and 125,000 deaths compared to not offering boosters in Spring and Autumn 2022. In a scenario that broadened eligibility to individuals aged >=5 years, an estimated 1.6M hospitalizations, 8.3M long COVID cases, and 222,000 deaths were averted. A scenario assuming broadened eligibility and increased uptake produced the greatest benefit among scenarios analyzed: 1.6M hospitalizations, 9.2M long COVID cases, and 228,000 deaths averted;and 953M productive days saved. Scenarios offering boosters only to high-risk individuals (aged >=5 years) were also estimated to improve benefit relative to actual programs. High-risk-only programs assuming increased uptake provided about half to two-thirds of the benefit estimated for programs assuming broadened eligibility and increased uptake. Conclusion(s): UK booster vaccination programs were estimated to provide substantial benefit to public health during Omicron predominance. Public health benefits could be maximized by broadening booster eligibility to younger age groups and increasing uptake.Copyright © 2023

Persistent Work Limitations in Long COVID: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Employed US Respondents to the 2022 National Health and Wellness Survey

Objectives: Many Americans experience continued symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to people who leave the workforce after experiencing COVID, those who remain employed may experience loss of productivity from short-term absences (absenteeism) and reduced productivity while working (presenteeism). We examined reported losses of work productivity among adults who reported physician-identified Long COVID. Method(s): We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of data from National Health and Wellness Survey (May-Aug 2022) respondents. We included employed adults who reported having experienced COVID in the past (no date specified), said their physician identified them as having Long COVID or COVID syndrome, and reported symptoms at the time of survey. Respondents were stratified by their magnitude of activity limitations reported on the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire;we describe responses for the lowest (LT) and highest tertiles (HT). Work productivity (absenteeism, presenteeism, overall work limitations from either absenteeism or presenteeism), and mental health (anxiety via General Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire, depression via Patient Health Questionnaire-9), were compared across tertiles. Result(s): Among 1036 Long COVID respondents meeting inclusion criteria, presenteeism ranged from 24.2% of LT respondents (n=291) to 92.8% of HT respondents (n=304), and absenteeism ranged from 12.7% (LT respondents) to 47.3% (HT respondents). Almost all (99.7%) HT respondents reported their overall work productivity was reduced by 50% or more while 26.7% of LT respondents reported the same. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe depression (92.4% vs. 37.8%) and moderate-to-severe anxiety (84.2% vs. 26.1%) was higher among HT relative to LT (all p<.001). Conclusion(s): Adults with Long COVID exhibit substantial heterogeneity in activity limitations;however, work limitations were substantial in all groups. Our results suggest significant economic impacts of Long COVID through lower productivity among those who remain employed. Further work with a comparison group is important to understand Long COVID-related work impairments, limitations, and disability.Copyright © 2023

Telework in Romania. Current State and Sustainable Socio-Economic Effects of Its Development

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the current stage of implementation of telework in Romania and to determine potential positive and sustainable effects generated by its development on a large scale. The research methodology used is based on descriptive analysis, comparative analysis, but also on econometric analysis. The general results obtained show that Romania registers a very low level of telework employees, this being influenced, not only by the low share of those with tertiary education and high skilled professionals, but also by the fact that most Romanian employees do not want to practice this type of work. The results also showed that telework can generate significant economic and social benefits. The potential solutions we have identified for the sustainable development of the telework phenomenon in Romania include investments in tertiary education and awareness campaigns among both employees and companies, regarding the positive effects that can be obtained through telework and business development.

Automating Biopharma Manufacturing

"With the advance of data science enabling factors such as easy access to scalable memory and computing resources;our growing competence in collecting, storing, and contextualizing data;advances in robotics;[and] the quickly evolving method landscape driven by the open-source community, the benefits of automation and simulation are becoming accessible in the notoriously complicated realm of biopharma manufacturing," says Marcel von der Haar, head of product strategy data analytics at Sartorius. "Plug-and-play" capabilities of automation systems, which enable flexible manufacturing and faster technology transfer, are more important than ever, he says. Walvax Biotech's new COVID-19 mRNA vaccine plant in China is another example of an intelligent and digital plant;it uses Honeywell's batch process control, building and energy management solution systems, and digital twins to monitor assets (5). "Automation brings in the data for machine learning to model the dynamic processes of cell growth and map it against the multiple dimensions provided by advanced sensors," explains Brandl.

COVID-19 and the shift to remote work

COVID-19 has accelerated the shift to remote work. Enabling knowledge workers to do their jobs from home or elsewhere brings benefits by increasing labour participation, avoiding unproductive commuting time (thus reducing the carbon footprint), and reducing the gender gap by enabling a partner with domestic care responsibilities to work. Not all jobs are suitable for remote work, but far more remote work is feasible than has been typical to date. The post-pandemic new normal is sure to differ both from the pre-pandemic normal and from current arrangements. Hybrid arrangements where part of the week is spent at the office, and a part at home, might well become the norm. Employers, workers, trade unions, and governments will need to adapt to the new normal. © 2023 the authors.

