Abstract:

Virtual organisations have progressively pervaded the world where groups of workers implement boundaryless, concurrent, and cooperative job processes outside physical job environments. This is made possible by internet accessibility; and information, communication, and technology (ICT) which organises and integrates employees’ abilities and assets for the sole purpose of achieving the overall organisational goal. Virtual jobs offer fresh management problems in comparison to conventional in-person job habits. Human resource specialists reveal that various managers suffered from deficient capabilities and power during COVID-19 lockdown in comparison to conventional working environment management. A meta-evaluative research was conducted in order to conceptualize an evidence-based synopsis on virtual administration of remote-working employees and propose an applicable conceptual framework. The research utilised sixteen peer-reviewed published articles on management of virtual remote-working employees between 2020 and 2023. The results were able to systematically demonstrate remote working procedures of diverse organizations facilitated by virtual processes and technologies, and strategic human resources management model as well as collaborative methodologies that empowered the peculiar COVID-19 virtual workspaces. Communication, information technology and managerial proficiencies are paramount for managers of employees in such settings. Consequently, a conceptual framework for management of remote-working employees have been designed containing managerial expertise, trainings, ICT and environmental components. Managers are required to have the necessary abilities required to anticipate diverse circumstances and to prepare beforehand activities that counter likely contradictions and disputes. Virtual remote-working groups deliver great prospects; thus, managers should aim to capitalise on its benefits while seeking to minimise its drawbacks.

References:

[1] Carroll, J. M., & Wang, J. (2011). Designing Effective Virtual Organizations as Sociotechnical Systems. 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Kauai, HI, USA, 4-7 January. USA, HICSS, 1-10.

[2] Törmänen, M. (2017). Virtual Teams: Considerations, Advantages and Disadvantages [master’s Thesis, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland]. https://lutpub.lut.fi/handle/10024/135203.

[3] Lee-Kelley, L., & Sankey, T. L. (2008). Global Virtual Teams for Value Creation and Project Success: A Case Study. International Journal of Project Management, 26(1), pp.51-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ijproman.2007.08.010.

[4] Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2015). How Effective is Telecommuting? Assessing The Status of Our Scientific Findings. Psychological Science in The Public Interest, 16(2), 40-68. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615593273.

[5] Wang, B., Liu, Y., Qian, J. & Parker, S. K. (2020). Achieving Effective Remote Working During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Work Design Perspective. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 0(0), 1-44. doi:10.1111/apps.12290.

[6] Eurofound (2020). Living, Working and COVID-19, COVID-19 Series. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

[7] Ceurstemont, S. (2020, 01 September). Teleworking is Here to Stay – Here’s What It Means for The Future of Work. https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/teleworking-here-stay-heres-what-it-means-future-work

[8] Galanti, T., Guidetti, G., Mazzei, E., Zappalà, S., & Toscano, F. (2021). Work From Home During The COVID-19 Outbreak: The Impact on Employees’ Remote Work Productivity, Engagement, and Stress. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63(7), e426-e432. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002236.

[9] Storey, J., Wright, P. M., & Ulrich, D. (2019). Strategic Human Resource Management: A Research Overview (1^st edn). Routledge.

[10] Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (13th ed). KoganPage.

[11] Zigurs, I. (2003). Leadership In Virtual Teams: Oxymoron or Opportunity? Organizational Dynamics, 31(4), 339-351. doi: 10.1016/S0090-2616(02)00132-8.

[12] Bisbe, J., & Sivabalan, P. (2017). Management Control and Trust in Virtual Settings: A Case Study of a Virtual New Product Development Team. Management Accounting Research, 37, 12-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2017.02.001.

[13] Karoui, M., Güerkan, A., & Dudezert, A. (2010). Virtual Team Collaboration: A Review of Literature and Perspectives. 16th Americas Conference on Information Systems. Lima, Peru, 12-15 August. Peru, pp.1-14.

[14] Nobari, A. R., Seyedjavadin, S. R., Roshandel Arbatani, T., & Rahnamay Roodposhti, F. (2018). Environmental Concerns and Green Human Resource Management: A Meta-Synthesis. Iranian Journal of Plant Physiology, 8(4), 2573-2576.

[15] Lazazzara, A., Tims, M., & De Gennaro, D. (2020). The Process of Reinventing a Job: A Meta–Synthesis of Qualitative Job Crafting Research. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 116(Part B), Article 103267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.01.001.

[16] Hoon, C. (2013). Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Case Studies: An Approach to Theory Building. Organizational Research Methods, 16(4), 522-556. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484319828865.

[17] Garavan, T. N., McCarthy, A., & Carbery, R. (2019). An Ecosystems Perspective on International Human Resource Development: A Meta-Synthesis of the Literature. Human Resource Development Review, 18(2), 248–288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484319828865.

[18] Pigott, T. D., & Polanin, J. R. (2020). Methodological Guidance Paper: High-Quality Meta-Analysis in a Systematic Review. Review of Educational Research, 90(1), 24-46. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319877153.

[19] Andrade, C. (2021). The Inconvenient Truth About Convenience and Purposive Samples. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 43(1), 86-88. Doi: 10.1177/0253717620977000.

