The Determinants of Remote Work in Poland – the Perspective of Employers

Abstract

Theoretical background: Remote work has been of interest to managers since the introduction of new information and communication technologies (ICT). In the initial period, it was treated as a privilege of the employee, which few deserve. Therefore, this type of work was not very popular. The COVID-19 pandemic period changed the attitude towards remote work, it became a necessity for many organizations. However, its use gave rise to many new problems, which both employers and employees had to face. Post-pandemic reality poses new challenges for those interested in its further use.

Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to examine the attitude of employers to the five challenges related to remote work selected by the authors: the method of monitoring work, the level of employee support by employers, the assessment of work efficiency, work safety and data protection, and the intention to continue remote work after the pandemic.

Research methods: The research was carried out using the standardized questionnaire interviews based on the CATI method. The questionnaire used in the research contained 23 closed questions of single and multiple choice, as well as 7 metric questions, allowing to identify the size, type of business, age and the structure of the company’s ownership capital. The research was carried out in the period May–June 2021 on a population of 248 entrepreneurs divided into micro, small, medium and large companies.

Main findings: Remote work, in particular hybrid work, is likely to become more common in enterprises after the end of the pandemic crisis. Unfortunately, the provisions of labour law do not keep pace with the dynamics of changes in the organization of work in enterprises. Remote work poses new challenges for managers who have to deal with another, probably not yet well recognized management method. Therefore, it requires managers to develop new skills, a management style in the ICT environment oriented towards the results of work, and not time and workload. New tools for measuring work efficiency need to be developed. We also have to face the problem of trust, procrastination and many other new challenges. The model of remote work means the need to develop new internal procedures in the company, because this type of work requires a different organization of duties and tasks for employees with whom there is no physical contact. The challenge will be to strike a balance between a “tight” or “loose” organizational culture, known as “tight-loose ambidexterity”. It also seems that employers will have to assume a much larger range of responsibilities for this group of workers, ranging from a wide range of different training courses to financial support.