From Forced Remote Work to Forced Office Work? Factors Influencing Change in Willingness to Work Remotely

Abstract

Instead of being a mere digital mode, remote work is a complex context influencing employee efficiency, well-being, and quality of life. An understanding of the employee experience in virtual conditions would yield critical knowledge allowing organizations to make well-informed decisions about work arrangements and to communicate them wisely to their staff. This study is based on a quantitative Webropol survey to understand the determinants of employee experiences in the virtual context. The sample comprised of 616 respondents. These knowledge workers’ work tasks permit remote work and they were largely forced to work off-site during the pandemic. The study is built on eight hypotheses and the hypotheses are tested by adopting regression analysis. The findings show that the change in willingness to work at a distance is influenced by unique, individual-derived factors such as the perceived quality of work life as well as the perceived efficiency of their workday. As an example, parents with caring responsibilities find their remote workdays more efficient than office days. Further, for female employees and employees with minors in the household, integration of work and private constitutes a key motivator to work away from office. These findings further strengthen the case for organizational diversity management and dialogue.