A General Overview of Remote Work: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Key Elements

Year 2024, Volume: 15 Issue: 41, 328 - 341, 28.02.2024

Muhammet Tortumlu , Hasan Hüseyin Uzunbacak

https://doi.org/10.21076/vizyoner.1258360

Abstract

Technological advancements and rapid spread of knowledge have transformed the work processes of businesses, especially those engaged in information and communication technology activities, leading to the emergence of alternative work models. Digitalization has significantly changed work models, with businesses offering more flexible working hours and more remote work options to employees. This allows businesses to become more cost-effective and efficient, and to provide better services. However, alongside the attractive aspects of remote work, there are also disadvantages for both employees and organizations. In other words, it is difficult to say that remote work is entirely beneficial. After the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all businesses operating in all sectors have experienced remote work. This process has provided an opportunity to see the general advantages and disadvantages of remote work. The aim of the study is to deeply examine basic elements, advantages and disadvantages of remote work, based on the results of research studies conducted in the field, and to analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on remote work, according to research studies.

Keywords

Working From Home, Remote Working, COVID-19

Uzaktan Çalışmaya Genel Bir Bakış: Avantajlar, Dezavantajlar ve Temel Unsurlar

Abstract

Teknolojik gelişim ve bilginin hızlı yayılımı işletmelerin çalışma süreçlerini değişime uğratmış, özellikle bilgi iletişim teknolojileri faaliyetlerini yürüten örgütlerde alternatif çalışma modelleri ortaya çıkarmıştır. Dijitalleşme, çalışma modellerini önemli düzeyde değiştirmiştir. İşletmeler tarafından çalışanlara daha esnek çalışma saatleri ve daha fazla uzaktan çalışma seçenekleri sunulmaktadır. Bu durum, işletmelerin daha az maliyetli ve daha etkili hale gelmesine ve daha iyi hizmet sunmasına olanak tanımaktadır. Ancak uzaktan çalışmanın cezbedici tarafının yanında çalışan ve örgütler için dezavantajları da söz konusudur. Bir başka deyişle uzaktan çalışmanın tümüyle avantajlı olduğunu söylemek güçtür. COVİD-19 pandemisinden sonra neredeyse tüm alanlarda faaliyet gösteren işletmeler uzaktan çalışma modelini deneyimlemişlerdir. Bu süreç uzaktan çalışmanın genel anlamda avantaj ve dezavantajlarını görmek için bir fırsat sunmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı da uzaktan çalışmanın temel unsurlarını, avantaj ve dezavantajlarını alanyazında yapılan araştırmaları derinlemesine inceleyerek sıralamak; COVİD-19 pandemisinin uzaktan çalışmaya yansımalarını yapılan araştırmalar ışığında incelemektir.

