Page 58 - Impact of WfH study report _SCOPE-ILO_Neat

6. Conclusion, Recommendations, and Proposed Guidelines

6.1 Conclusion

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a pandemic sweeping across the globe,
challenged societies in more than one way. Not only did it have individual impacts
forcing people to reconsider how they work or travel, but it has also impacted countries
from an economic standpoint.

COVID-19 provided a sound business reason for PSEs to establish virtual workplaces,
in which employees operate remotely from each other. The study therefore provided
a unique opportunity to assess WfH as a working model in PSEs. The study findings
showed that the advantages of WfH may be offset by factors such as lack of
infrastructure and technological support in remote locations. Besides, virtual teams
and telework are not appropriate for all jobs and all employees.

In addition, the study indicated that women employees – having experienced the WfH
arrangement in a challenging circumstance that of a COVID induced lockdown period,
if given an option now, when most of them are back to their offices, would not prefer
WfH on a continual basis but opt for flexi-timings/flexible Schedules combined with
WfH on a need/rotational basis.

WfH may not have emerged as “the most favored option” that PSE executives,
especially women would like to opt for on a continual basis, but the interest in WfH
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remains. Only the perception to view the option has seen a marginal shift. It calls for
better guidelines and policies from the company to be in place to properly regulate and
make WfH feasible. For example, one area of policy where planning and
implementation is needed relates to guiding all and not select staff into adapting to
remote online work. The decision to swiftly shift from in-person meetings and working
to remote working, may have caught some if not all employees unaware in respect to
what WfH entails; and they also lacked resources required for this shift in work culture
(like software, access to official documents, proper working space). Proper training
and guidance is required, which many PSEs are facilitating, if the WfH practice is to
be a feasible option or the new normal. Possibly, the work-life balance will be better
visible when WfH is no longer a forced mandate, rather a flexible option.

45 As mentioned earlier in the study, the E4-E9 level women executives who participated in
the study had previously participated in another SCOPE-ILO study wherein they endorsed
WfH as an influential factor in their career advancement.
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