The Future of Work: Remote Work as the New Normal?

During the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, normal work routines were abruptly pended and socialdistancing as a major tactic to defeat the crisis has required people to work from home. Remote working has become a new normal for many employees. This article and the conducted empirical study focus on the employees’ point of view and the perceptions and experiences during the demanding pandemic. This contribution thus aims at shedding light on the motivational factors for telework, on the observed benefits and challenges of distant work as well as on the human resource implications of these developments. The article draws upon an empirical study (n=1074) conducted in Austria in the summer of 2020. Various factors and their effect on the desire to work from home were analyzed. Among these are factors such as respondents’ age (not sign.), gender (female respondents are found to have less desire for working from home, β=-0.07**), the presence of flexible working hours (β=0.07**), time spent working with PC (β=0.21***) as well as various other work related and socio-demographic aspects. Working from home is more than just a form of flexible working intensified by the SARS-CoV-19 crisis. The desire for remote work is forced by the distance to the workplace and the reported positive effects of working concentrated and undisturbed. These aspects seem to outweigh the negative ones in this study as well, yet the lack of social contacts shows a significant disadvantage to be overcome. In summary, working from home is perceived positively by employees and companies are encouraged to
promote these opportunities in the future.