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Abstract

Using two surveys, this article examines employee opinions on working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020 we chronicled the experience and reactions of 478 managers and professionals to the mandate they work at home. We found that a large portion of the respondents felt no significant loss in productivity and no reduction in job satisfaction. Most of the challenges they faced had involved efforts required to establish a facilitating home working environment and disruptions in the ease of collaboration with others. The opportunities overwhelmingly focused on the benefits of having more time to rebalance their work and home life coupled with enhanced autonomy. Eighty percent of the respondents feel that their organizations should continue to offer the work at home alternative and 50% of our sample prefer to return to the workplace. In a second survey in March 2021, 178 managers and professionals responded to questions regarding their fears about returning to work. Not only did many fear the consequences of catching the virus for themselves and their loved ones but the impact on their career, mistrust of management’s ability to ensure safety in the workplace, and the price they may have to pay for their career aspirations were important issues. We conclude that this growth/achievement-oriented segment of the working population have been significantly humanized by their Covid experience and that a hybrid working model, appropriately designed, could offer important psychological benefits that would be mutually beneficial to the individual and the organization.

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