Work from Home: Multi-level Perspectives on the New Normal

Covid 19 was a black swan event which led to working from home emerging as the new normal at a global level. As HRM scholars we aim to understand this phenomenon from both an employee and employer perspective, while drawing on the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) which aspire for a fairer and more inclusive world for people and the planet.

At the individual level of analysis there are chapters on conflicts between work and home life, differing levels of motivation, workplace loneliness and the work preferences of introverts and extraverts.

At the organizational level questions are raised about the effects on profitability, organizational resilience, and the ability of organizations to remain innovative. How can employees be managed in terms of mentoring, role modelling and how can they be monitored for purposes of appraisal reviews? Chapters include the romanticization of WFH, a case study of shared leadership in Vienna and WFH amongst start-ups in India.

In this edited book, researchers from the Global North and the Global south answer these questions, while making a seminal contribution to the field of HRM from a work from home perspective. This is an essential read not just for scholars and students of management, but also for those from the domains of psychology and sociology, and also for policy makers. This book has long-term relevance given that recent polls indicate that as a fallout of Covid-19, many employees the world over are showing a preference for a hybrid model of work – partially at the brick-and-mortar office and partially from home.

Payal Kumar is Dean Research & Management Studies, Indian School of Hospitality, India.

Anirudh Agrawal is an Associate Professor, O.P Jindal Global University, India.

Pawan Budhwar is the 50th Anniversary Professor of International HRM and Head of Aston Business School, Birmingham, UK.