Why Coffee Machine Chats and Laundry Time Matter: Investigating Opportunities and Challenges of Different Work Arrangements
(2023) MGTN59 20231Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- The subject of this thesis is based on a qualitative research study to examine the opportunities and challenges of the three work arrangements, physical in-office work, hybrid work, and remote work, as perceived by employees. Additionally, the perceived impact of those work arrangements on work-life interdependency is explored. As researchers, we have little prior knowledge about how employees perceive different work arrangements and aim for an improved understanding. Studies have shown that different work arrangements pose opportunities and challenges, as discussed in Chapter 2. However, the way employees perceive different work arrangements and the effects on their work-life interdependency remain less understood. We identified a gap in... (More)
- The subject of this thesis is based on a qualitative research study to examine the opportunities and challenges of the three work arrangements, physical in-office work, hybrid work, and remote work, as perceived by employees. Additionally, the perceived impact of those work arrangements on work-life interdependency is explored. As researchers, we have little prior knowledge about how employees perceive different work arrangements and aim for an improved understanding. Studies have shown that different work arrangements pose opportunities and challenges, as discussed in Chapter 2. However, the way employees perceive different work arrangements and the effects on their work-life interdependency remain less understood. We identified a gap in research that we aim to fill. Our findings will be valuable to employees and employers, delivering a connecting point for further research and potentially uncovering practical solutions.
The literature reviews deals with the different work arrangements and provides a theoretical base for our empirical part. It further points out the controversial nature of the topic. The data was collected by conducting seven focus group interviews involving five employees from distinct companies based in Denmark, Germany, Iceland, and Sweden. The study’s findings suggest that employees perceive different opportunities and challenges when experiencing different work arrangements. Additionally, the findings emphasise that the employees’ perception depends on the employees’ situation. What is perceived as an opportunity for one employee can be perceived as a challenge by another. Further, we are aware of differences specific to the industry, company size, and culture. Still, we identified some common themes and patterns among the employees across the different companies and further gained additional insights into the managerial perspective.
With this study, we believe we can provide insights into employees’ opportunities and challenges with different work arrangements and their preferences, leading to further research on the field and practical insights for organisations.
Based on our findings, this paper has the title “Why Coffee Machine Chats and Laundry Time Matter”, referring to some of the most frequently mentioned opportunities of different work arrangements; coffee machine chats symbolising spontaneous personal interaction when working physically in the office and laundry time symbolising the increased integration of non-work-related tasks into the workday. However, this depiction is simplified and only focuses on some aspects explored in this paper. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9129127
- author
- Olender, Natalia LU and Römer, Larissa Sophie LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MGTN59 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Opportunities, Challenges, Work-life Interdependency, Work Arrangements, Physical In-office Work, Hybrid Work, Remote Work, Employees, Employers
- language
- English
- id
- 9129127
- date added to LUP
- 2023-08-14 10:17:43
- date last changed
- 2023-08-14 10:17:43
@misc{9129127,
abstract = {{The subject of this thesis is based on a qualitative research study to examine the opportunities and challenges of the three work arrangements, physical in-office work, hybrid work, and remote work, as perceived by employees. Additionally, the perceived impact of those work arrangements on work-life interdependency is explored. As researchers, we have little prior knowledge about how employees perceive different work arrangements and aim for an improved understanding. Studies have shown that different work arrangements pose opportunities and challenges, as discussed in Chapter 2. However, the way employees perceive different work arrangements and the effects on their work-life interdependency remain less understood. We identified a gap in research that we aim to fill. Our findings will be valuable to employees and employers, delivering a connecting point for further research and potentially uncovering practical solutions.
The literature reviews deals with the different work arrangements and provides a theoretical base for our empirical part. It further points out the controversial nature of the topic. The data was collected by conducting seven focus group interviews involving five employees from distinct companies based in Denmark, Germany, Iceland, and Sweden. The study’s findings suggest that employees perceive different opportunities and challenges when experiencing different work arrangements. Additionally, the findings emphasise that the employees’ perception depends on the employees’ situation. What is perceived as an opportunity for one employee can be perceived as a challenge by another. Further, we are aware of differences specific to the industry, company size, and culture. Still, we identified some common themes and patterns among the employees across the different companies and further gained additional insights into the managerial perspective.
With this study, we believe we can provide insights into employees’ opportunities and challenges with different work arrangements and their preferences, leading to further research on the field and practical insights for organisations.
Based on our findings, this paper has the title “Why Coffee Machine Chats and Laundry Time Matter”, referring to some of the most frequently mentioned opportunities of different work arrangements; coffee machine chats symbolising spontaneous personal interaction when working physically in the office and laundry time symbolising the increased integration of non-work-related tasks into the workday. However, this depiction is simplified and only focuses on some aspects explored in this paper.}},
author = {{Olender, Natalia and Römer, Larissa Sophie}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Why Coffee Machine Chats and Laundry Time Matter: Investigating Opportunities and Challenges of Different Work Arrangements}},
year = {{2023}},
}