Keywords

Evden Çalışma, Uzaktan Çalışma, COVİD-19

References

• Akyaz, F. Ş. (2019). Esnek çalışmanın iş-yaşam dengesi üzerindeki etkisinin belirlenmesine yönelik bir araştırma [Yüksek Lisans Tezi]. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi.
• Allen, M. W. (1992). Communication and organizational commitment: Perceived organizational support as a mediating factor. Communication Quarterly, 40(4), 357-367.
• Arronsson, G. ve Gustafsson, K. (2005). Sickness presenteeism: Prevalence, attendance-pressure factors, and an outline of a model for research, JOEM, 9(47), 958-966.
• Aslan, M., Yaman, F., Aksu, A. ve Gungor, H. (2022). Task performance and job satisfaction under the effect of remote working: Call center evidence. Economics & Sociology, 15(1).
• Baruch, Y. ve Nicholson, N. (1997). Home, sweet work: Requirements for effective home working. Journal of General Management, 23(2), 15-30.
• Belzunegui-Eraso, A. ve Erro-Garcés, A. (2020). Teleworking in the context of the covid-19 crisis. Sustainability, 12(9), 3662.
• Bloom, N., Han, R. ve Liang, J. (2022). How hybrid working from home works out. NBER Working Paper 30292.
• Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., WoodlanD, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N. ve Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The lancet, 395(10227), 912-920.
• Burch, S. (1991). Teleworking: A strategic guide for management. Kogan Page.
• Carnevale, J. B. ve Hatak, I. (2020). Employee adjustment and well-being in the era of covıd-19: Implications for human resource management. Journal of Business Research, 116(1), 183–187.
• Child, S. T. ve Lawton, L. (2019). Loneliness and social isolation among young and late middle-age adults: associations with personal networks and social participation. Aging & Mental Health, 23(2), 196-204.
• Clark, S. (1994). Presentees: New slaves of the office who run on fear. The Sunday Times, 16 October.
• Davenport, T. H. ve Pearlson, K. (1998). Two cheers for the virtual office. MIT Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 51. Di Martino, V. ve Wirth, L. (1990). Telework: A new way of working and living. Int'l Lab. Rev., 129, 529.
• Ecatt. (1999). Electronic commerce and teleworking trends. http://www.ecatt.com adresinden 22 Mayıs 2021 tarihinde alınmıştır.
• Eıronline (European Industrial Relations Observatory on-line). (2010). Telework in the European Union. http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/studies/tn0910050s/tn0910050s.htm adresinden 10 Haziran 2021 tarihinde alınmıştır.
• Ellison, N.B. (1999). Social impacts: New perspectives on tele-work. Social Science Computer Review, 3(17), 338–356.
• Elshaiekh, N. E. M., Hassan, Y. A. A. ve Abdallah, A. A. A. (2018). The impacts of remote working on workers performance. International Arab Conference on Information Technology (ACIT), 1-5.
• Etheridge, B. ve Spantig, L. (2020). The gender gap in mental well-being during the covid-19 outbreak: Evidence from the UK (No. 2020-08). ISER Working paper series.
• Eurostat. (2020). Population on 1 january by age, sex and nuts 3 region. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/regions/data/database adresinden 11 Nisans 2021 tarihinde alınmıştır.
• Ferreira, R., Pereira, R., Bianchi, I. S. ve Da Silva, M. M. (2021). Decision factors for remote work adoption: Advantages, disadvantages, driving forces and challenges. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), 70.
• Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions?. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 300-319.
• Fried J. ve Hansson., D. H. (2013). Remote: Office not required London. Ebury Digital.
• Gray, M.J. (1995). Supporting teleworking with multimedia. BT Technology Journal, 4(13), 105–112.
• Haddon, L. ve A. Lewis (1994). The experience of teleworking: An annotated review. International Journal of Human Resource Management. 1(5), 193–223.
• Hill, E. J., Ferris, M. ve Märtinson, V. (2003). Does it matter where you work? A comparison of how three work venues (traditional office, virtual office, and home office) influence aspects of work and personal/family life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(2), 220-241.
• Hraskova, D. ve Rolkova, M. (2012). Teleworking–A flexible conception of managing the enterprise. 2nd International Scientific Conference “Whither Our Economies”, 39-45.
• Hsu, D. H. ve Tambe, P. (2022). How does offering remote work affect the diversity of the labor pool?. Evidence from technology startups.
• Huws, U. (1984). The new homeworkers: new technology and the changing location of whitecollar work. Low Pay Unit.
• International Labour Organization (ILO). (2020). In the face of a pandemic: ensuring safety and health at work. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_protect/—protrav/—safework/ documents/publication/wcms_742463.pdf adresinden 9 Mayıs 2022 tarihinde alınmıştır.
• Ipsen, C., Van Veldhoven, M., Kirchner, K. ve Hansen, J. P. (2021). Six key advantages and disadvantages of working from home in europe during COVID-19. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(4), 1826.
• Irawanto, D. W., Novianti, K. R. ve Roz, K. (2021). Work from home: Measuring satisfaction between work–life balance and work stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in İndonesia. Economies, 9(3), 96.
