Pandemic-Induced Telework Challenges and Strategies

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Remote Work Studies
• Pandemic Response

Background:

• Telework was a common practice before COVID-19, with existing research.
• The pandemic necessitated telework for individuals new to remote work.
• This study captures the initial telework experiences during the pandemic's early months.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the experiences of approximately 400 teleworkers in the first 2-3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To investigate differences in telework experiences based on prior telework history, presence of children, and supervisory duties.
• To analyze challenges faced by teleworkers during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A two-wave descriptive investigation was conducted.
• Data collected from approximately 400 teleworkers.
• Explored variations in experiences among different employee groups.

Main Results:

• Identified both general telework challenges and pandemic-specific difficulties.
• Findings support job crafting theories, showing teleworkers' proactive boundary and relationship adjustments.
• Employees continued to struggle with adjustments even after two months, despite employing coping strategies like self-care and psychological reframing.

Conclusions:

• Pandemic-induced telework presents distinct challenges compared to traditional telework.
• Employees require a significant adjustment period for pandemic-induced remote work.
• Further research is needed to understand long-term impacts and effective support strategies.