Cost-Effectiveness of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPI), Vaccines and the Combination of NPI and Vaccines in Managing the COVID Pandemic

Objectives: We estimated the cost-effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI), vaccines, and the combination of NPI and vaccines in managing the COVID pandemic. Method(s): A dynamic transmission model was constructed to simulate the incidence of COVID infections and deaths among community-dwelling Singapore residents. Using this model, we compared the cost and outcomes of NPI (border control measures, safe distancing and mask wearing) versus no NPI in an unvaccinated and a vaccinated population. The analysis was conducted from the societal perspective over a one year time horizon, with data based on the COVID situation in Singapore during Jan 2021 to Dec 2021. Costs of vaccination, adverse events, masks, self-testing using rapid antigen tests, test-trace-isolate (TTI), outpatient visits, hospitalization, productivity loss and reduced sales receipt from retail and food and beverages industries were included. Health loss from adverse events, TTI and COVID infection and deaths were also included. Result(s): Among the scenarios compared, vaccination combined with NPIs yield the lowest cost (S$7.6 billion), while no vaccination with NPIs had the highest costs (S$49.1 billion). The largest loss in QALYs from the population was seen from the scenario without vaccination or NPIs. Using a dominance approach, vaccination combined with NPIs is cost saving with an ICER of -S$213 billion per QALY, compared to no vaccination with lockdown measures. The results show that NPIs alone without vaccination only delays transmission, but does not significantly change the total number of cases observed in the population. Vaccination is both cost saving and health saving as the difference in cases averted from vaccination and their associated costs, is far greater than the additional costs required to vaccinate the public. Conclusion(s): Both vaccination and NPI are critical strategies for managing the COVID pandemic. In the presence of vaccine, NPIs continue to offer benefits in terms of reduced number of infections and deaths.Copyright © 2023

Media synchronicity implications for Indian white-collar employees' work-from-home wellbeing and preference, mediated by psychological needs satisfaction

PurposeWork-from-home (WFH) gained ground with COVID and will now continue to be a part of India's future of work. Under WFH information and communication technologies (ICT) media become the primary/sole mode of communication for employees, which holds several implications for employers and employees. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of ICT media characteristics and usage frequency on multiple WFH outcomes. Specifically studied was ICT media's ability to support synchronicity or coordinated behaviours of individuals working together.Design/methodology/approachThis work examined the effect of ICT media's synchronicity-supporting ability and usage frequency on WFH employees' need for competence and relatedness satisfaction, thereby wellbeing and preference to WFH. Data from 301 white-collar employees of varied manufacturing and services organizations of India was analysed via partial least squares structural equation modelling.FindingsAchieving more synchronicity by frequently using ICT media that can better facilitate coordinated behaviours did not directly influence WFH employees' feeling of belongingness (need for relatedness) or wellbeing. It did, however, positively affect their feeling of effectance (need for competence) and thereby wellbeing. However, unexpectedly, it negatively influenced preference to WFH more often.Originality/valueThis study has uniquely combined media synchronicity and self-determination theories to investigate the implications of a work practice on employee wellbeing and preferences. Also, an extensible media evaluation parameter was created that encompasses the characteristics and usage frequency of a set of ICT media.

Reaction of the cereal market to the disruption of trade flows in Romania

The paper presents the reaction of the Romanian cereal market to the disruption of trade flows caused by certain shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which lead to changes with high impact on the functioning of this market, representing an important test for the resilience of the sector. Due to trade liberalization in global markets, including agri-food markets, the competitiveness of exports has become increasingly important, contributing to the creation of the country's competitive advantage. Any restrictions to trade in agri-food products can distort trade flows, and this disruption will have an impact on supply and prices. Maintaining a balance between imports and exports is essential to ensure domestic market stability. International trade in agri-food products plays an important role in global food security. The results show that Romania mainly exports unprocessed agricultural products, with cereals having the largest share in the export structure, cereal supply is dependent on climate change, yet it is one of the products with the lowest volatility. The cereal market shows a more elastic reaction to price responses, even though demand for staple foods is generally inelastic.