• Jyothi Sree, V. ve Jyothi, P. (2012). Assessing work-life balance: From emotional intelligence and role efficacy of career women. Advances in Management, 5, 332.
• Kossek, E. E., Lautsch, B. A. ve Eaton, S. C. (2006). Telecommuting, control, and boundary management: Correlates of policy use and practice, job control, and work–family effectiveness. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(2), 347-367.
• Le, H., Jiang, Z. ve Radford, K. (2020). Leader-member exchange and subjective well-being: The moderating role of metacognitive cultural intelligence. Personnel Review ahead-of-print. 2(28).
• Loughran, C. (1988). Home Alone, The Ariel (BBC Publication), 25 August.
• Mann, S. ve Holdsworth, L. (2003). The psychological impact of teleworking: Stress, emotions and health. New technology, work and employment, 18, 196–210.
• Mann, S., Varey, R. ve Button, W. (2000). An exploration of the emotional ımpact of teleworking. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 15(7), 668–690.
• Montreuil, S. ve Lippel, K. (2003). Telework and occupational health: A quebec empirical study and regulatory implications. Safety Science, 41(4), 339-358.
• Nakrošienė, A., Bučiūnienė, I. ve Goštautaitė, B. (2019). Working from home: Characteristics and outcomes of telework. International Journal of Manpower, 40(1), 87-101.
• Nyqvist, F., Victor, C., Forsman, A. ve Cattan, M. (2016). The association between social capital and loneliness in different age groups: A population-based study in western finland. BMC Public Health 16, 542.
• Overbey, J.A. (2013). Telecommuter intent to leave. Leadersh. Organ. Dev. J., 34, 680–699.
• Owllabs, (2020). The state of remote work report by owl labs USA: Owllabs; 2020. https://www.owllabs.com/state-of-remote-work adresinden 5 Eylül 2021 tarihinde alınmıştır.
• Ozimek, A. (2020). The future of remote work. Paper presented at the Social Science Research Network Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3638597
• Pleul, P. (2023). Elon musk'tan tesla personeline: Ofise dönün ya da işten ayrılın. Euronews. https://tr.euronews.com/2022/06/01/elon-musk-tan-tesla-personeline-ofise-donun-ya-da-isten-ayr-l-n adresinden 1 Şubat 2023 tarihinde alınmıştır.
• Prosser, T. (2011). The implementation of the telework and work-related stress agreements: European social dialogue through ‘soft’law?. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 17(3), 245-260.
• Sarbu, M. (2015). Determinants of work‐at‐home arrangements for german employees. Labour, 29(4), 444-469.
• Sener, I. N. ve bhat, C. R. (2011). A copula-based sample selection model of telecommuting choice and frequency. Environment and Planning A, 43(1), 126-145.
• Smith, B. ve Lim, M. (2020). How the covıd-19 pandemic is focusing attention on loneliness and social isolation. Public Health Res Pract, 30(2), 3022008.
• Smith, M. L., Steinman, L. E. ve Casey, E. A. (2020). Combatting social isolation among older adults in a time of physical distancing: The COVID-19 social connectivity paradox. Frontiers in public health, 403.
• Song, Y. ve Gao, J. (2020). Does telework stress employees out? A study on working at home and subjective well-being for wage/salary workers. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(7), 2649-2668.
• Sullivan, C. (2012). Remote working and work-life balance. N. P. Reilly, M. J. Sirgy ve C. A. Gorman (Ed.), International handbooks of quality-of-life. Work and quality of life: Ethical practices in organizations içinde (s. 275–290). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4059-4_15
• Tan, G. (2007). A tipik iş sözleşmelerinden evde çalışma ve tele çalışma [Yüksek Lisans Tezi]. Başkent Üniversitesi.
• Taş, M. A. ve Tortumlu, M. (2021). Esnek çalışma ortamındaki çalışanlarda öz kontrol ve öz yönetim, içsel motivasyon ve mutluluk ilişkisine dair bir araştırma. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Vizyoner Dergisi, 12(31), 940-954.
• Tavares, A. I. (2017). Telework and health effects review. International Journal of Healthcare, 3(2), 30-36.
• Thulin, E., Vilhelmson, B. ve Johansson, M. (2019). New telework, time pressure, and time use control in everyday life. Sustainability, 11(11), 3067.
• Turner, J. (1998). Will telecommuting ever get off the ground?. The Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 July.
• Umberson, D. ve Karas Montez, J. (2010). Social relationships and health: a flashpoint for health policy. J Health Soc Behav 51, 54–66.
• Vargas-Llave, O., Mandl, I., Weber, T. ve Wilkens, M. (2020). Telework and ict-based mobile work: Flexible working in the digital age. New Forms of Employment Series. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/1845205/telework-and-ict-based-mobile-work/2589590/ adresinden 5 Mart 2022 tarihinde alınmıştır.
• Walls, M., Safirova, E. ve Jiang, Y. (2007). What drives telecommuting? Relative impact of worker demographics, employer characteristics, and job types. Transportation Research Record, 2010(1), 111-120.
• Yüksel, İ. (2006). Örgütsel destek algısı ve belirleyicilerinin işten ayrılma eğilimi ile ilişkisi. İstanbul Üniversitesi İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi, 35(1), 7-32.
• Zavaleta, D., Samuel, K. ve Mills, CT. (2017). Measures of social isolation. Soc Indic Res 131(1), 367–391.