Understanding the factors that lead employees to use certain techniques to resist norms during work from home in the Indian IT sector

Abstract

Remote work, while offering flexibility and convenience, has also introduced challenges in monitoring employee engagement and adherence to organizational norms. The onset of COVID-19 accelerated the shift to work-from-home (WFH) arrangements globally, including in India—a prominent hub for software development and IT services.

This transition brought significant changes to workplace practices, communication styles, and productivity management. However, the new normal also created opportunities for some employees to adopt resistance techniques—strategies to bypass or subtly defy standard work norms and expectations.

Such resistance can manifest in various forms, such as delayed communication, passive disengagement, manipulation of availability status, or avoidance of deliverables. These behaviors can contribute to reduced productivity, hinder team collaboration, and erode organizational culture.

This project aims to:

Explore the types of resistance techniques used by employees during remote work.

Understand the motivations behind these behaviors in the context of the Indian IT sector.

Identify contributing factors, including psychological, organizational, and technological dimensions that foster such resistance.

The insights from this study are intended to support IT firms in designing more adaptive and responsive remote work policies that balance flexibility with accountability.