INTRODUCTION:

Covid-19 has brought unprecedented human and humanitarian challenges. This has introduced the use of work from home strategy to reimagine how work is done and what role managers and employees should play in creative and bold way in present work culture. Before the pandemic crises, the conventional wisdom had been that managers were critical to their targets; productivity, culture and winning the war of relent. Just after the outburst of covid-19 it was very strange that these technologies were introduced to everyone like VC and telecommunication. Working from home is defined as personnel working from their respective home or from any other location of their choice, rather than working from the office/work place. As asserted by Baruch Y, 2001 and Bussing A, 1998¹ working from home can have free access towards a specific work that too with the lesser interruptions from co-workers in the office.

Some pros of WFH culture can be seen from the study by McKinsey research wherein, 80% of working professionals reported that they enjoy working from home. 41% of personnel state that they are more productive and relaxed as compared to pre pandemic period and 28% of working personnel are productive. Employees felt liberated from long commutes and traveling. Many employees enjoyed greater flexibility in balancing their personal and professional lives, and decided that they prefer to work from home rather than going to the office. There were many organizations who thought that they can use the new talent with zero location constraints like TA and DA as everything was now happening online through VC. Creating an even stronger organizational culture wherein they reduce real-estate costs; electricity bill, rent etc.

This was one side of the coin, few questions that come up in the minds of both employees and the managers are; Will planned and sudden interaction, group discussion collaboration become useless? Has working from home succeeded only because it is viewed as temporary and not as a permanent working culture? Every organization differs from one another similarly it various from country to country and so are the circumstances of every individual employee. Many have enjoyed this new experience of WFH; others are fatigued by it. At times, the same group of people has experienced different emotions and levels of happiness or unhappiness at different times. Many forms of VC (virtual collaboration are working well, on the other hand others are not.

One view entails the idea like ROWE i.e. results- oriented work environment. These companies look exclusively at whether employees are getting their work done and don’t really worry about when or where it is being done; only its quality and volume matters. This brings up the question that whether working from home is productive or working in the office? This also depends on two things i.e. There are few who have lockable doors, better internet and WiFi connections than in the office and do not have the interruptions or endless meetings that some organizations generate. On the other hand, there are few personnel for whom four hours of continuous and focused work is better than eight hours of disturbed work in bits and pieces. Lastly what matters is the fact that how any work is managed by the leader. The office, if managed correctly can provide benefits of teamwork, cross networking, overhearing leads to positive motivation and accessible help etc. It is all about how it is managed not where you are!

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

1. To understand the challenges faced by the managers in managing their team/employees in work from home culture during pandemic.

2. To understand the ethical issues and challenges faced by managers.

3. To suggest strategies that can help managers and support them in a way to manage their employees more effectively from a distance.

THE CHALLENGES FACED BY MANAGERS IN WORK FROM HOME CULTURE

The COVID-19 pandemic has carried numerous new difficulties to our professional and individual day to day lives. Workers around the globe are in an emergency, as organizations are abruptly inaccessible because everything is at done virtually.

Since most of the worldwide working force isn't accustomed to telecommuting and video conferencing, this abrupt change has prompted numerous issues. They are changing their seats to meet their authoritative requirements in the midst of all that is going on around the globe. Up to this point, far off working was considered more to be an advantage or extravagance that organizations gave to address the issues of the representatives and the other way around. Yet, presently, it has become the overwhelming focus in our work culture.

Workers tackling their responsibilities from their homes/ work from home culture have acknowledged the real problem. However, this abrupt move in work culture has carried some new difficulties with it like the problem of isolation, overworking and still the risk of less productivity, presence of various distractions at home, workplace disconnect and disturbed work life balance and less face time.

1. Problem of isolation

You can turn out to be very disconnected telecommuting on the off chance that you invest most of your energy without anyone else, working autonomously. Some distant working environment offer customary group occasions to energize socialization like group work, group discussion and target related team work in which everyone gets the chance to interact and communicate with one another on a daily bases. Working distantly, you will not have similar freedoms to talk eye to eye with colleagues and the local area except if you get making the rounds. You can likewise incorporate more eye to eye cooperation inside online meeting stages to draw in with colleagues. We are aware of the fact that the high-quality social interactions which include peer informal talks are necessary for the peace of mind and physical health (Mogilner, Whillans and Norton, 2018)². Little things like a smile of co-workers, a warm handshake these are another social activities which we know are valuable (e.g., Schroeder et al., 2019)³ with the outburst of Covid-19 all this can no longer be practiced. All this has increased the side effects that include at least some degree of harm to individuals' mental and physical health (Brooks et al., 2020)⁴.

