Technology-enabled work from home during COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of employee experiences and effectiveness

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted businesses and compelled the workforce toward the adoption of technology-enabled work from home (WFH). The purpose of this study is to investigate and understand the employee experiences and effectiveness of technology-enabled WFH. In-depth structured interviews were conducted with 39 respondents from western India. Qualitative content analysis was conducted, and the sub-themes and themes were identified by the researchers out of the interviews’ text. The employee experiences are presented through a proposed framework comprising positive and negative factors affecting WFH. The study presents various findings on WFH such as (a) A Framework comprising of personal factors, employee performance, and technology adoption, and (b) A pictorial representation of positive and negative factors affecting the WFH. The paper also identified various challenges, which can be addressed for the effective implementation of WFH. This study presents a realistic and holistic picture of the technology-enabled WFH in India, which is a newfangled concept in the context of the pandemic. Open research areas are identified, which are presented at the end.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• effectiveness
• employee experience
• qualitative research
• technology
• work from home (WFH)