The implementation of a remote work program in an italian municipality before covid-19suggestions to hr officers for the post-covid-19 era

  1. Salvatore Zappalà 1
  2. Ferdinando Toscano 1
  3. Gabriela Topa 2
  1. 1 Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna
  2. 2 Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, National University of Distance Education
Revista:
EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

ISSN: 2174-8144,  2254-9625

Año de publicación: 2021

Volumen: 11

Número: 3

Páginas: 866-877

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.3390/EJIHPE11030064 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

Otras publicaciones en: EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

Objetivos de desarrollo sostenible

Resumen

This case study describes the implementation stages and some outcomes of a remote work program that was adopted in an Italian municipality before the COVID-19 pandemic. This research used a qualitative case study approach, proposing a semi-structured interview with 14 staff members (six remote-worker employees, their respective managers, and two intermediate-level managers) about the experience with the remote work program. In addition, two researchers attended two preparatory program meetings. The evidence shows that, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was mainly performed at home, for one or two days a week. Together with their manager, remote workers decided the tasks to perform remotely and the criteria to monitor remote work. Furthermore, employees appreciated the remote work program, perceiving themselves to be more productive in their work. Elements of this case study may be relevant for companies that aim to move from an emergency to a more planned remote work.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Korunka, C.; Kubicek, B.; Risak, M. New Way of Working in Public Administration; Federal Ministry for the Civil Service and Sport, DG III—Civil Service and Administrative Innovation: Wien, Austria, 2018.
  • Kwon, M.; Jeon, S.H. Why Permit Telework? Exploring the Determinants of California City Governments’ Decisions to Permit Telework. Public Pers. Manag. 2017, 46, 239–262.
  • Mello, J.A. Managing telework programs effectively. Empl. Responsib. Rights J. 2007, 19, 247–261.
  • Wadsworth, L.L.; Facer, R.L.; Arbon, C.A. Alternative work schedules in local government: Cui bono? Rev. Public Pers. Adm. 2010, 30, 322–340.
  • Messenger, J.; Vargas LLave, O.; Gscwind, L.; Boehmer, S.; Vermeylen, G.; Wilkens, M. Working Anytime, Anywhere: The Effects on the World of Work; Eurofound: Luxembourg, 2017.
  • Smart Working Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano Cresce il Numero degli Smart Worker Italiani: 570mila (+20%) Lavoratori più Soddisfatti Degli Altri. Available online: https://www.osservatori.net/it/ricerche/comunicati-stampa/cresce-il-numero-degli-smart-worker-italiani-570mila-plus20-lavoratori-piu-soddisfatti-degli-altri (accessed on 11 May 2021).
  • Galanti, T.; Guidetti, G.; Mazzei, E.; Zappalà, S.; Toscano, F. Work from Home during the COVID-19 Outbreak. J. Occup. Env. Med. 2021, 63, e426–e432.
  • Taskin, L.; Edwards, P. The possibilities and limits of telework in a bureaucratic environment: Lessons from the public sector. New Technol. Work Employ. 2007, 22, 195–207.
  • Allen, T.D.; Golden, T.D.; Shockley, K.M. How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychol. Sci. Public Interes 2015, 16, 40–68.
  • Toscano, F.; Zappalà, S. Smart working in Italy: Origin, diffusion and potential outcomes. Psicol. Soc. 2020, 15, 203–223.
  • Charalampous, M.; Grant, C.A.; Tramontano, C.; Michailidis, E. Systematically reviewing remote e-workers’ well-being at work: A multidimensional approach. Eur. J. Work Organ. Psychol. 2019, 28, 51–73.
  • Caillier, J.G. Do flexible work schedules reduce turnover in U.S. federal agencies? Soc. Sci. J. 2018, 55, 108–115.
  • Kröll, C.; Doebler, P.; Nüesch, S. Meta-analytic evidence of the effectiveness of stress management at work. Eur. J. Work Organ. Psychol. 2017, 26, 677–693.
  • Felstead, A.; Jewson, N.; Walters, S. Managerial control of employees working at home. Br. J. Ind. Relat. 2003, 41, 241–264.
  • Mahler, J. The Telework Divide: Managerial and Personnel Challenges of Telework. Rev. Public Pers. Adm. 2012, 32, 407–418.
  • Chung, H.; van der Horst, M. Flexible Working and Unpaid Overtime in the UK: The Role of Gender, Parental and Occupational Status. Soc. Indic. Res. 2020, 151, 495–520.