2. Overworking and still the risk of less productivity

Far off work space additionally accompanies the danger of working longer than you ought to (Overworking). This can prompt wear out and expanded business and work related pressure (burnout).

3. Presence of various distractions at home

Interruptions like the TV, kids, pets or family errands can influence how you play out your work. Such a large number of interruptions can prompt a decline in your efficiency and inspiration.

4. Unbalanced equilibrium between work and life

Work from home can offer you the chance to offset your home existence with your work; it can likewise be trying to make an unmistakable partition between your profession and individual life.

Increasing Trust Issues among Managers during Work from Home

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the functioning of organizations in quite a lot of ways. One effect of those disruptions that we all have seen come into sight is that the struggle of managers to steer employees who are out of sight. The sudden transition from having employees physically add the office to remote work has revealed an unsightly truth: Most companies fail in building trusting work relationships. Despite having technological paraphernalia at their disposal, many managers are not comfortable with employees work from home culture. Even when ‘home’ has also become ‘the office’ within the case of employees who work remotely during the pandemic, complaints thrive that managers often attempt to control and monitor workers more closely and frequently than they did before pandemic. This signals a scarcity of trust between managers and employees.

Even though pandemic crises have introduced many technological solutions that are at our disposal, many leaders and managers have felt and still feel very strongly that employees working from home do not work the way they used to work while they used to in office. Also during the pandemic crisis, employees clearly indicated about the negative impact and dubious behavior of their managers. The way their managers treat them since work from home culture has started is worth noticing, it has even impacted their life at home (even when home is the new office). A common challenge faced by the employees are that the managers care more about productivity than the health of their employees; that VC and online meetings are now becoming means to monitor and assess work attitude. When we talk about ethical challenges for any given scenario we tend to be bias in our opinion; like we tend to choose one side of the situation and ascertain that this sort of action is right for this personnel/position. One must consider both the sides of the given scenario. Now, if we talk about the ethical challenges faced during the pandemic crises and work from home culture, we must also acknowledge the plight of the employees. This paper will try to understand and reflect on both; the ethical challenges faced by the employees, and the ethical challenges faced by the managers during the pandemic crisis of WFH culture.

Ethical Challenges of Work from home culture

The term Ethics refers to norms, principals and right conducts governing an individual personnel or any group. Ethical challenges of work from home culture are among the major issues and challenges faced by companies. Due to the sudden outburst of the virus organizations suddenly adopted WFH culture to safeguard their employees. The major issue that has come up with this to almost every organization is that; this facility to the working personnel without providing any training or even information on how this WFH policy can benefit them created immense amount of new issues. One must understand that the work from home culture/ trend is not for everyone i.e. it really requires a lot of dedication; self-control and discipline to understand how working from home functions and how an organization can be benefited with this sort of new culture. It necessitates efforts like; not to get distracted and lose momentum while working etc. Many critics of work from home policy have made few extremely valid arguments as they claim that employees, who work remotely, are ‘actually not working’! (Bloom, 2014)⁵.This argument grows up from the traditional managerial frame of mind which qualms ‘the loss of control’ because this school of thought believes that the productivity of employees can only be measured and evaluated when they are in the direct sight. Otherwise the control will be loose - it is rightly said out of sight, out of mind!

The problem with employees who are offered WFH is that personnel are not aware of the difference between ‘work from home’ and ‘extended vacations’. They try to fit-in their office work in between their home tasks, rather than doing otherwise.

