The workplace of the future. The COVID-19 pandemic and working from home in Swiss small businesses
Autor:in (Körperschaft)
Publikationsdatum
2024
Typ der Arbeit
Studiengang
Sammlung
Typ
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Herausgeber:innen
Herausgeber:in (Körperschaft)
Betreuer:in
Übergeordnetes Werk
Journal of Strategy and Management
Themenheft
DOI der Originalpublikation
Link
Reihe / Serie
Reihennummer
Jahrgang / Band
17
Ausgabe / Nummer
4
Seiten / Dauer
Patentnummer
Verlag / Herausgebende Institution
Emerald
Verlagsort / Veranstaltungsort
Bingley
Auflage
Version
Programmiersprache
Abtretungsempfänger:in
Praxispartner:in/Auftraggeber:in
Zusammenfassung
Abstract
Purpose
Micro and small enterprises (MSE) play a critical role in the Swiss economy but had no meaningfully adopted working from home (WFH) policy before the COVID-19 crisis. The timing of the study’s data collection allowed a unique assessment of Swiss MSEs’ adoption of WFH enabled by the adoption of digital technologies due to the first government-mandated COVID-19 lockdown. The study also set out to assess the permanence of any changes in the adoption of WFH by MSEs after initial government COVID-19 restrictions ended.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a threefold theoretical framework combining social, technical and spatial dimensions. Data were collected via telephone interviews. The utilised sampling frame included 153,000 small businesses with 4–49 employees, and the realised sample for the study was 503 interviews with MSE owners and managing directors (MDs).
Findings
The Swiss government’s COVID-19 crisis lockdown policies accelerated the digital transformation of work by employees in Swiss MSEs by increasing the number of employees WFH. However, the number of MSEs with WFH employees decreased after the first lockdown ended. Small business leadership is an important influence on the persistence of any increases in WFH.
Originality/value
The data collection uniquely captures the effects of externally driven digital transformation of work in small businesses by the adoption of WFH. The findings show that small businesses can rapidly learn new ways of working and support the claim that Swiss MSE MDs play a critical role in the adoption of WFH. They also confirm the importance of digital leadership and culture for realising the potential of WFH in small businesses.
Schlagwörter
Fachgebiet (DDC)
658 - General Management
004 - Computer Wissenschaften, Internet
004 - Computer Wissenschaften, Internet
Veranstaltung
Startdatum der Ausstellung
Enddatum der Ausstellung
Startdatum der Konferenz
Enddatum der Konferenz
Datum der letzten Prüfung
ISBN
ISSN
1755-425X
Sprache
Englisch
Während FHNW Zugehörigkeit erstellt
Ja
Zukunftsfelder FHNW
Publikationsstatus
Veröffentlicht
Begutachtung
Peer-Review der ganzen Publikation
Open Access-Status
Hybrid
Lizenz
Zitation
PETER, Marc K., Lucia WÜRSCH, Alain NEHER, Johan Paul LINDEQUE und Karin MÄNDLI LERCH, 2024. The workplace of the future. The COVID-19 pandemic and working from home in Swiss small businesses. Journal of Strategy and Management. 2024. Bd. 17, Nr. 4. DOI 10.1108/JSMA-09-2023-0248. Verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.26041/fhnw-11011