FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS AND COVID-19: ANALYZING ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSE MECHANISMS, EMPLOYEE SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND FUTURE INTENTIONS OF ORGANIZATIONS.

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a global emergency crisis. It has become a challenge for the organization to mitigate the adverse effect of the pandemic on the subjective well-being (SWB) of workers. Although organizations have adopted flexible work arrangements (FWAs) to keep their workers and business safe. However, the problem is that sometimes organizations fail to choose appropriate FWA options, as they are not able to draw out the merits and demerits of certain FWAs before implementing them. Therefore, this research aims to examine the mechanisms that have been employed by organizations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and their influence on employee SWB. This research is also intended to explore the direction in which organizations plan to continue in the post-pandemic era. To collect the data this research adopted an interpretive research philosophy, and it was based upon a qualitative and inductive research approach. Thirty-nine interviews were conducted in person. The results suggested that most of the organizations adopted FWAs as a response mechanism to keep their workers safe and for the survival of their businesses, which proved to be a custodian of worker SWB. Furthermore, findings have also revealed the paradoxical nature of FWAs and pointed out that organizations now intend to continue these practices after realizing their associated benefits. However, this research holds some limitations as well. This research was conducted when Covid-19 protocols were still being followed in most organizations. Hence the findings might not be a strong indicator of the consequences of FWAs under normal circumstances. Therefore, future research should be conducted when the pandemic subsides. Furthermore, the long-term effect of the continuance of FWAs also needs to be studied. This research has indicated various factors that could overcome the associated demerits of FWAs. This would help practitioners to reduce the demerits of FWAs and to cherish the benefits of FWAs to the fullest. This study will guide practitioners about the need to revise their traditional workplace policies to follow the increasing trend toward a flexible workplace. Employers will be better able to realize the significance and shortcomings of certain types of FWAs, which will help them in deciding an appropriate type of FWAs suitable to their work settings. Moreover, this research has also contributed to the literature by providing insight into the paradoxical nature of FWAs and has also provided new insight into FWAs as a crisis management tool and a custodian of employee SWB.