A well known social psychologist Douglas McGregor developed the “Theory of X and Y” in 1960’s. These two contrasting theories (Theory X and Theory Y) are till date valued and often used by managers in various organizations nationwide. The contribution of these two theories has shown great impact on the productivity and growth of various leading organizations. The famous Theory X and Theory Y were first explicated by McGregor in his book, "The Human Side of Enterprise," and they refer to two different styles of management one being the authoritarian (Theory X) and another being the participative (Theory Y). This also reflects a lot about the personal attributes of the working personnel. These Theories also have firm assumptions about human behaviour and human nature. The difference between these two sets of assumptions can be summed up as following:

1. Theory X assumes individuals/ working professionals to be inherently distasteful towards work. Whereas, Theory Y assumes that for human beings work is natural and virtue.

2. Theory X stresses that personnel do not have ambitions and they generally try to avoid responsibilities in taking up any sort of initiative/ jobs. The assumptions under theory Y are just the reverse.

3. According to theory X; most people have little capacity for creativity while according to theory Y, the capacity for creativity is widely distributed in the population.

4. In theory X, motivating factors are the lower needs. In theory Y, higher order needs are more important for motivation, though unsatisfied lower needs are also important.

5. In theory X, people lack self-motivation and require be externally controlling and closely supervising to get maximum output from them. In theory Y, people are self-directed and creative and prefer self-control.

6. Theory X emphasizes scalar chain system and centralization of authority in the organization while theory Y emphasizes decentralization and greater participation in the decision-making process.

7. Theory X emphasizes autocratic leadership; theory Y emphasizes democratic and supportive leadership styles.

The fact that work from home culture is the new normal and it will continues for many years it becomes vital to come up with few corrective measures to control the unethical practices at both ends; at organizational end and at employees end. By introducing and implementing ethical remote workforce monitoring and evaluation measures one can very well do the balancing act. This must also take into consideration the idea of privacy, legalities, consent and fairness. On the other hand, monitoring and evaluation of this sort may be significant not only for the organizational well being but also for the various business reasons. To maintain ethical working conditions in the organizations such as fairness throughout all segments of the workforce few steps has to be taken on time.

Introducing New Skill Set and Strategies:

All the organizations that are ready to develop strategies to create trust between managers and employees will see stronger work relationships. “Urwick’s Theory Z” was the theory which was proponed after the propositions of theories X and Y by McGregor. The three theorists- Lyndall Fowner Urwick (March 3, 1891 - Dec. 1983), Rangnekar and William G. Ouchi (born in 1943) collectively coined the third theory regarded as “Z theory”. This (Urwick's theory Z) can be understood in the following two ways:

Firstly, it states that each individual personnel should definitely know the organizational goals and vision accurately and also the clarity about the amount of contribution and efforts needed towards successfully achieving these desired goals.

Secondly, this theory states that every individual personnel shall be aware of the fact that by successfully achieving the organizational goals will undoubtedly lead to the satisfaction of individual personnel needs. This realization that organizational goals is going to satisfy his/her needs positively will create a trustworthy work environment immaterial of remote working or face- to- face working at office premises.

New Skill Set that must be adopted by the managers is as following Figure 1: Author’s own model.

Figure 1: Author’s own model

1. Effective Communication: Managers must communicate the expectation effectively both publically and privately during WFH culture. Managers must follow the trend of Open door policies and ‘tell me everything’ attitude. Managers must make sure that they receive both good news and bad news related to the working personnel. It is only because of an effective communications managers will be able to encourage the ethical behaviors even from distance through VC and remote working. Communication bridges and even encourages the team spirit among employees. This makes an effective communication an ethical act that every manager must imbibe within themselves. Lack of time and busy schedule of managers which restricts them from communicating with their employees in one form of unethical behavior on manager’s part.

2. Diversity in work: Diversified working environment is always good for the growth and development of both organization and the employees. Such diversified organizations entail both optimistic and pessimistic type of personnel. Some employees are short tempered and few are patient. But managers have to have such skill set to address and work with such diversified personnel.

3. Managing people: Hiring the right person for the right job is another ethical practice which a manager must virtuously practice. Examining the emotional intelligence, academic and past working record of the new personnel is one of the finest and essential work of the manager, if not done properly then a wrong person will be hired for the organization. An ethical manager will not be bias in her/his opinion and would also beyond all the prejudices. Every human is different and so is the manager, one must make sure that different managing practices is used for different personnel. Disciplining employees shall be the foremost thing to be done by any manager postponing this will lead to a weak foundation. Many managers ignore the shortcoming of the personnel with a hope that situational learning will work, but discipline is necessary both to improve the productivity and growth of the organization and also to tone up the organizational climate.