[20] Vehovar, V., Toepoel, V., & Steinmetz, S. (2016). Non-probability Sampling. In Wolf, C., Joye, D., Smith, T.W., & Fu, Y. (Eds) The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology (pp. 327-343). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957893.

[21] Patino, C. M., & Ferreira, J. C. (2018). Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria in Research Studies: Definitions and Why They Matter. Journal Brasileiro De Pneumologia : Publicacao Oficial Da Sociedade Brasileira De Pneumologia E Tisilogia, 44(2), 84. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1806-37562018000000088.

[22] Kepes, S., Banks, G. C., McDaniel, M., & Whetzel, D. L. (2012). Publication Bias in the Organizational Sciences. Organizational Research Methods, 15(4), 624–662. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428112452760.

[23] Tanpipat, W., Lim, H.W., & Deng, X. (2021). Implementing Remote Working Policy in Corporate Offices in Thailand: Strategic Facility Management Perspective. Sustainability, 13, 1284. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031284.

[24] Daniels, R.A., Miller, L.A., Mian, M.Z., & Black S. (2022) One Size Does NOT Fit All: Understanding Differences in Perceived Organizational Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Business and Society Review, 127 (Suppl 1), 193-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/basr.12256.

[25] Pasquel Cajas, A. F., Cajas Bravo, V. T., & Dávila Morán, R. C. (2023). Remote Work in Peru During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Administrative Sciences, 13(2) 58, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3390/ADMSCI13020058.

[26] Amano, H., Fukuda, Y., Shibuya, K., Ozaki, A., & Tabuchi, T. (2021). Factors Associated with The Work Engagement of Employees Working from Home During The COVID-19 Pandemic In Japan. Int. J. Environ. RES. Public Health, 18 (19), 10495. https://doi.org/103390/ijerph181910495.

[27] Toscano, F., & Salvatore, Z. (2020). Social Isolation and Stress as Predictors of Productivity Perceptions and Remote Work Satisfaction During The COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Concern About the Virus in A Moderated Double Mediation. Sustainability, 12(23), 9804. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239804.

[28] Raišienė, A. G., Rapuano, V., Varkulevičiūtė, K., & Stachová, K. (2020). Working From Home – Who is Happy? A Survey of Lithuania’s Employees During the COVID-19 Quarantine Period. Sustainability, 12(13), 5332. https://doi.org/10.339/su12135332.

[29] Chu, AMY., Chan, TWC., & So, MKP. (2022). Learning From Work-From-Home Issues During The COVID-19 Pandemic: Balance Speaks Louder Than Words. PLOS ONE, 17(1), e0261969. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261969.

[30] Matli, W. (2020). The Changing Work Landscape as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Remote Workers Life Situations in South Africa. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 40(9/10), 1237-1256. Doi: 10.1108/IJSSP-08-2020-0386.

[31] Elsafty, A. S., & Ragheb, M. (2020). The Role of Human Resource Management Towards Employees Retention During COVID-19 Pandemic in Medical Supplies Sector – Egypt. Business and Management Studies, 6(2), 50-59. https://doi.org/10.11114/bms.v6i2.4899.

[32] Akinnubi, O. P. (2021) Assessment of Human Resource Management During COVID-19 Pandemic in Private Universities in Kwara State, Nigeria. Skyline Business Journal, 17(2), 33-43. https://doi.org/10.37383/SB1170203.

[33] Minbaeva, D.B., & Navrbierg, S.E. (2023). Strategic Human Resource Management in The Context of Environmental Crises: A COVID-19 Test. Human Resource Management, 2023, 1-22. Doi: 10.1002/hrm.22162.

[34] Adisa, T. A., Antonacopoulou, E., Beauregard, T. A., Dickmann, M., & Adekoya, O. D. (2022). Exploring The Impact of COVID-19 on Employees’ Boundary Management and Work-Life-Balance. British Journal of Management, 33, 1694-1709. Doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.12643.

[35] Agarwal, P. (2021). Shattered but Smiling: Human Resource Management and the Wellbeing of Hotel Employees During COVID-19. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 93, 102765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102765.

[36] Messabia, N., Fomi, P. R., & Koli, C. (2022). Managing Restaurants During The COVID-19 Crisis: Innovating to Survive and Prosper. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 7(4) 100234, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2022.100234.

[37] Branicki, L., Kalfa, S., & Brammer, S. (2022). Surviving COVID-19: The Role of Human Resource Managers in Shaping Organizational Responses to Societal Paradox. British Journal of Management, 33, 410-434. Doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.12570.

[38] Nutsubidze & Schmidt (2021). Rethinking The Role of HRM During COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Case of Kuwait. Review of Socio-Economic Perspective, 6(1),1-12. https://doi.org/10.19275/RSEP103.

[39] Parker, S.K., Knight, C., & Keller, A. (2020, 30 July). Remote Managers Are Having Trust Issue. https://hbr.org/2020/07/remote-managers-are-having-trust-issues.

[40] Savage, M. (2021, 13 September). What Bosses Really Think About Remote Work. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210908-what-bosses-really-think-about-remote-work.