Characterizing Surgical Provider Use of Telemedicine: Barriers and Facilitators to Utilization

Introduction: The use of telemedicine in surgical care quickly increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, uptake among surgical specialties has not been consistent. We aimed to characterize surgical provider perceptions of barriers and facilitators to telemedicine use. Method(s): Surgeons and nurses within the gastrointestinal surgery division at a high-volume, tertiary care academic center were contacted for participation in this study. Individual semi-structured interviews explored barriers and facilitators to telemedicine use. Qualitative analysis was conducted by multiple coders using NVivo12 software. Result(s): Six surgeons and three nurses participated in this study. Among the 9 participants, 44% identified as female and 33% were over age 50. Three themes were identified as facilitators to provider utilization of telemedicine: increased accessibility for rural patients due to decreased travel time and cost, enhanced provider productivity from reduced transition time between visits, and the ability of video telemedicine to facilitate non-verbal communication and visual examination. Three themes were identified as barriers to provider utilization of telemedicine: unreliable broadband connection, negative impacts on workflow due to scheduling challenges and insufficient IT support, and the inability to conduct a physical exam and immediately manage certain complications. Conclusion(s): As telemedicine becomes highly integrated into routine care, best practice guidelines to surgeon-patient telemedicine encounters should be established. This will improve virtual communication and consistency across providers, as well as provider satisfaction with telemedicine. Future interventions should address concerns with workflow logistics and technical support by developing comprehensive training and troubleshooting strategies for healthcare providers.

Driving Consistency in Validation Management

FDA also explained that system designs and controls should allow for detecting errors, omissions, and unusual results-outcomes that cannot be easily identified with paper-based processes. Because the guidance requirements for record retention and review don't differ between paper or electronic, this update supports the shift to a digital model. Using paper to check and mark things off is a normal practice in life sciences, even if it is not a very good process for error detection, data collection, or metrics, says Bryony Borneo, quality assurance director at global contract research organization (CRO) Emmes. Building a solid data foundation and gaining more experience with remote ways of working are driving positive change and making it easier for quality teams to remain compliant with regulations. According to Sanjeev Kumar, senior director, data integrity and technology at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, there is greater awareness of data standardization to identify developing trends and insights from information.

Disability, workplace inclusion and organizational citizenship behavior: an exploratory study of the legal profession

PurposeMany workers with disabilities face cultures of exclusion in the workplace, which can affect their participation in decisions, workplace engagement, job attitudes and performance. The authors explore a key indicator of engagement—perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)—as it relates to disability and other marginalized identities in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachUsing an online survey, legal professionals answered questions about their workplace experiences. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multivariate regression analysis with progressive adjustment was used to investigate the effect of demographic and organizational factors on perceptions of OCB.FindingsThe authors find that employees with disabilities have lower perceptions of OCB, both before and after controlling for other personal and job variables. The disability gap is cut nearly in half, however, when controlling for workplace culture measures of co-worker support and the presence of an effective diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy. Disability does not appear to interact with gender, race/ethnicity and LGBTQ + status in affecting perceptions of OCB.Originality/valueThe results point to the workplace barriers faced by people with disabilities that affect their perceptions of engagement, and the potential for supportive cultures to change these perceptions.

Research on Operating Efficiency of Civil Airports in China

In this paper, the DEA-Malmquist model is used to evaluate static and dynamic efficiency of 30 civil airports in China from 2016 to 2021. The developments of airports in different regions are discussed from these aspects: the impact of local government policies and COVID-19 on changes of airports' total factor productivity, and differences in operating efficiency of airports in different regions. The results show that: there are great differences in the operating efficiency of airports in China, and the low pure technical efficiency is the main reason leading to the low technological efficiency. The stagnation of total factor productivity of Chinese airports is mainly influenced by technological progress, and its negative effect drags down the stable technical efficiency and scale efficiency. There are obvious differences in operating efficiency among different regions. Airports in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta have the highest efficiency, the Chengdu-Chongqing region has the fastest development, and the northeast region has the slowest development and the lowest operating efficiency. © 2022 ACM.

Legitimacy versus efficiency: implementation of in-person work in Japanese companies during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to examine how companies persuaded their employees to be present at offices during the COVID-19 pandemic and how remote and non-remote work practices affected employee performance. Design/methodology/approachFirm strategies are assumed to follow the principles of legitimacy and efficiency. However, these principles are often contradictory and incompatible. This study explored how companies legitimized non-remote work during the pandemic in Japan, and how in-person work practices affected individual employee productivity. The authors conducted a survey in the country, and the collected data was quantitatively analyzed. FindingsOn the basis of our empirical study on institutional work providing rationales for maintaining existing business practices, the authors found that Japanese companies often used institutional logics that included the inevitability of employees' obedience to company policy, the lack of employees' digital resources at home and the necessity of face-to-face customer dealing to legitimize their non-adoption of telework, even amid the emergency. The findings also indicate that the adoption of in-person work was negatively related to individual employee performance. Originality/valueThe current study aims to make a theoretical contribution to the literature on institutional maintenance and institutional work, which, till now, has only focused on institutional change rather than institutional maintenance. Second, few studies have empirically investigated the contradiction between legitimacy and efficiency, although the literature on organizational legitimacy assumes that individuals and organizations are not always rational.