Virtual productivity for both employees and management: Don’t let pandemic halt you!

During the new work from home culture what becomes more important is practicing POSDCORB effectively. POSDCORB is the systematic framework in ensuring that there is maximum output, minimum wastage and higher margins in any organization. Now, due to the pandemic and new work culture POSDCORB becomes one such method in management where workforce and employees can be managed in a way which would be beneficial for the organization. This will help managers to break down the work into multiple processes and help in getting maximum value out to each employee. These steps and stages will help to deliver to the needs of an organization.

Figure 2: Chain of POSDCORB: Model for WFH culture

Figure 2: Author’s own model

If each the worker and therefore the manager place the thoughts in a very structure then operating are going to be productive. The technique is POSDCORB that might facilitate during this time of crises wherever each workers and manager area unit troubled to search out that means from their work. Adapting POSDCORB can balance work home and skilled work effectively.

POSDCORB may be a form that includes; Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting.

1 Planning: Planning should be the primary and foremost factor that has to are available in the mind of manager and workers, as a result of once your day is planned with an inventory of activities you wish to accomplish in conjunction with the highest goals for the day and realize the specified means that to realize them then WFH culture are going to be each moral and productive. Coming up with “what, once and how” can produce discipline for self and also around you at home and work.

2. Organizing: Organizing is that the best thanks to balance after you area unit reception also as functioning from home at identical time. One must gather all the specified resources to realize the goals you have got planned for job work also as for home.

3. Staffing: Listen to key members at work or reception UN agency can assist you reach your goals ethically. It's crucial to spot the proper task to the proper individuals and their attributes (knowledge, skills, and abilities) so as to satisfy your objectives. Staffing also will embody checking on the emotional well-being, being ethically right and issues because of this state of affairs of pandemic crises.

4. Directing: Throughout pandemic crises, leading becomes necessary. Whereas one is coming up with, organizing the activities, one should conjointly direct all the actions towards your final goal. Each workers and manager should wear a multiple hats of a mentor, motivator, a friend, a guide, a counsellor and as an educator.

5. Coordination: A lot of throughout work from home culture and even in traditional times coordinating is that the key component. A roaring coordination saves loads of your time as you're the sole one UN agency must take hold and coordinate. One should guarantee a careful and moral coordination. Connecting the dots of the many workarounds expeditiously can facilitate in productivity.

6. Coverage: Reporting is that the most forgotten facet by everyone. One should modify and organize mutual coverage. Writing down all the activities throughout the day and finish along with your learning and feeling because it may be a renowned technique that shall completely boost the productivity, growth and plans for the long run. By coverage one should make certain that relations also as skilled members area unit well conversant which can raise their morale and enhance relationships at each the ends; personal and skilled.

7. Budgeting: During this time of unpredictable and sophisticated scenario one should watch out of the budgeting. Everybody should create associate degree moral budgeting set up and be disciplined concerning all the matters of cash and expenses. The probabilities of moving into a giant downside can increase if you are doing not balance your expenses along with your financial gain. One ought to monitor and sink deeper into your money standing and find clarity on prioritizing your want and probable live to specialize in the savings that area unit vital to you particularly in such an endemic scenario we tend to area unit in.

CONCLUSION:

Employees and employers should settle for work from home and accept it as the new normal. Conjointly the work boundaries should be restructured, reset and redefined. Expecting from workers to supply deliverables throughout hard and fast hours whereas functioning from home wants creative thinking on manager’s part, and this can be after we ought to introduce new skill set that may watch out of productivity in organization. Management, police work shall be done rigorously. Management should not be dominant and authoritarian. Implementing the aforementioned 3 skills set in conjunction with POSDCORB technique throughout work from home culture managers and workers each are often ethically productive for his or her lives and organization as a whole. This pandemic (covid-19) is teaching all of us lots of things and let all people take this point of adversity as a chance and note that balancing is the key to everything we tend to do these days. Thus allow us to be ethically right in no matter what we tend to do.

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Received on 11.09.2021 Modified on 17.11.2021

Asian Journal of Management. 2022;13(1):94-100.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5763.2022.00017