Mandatory work from home: a gendered experience

Abstract

COVID 19 pandemic has drastically altered the way organisations functioned in the past where work from home was considered to be an occasional phenomenon to fulfil specific needs. However, with work from home becoming mandatory owing to the unusual and unprecedented times of crisis, it has become important for the HRM systems to understand and cater to the requirements of building effective virtual work environment. During the initial week of March 2020, when the intensity of the pandemic was unfolding, organisations in U.S. were busy adopting social distancing norms and moving towards a virtual workplace. The tech companies found it comparatively easier as they had the requisite skills already to work in a virtual setting. However, non tech firms faced more issues in adapting while some also struggled with the budgetary constraints in adopting the technology. (Zeidner, 2020). While flexible organisations were at a better position in adopting this new norm, employees had their own struggles with the new setting. As per the ‘2019 State of Remote Report’ by buffer.com, employees struggled with multiple issues while working remotely which includes unplugging after work (22%), loneliness (19%), communication (17%), distractions at home (10%) etc. The report also listed certain benefits like flexible schedule, working from any location, time with family etc. (Buffer, 2020) However, a survey conducted in May, points out to the mixed reaction of the employees towards the work from home culture in US. Atleast 55% of the US workers expressed their preference for a mixture of home and office working. (Ro, 2020). This indicates a possible trend towards hybrid workplaces post COVID 19 pandemic. The future still appears to be uncertain and thus, calls for an analysis of the impact of functioning under the new normal to address the challenges and aspire to be more effective in future under the same settings. The present paper attempts to understand the experiences of different employees with respect to the mandatory work from home imposed due to COVID pandemic while adopting a gendered approach.