  • Berman, E.M.; Bowman, J.S.; West, J.P.; Van Wart, M.R. Human Resource Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems; CQ Press: Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2019.
  • Schulz, R.; Martire, L.M. Caregiving and employment. In Aging and Work: Issues and Implications in a Changing Landscape; Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD, USA, 2009; pp. 35–50.
  • Mora, L.; Kummitha, R.K.R.; Esposito, G. Not everything is as it seems: Digital technology affordance, pandemic control, and the mediating role of sociomaterial arrangements. Gov. Inf. Q. 2021, 101599.
  • Casula, C. Il modello post-burocratico, tra management e governance, nel processo di riforma della Pubblica Amministrazione. In Management e Governance Nella Pubblica Amministrazione; Sangiorgi, G., Ed.; FrancoAngeli: Milano, Italy, 2008; pp. 31–64.
  • de Vries, H.; Tummers, L.; Bekkers, V. The Benefits of Teleworking in the Public Sector: Reality or Rhetoric? Rev. Public Pers. Adm. 2019, 39, 570–593.
  • Sewell, G.; Taskin, L. Out of Sight, Out of Mind in a New World of Work? Autonomy, Control, and Spatiotemporal Scaling in Telework. Organ. Stud. 2015, 36, 1507–1529.
  • Toscano, F.; Zappalà, S. Social Isolation and Stress as Predictors of Productivity Perception and Remote Work Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Concern about the Virus in a Moderated Double Mediation. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9804.
  • Taskin, L. Introducing telework in a public and bureaucratic environment: A re-regulationist perspective on a non-conventional change. Int. J. Manag. Concepts Philos. 2010, 4, 294.
  • Yin, R.K. Case Study Research and Applications; Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2018.
  • Min, H.; Ko, H.J.; Lim, Y.K.; Park, J.W.; Cho, Y.K. Challenges and opportunities for logistics standardisation in Asia-Pacific countries: A descriptive case study. Int. J. Logist. Syst. Manag. 2014, 17, 357–380.
  • Wrzesniewski, A.; Dutton, J.E. Crafting a Job: Revisioning Employees as Active Crafters of Their Work. Acad. Manag. Rev. 2001, 26, 179.
  • Robledo, E.; Zappalà, S.; Topa, G. Job crafting as a mediator between work engagement and wellbeing outcomes: A time-lagged study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 1376.
  • Bianco, A. The Next Society-Sociologia Del Mutamento E Dei Processi Digitali; FrancoAngeli: Milano, Italy, 2019; ISBN 9788891793447.
  • Peters, P.; Den Dulk, L.; de Ruijter, J. May I work from home? Views of the employment relationship reflected in line managers’ telework attitudes in six financial-sector organizations. Equal. Divers. Incl. An Int. J. 2010, 29, 517–531.
  • Taskin, L.; Devos, V. Paradoxes from the individualization of human resource management: The case of telework. J. Bus. Ethics 2005, 62, 13–24.
  • Casper, W.J.; Weltman, D.; Kwesiga, E. Beyond family-friendly: The construct and measurement of singles-friendly work culture. J. Vocat. Behav. 2007, 70, 478–501.
  • Choi, S. Managing Flexible Work Arrangements in Government: Testing the Effects of Institutional and Managerial Support. Public Pers. Manag. 2018, 47, 26–50.
  • Fonner, K.L.; Roloff, M.E. Testing the Connectivity Paradox: Linking Teleworkers’ Communication Media Use to Social Presence, Stress from Interruptions, and Organizational Identification. Commun. Monogr. 2012, 79, 205–231.
  • Taskin, L.; Bridoux, F. Telework: A challenge to knowledge transfer in organizations. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2010, 21, 2503–2520.
  • de Vries, H.; Tummers, L.; Bekkers, V. A stakeholder perspective on public sector innovation: Why position matters. Int. Rev. Adm. Sci. 2018, 84, 269–287.
  • Dahlstrom, T.R. Telecommuting and leadership style. Public Pers. Manag. 2013, 42, 438–451.
  • Kuron, L.K.J.; Lyons, S.T.; Schweitzer, L.; Ng, E.S.W. Millennials’ work values: Differences across the school to work transition. Pers. Rev. 2015, 44, 991–1009.
  • Monroe, R.W.; Haug, J.C. Assessment of Telework in a Federal Agency at the Operational Phase. Public Organ. Rev. 2021, 1–18.
  • Lund, S.; Madgavkar, A.; Manyika, J.; Smit, S. What’s next for remote work: An analysis of 2,000 tasks, 800 jobs, and nine countries. McKinsey Glob. Inst. 2020, 1–13.
  • Eurofound. Living and Working in Europe 2020; Publications Office of the European Union: Luxembourg, 2021.
Fuente de los datos: Dialnet