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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.10
Publication Date: October 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.710.9166.
Moovala, V. (2020). Challenges and Benefits of ‘Work from Home’ for employees in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 7(10) 269-279.
Challenges and Benefits of ‘Work from Home’ for Employees in the
Kingdom of Bahrain
Dr. Vijayalaxmi Moovala
Centre of Leadership & Management,
Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance, Kingdom of Bahrain
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 ushered in a range of strategic, structural, and operational
changes in organisations. Significant among these changes being the
work from home (WFH) arrangement. The main aim of this study was to
identify the challenges and benefits that the WFH arrangement brought
in its wake, for employees in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The similarities
and differences in the challenges faced, and benefits reaped by different
demographic segments of respondents, namely; male and female,
managers and non-managers, and the four generations [Baby-boomers,
Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z] were examined. The study revealed that
the major challenges faced by respondents of these segments were
receiving work requests from managers and colleagues after scheduled
work hours and/or at their convenience, keeping a regular schedule,
keeping family members away from workspace- especially during
virtual meetings, not having access to the tools or information needed
for the job, not having workspace/workstation at home, and
communication with colleagues being hard. The major benefits listed
were saving commute time, flexible working, work life balance, personal
and family care, and more focus. The general preference of majority of
the respondents was to continue with WFH arrangement - half the time
in the future. The findings of this study threw light on the need for
organisations to formulate policies for overcoming the challenges faced
by respondents during WFH. This would result in better productivity
and contribute to the employees’ well-being.
Keywords: Work from home, challenges, benefits, gender, position,
generation, correlation.
INTRODUCTION
COVOD-19 has propelled the world into a new arena, and the corporate world into a whole different
place. The key factors impacted due to COVID-19, were not only the survival, sustainability, and
profitability of businesses, but also the structure and systems in organisations. The major change
that happened worldwide was the work from home (WFH) arrangement, which was a novel concept
to many employees and most organisations. Organisations were in different stages of preparedness
for WFH, and employees were in different frames of mind to WFH. The WFH concept is still evolving
and has not reached its fruition even after 4-6 months of its wide implementation. As WFH
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 9, September-2020
arrangements may continue in some form even after the COVID-19, it is imperative for
organisations to overcome its disadvantages and leverage its advantages.
Aim and Scope of the Study
The main aim of this study was to examine the challenges and benefits of WFH, and the preference
of employees for WFH in the future. The focus was to identify the differences and similarities in the
challenges faced, benefits reaped, and future preferences; between male and female respondents,
managers and non-managers, and among respondents belonging to the four generations currently
working in organisations; namely, Baby-boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z [1]. The study was
conducted during July/August 2020 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and its scope did not include
industry-wise and job/function/specialty-wise analyses.
METHODOLOGY
The data for this study was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary
sources included employees drawn from various organisations and sectors in the Kingdom of
Bahrain. Published articles, journals, books, and websites on the topic were accessed as part of the
secondary sources. A convenience sample of 250 employees was selected for the purpose of this
study. ‘Convenience sampling is as a method adopted by researchers where they collect market
research data from a conveniently available pool of respondents. It is the most commonly used
sampling technique as it is incredibly prompt, uncomplicated, and economical. In many cases,
members are readily approachable to be a part of the sample’ [2].
An online survey tool was used for primary data collection. A questionnaire consisting mainly of
multiple choice questions, and statements with check boxes, pertaining to the challenges and
benefits of WFH, was administered. Challenges faced during WFH, which covered fourteen areas of
work and life, and prominent benefits of WFH were listed in the questionnaire. The online
questionnaire link was emailed to the respondents. The response rate to the survey was 84%. All
responses to the questionnaire were collated and analysed under three demographic segments,
namely; gender, position and generation, which were represented in varying percentages in the
distribution of responses. The data analyses was supported with info-graphs, percentages, and the
findings were statistically analysed to obtain better interpretations of the input, and to draw
meaningful conclusions.
WORK FROM HOME
“The economic and social shock presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to reshape
perceptions of individuals and organizations about work and occupations and result in both micro
and macro shifts in the world of work. The focus is on three occupationally-related domains that
may be impacted by the pandemic. First, perceptions of the value and status of different occupations
may change, resulting in both changes of occupational supply and demand (macro changes) and
changes in the perceived calling and meaningfulness of different occupations (micro changes).
Second, the great “work from home experiment” may change occupational perspectives on working
from home. Organizations and researchers may be able to better understand which occupational
and individual characteristics are associated with work-from-home effectiveness and better
designate occupational groups and individuals to working (or not working) from home. Third, the
increased segmentation of the labor market which allocate workers to “good jobs” and “bad jobs”
and the contribution of occupational segmentation to inequality” [3].
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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.710.9166 271
Moovala, V. (2020). Challenges and Benefits of ‘Work from Home’ for employees in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal,
7(10) 269-279.
“Working from home (WFH) is a situation where employees perform work tasks remotely (from
their home) instead of being physically present in a company office building. WFH is also called
telecommuting or remote working. Employees that work from home are often referred to as a
virtual workforce. These are actually specific types of WFH scenarios. In a WFH setup, the employee
typically has a dedicated home office workspace equipped with a computer. There are many reasons
why companies may be having their employees work from home, ranging from participating in
after-hours meetings with global clients/team members to accessing a distributed workforce to
supporting company operations during a crisis. Employees that work from home often report
higher company loyalty, job satisfaction, and morale because they are better positioned to maintain
a healthy work/life balance” [4].
“The work-from-home job force just got a big push from the current global coronavirus pandemic.
But even before COVID-19 became a factor, increasing numbers of people have been saying goodbye
to their onerous commute to work. Thanks to ever-evolving technologies, it's no longer necessary
to be in an office full-time to be a productive member of the team. In fact, many kinds of work can
be done just as effectively, if not more so, from a home office. As appealing as remote work is to
employees, it wouldn’t be such a strong trend if employers didn’t also recognize benefits from their
side of the desk. Also, in the event of a natural or manmade disaster, a distributed workforce is in a
better position to keep operations running, even if some of the group goes offline. The key
takeaways:
• For employers, working from home can boost productivity, reduce turnover, and lower
organizational costs, while employees enjoy perks like flexibility and the lack of a commute.
• To work effectively from home, employees need to make sure they have the technology they
require, a separate workspace, Internet service that meets their need, a workable schedule
they can stick to, and ways to connect with others” [5].
“Since the majority of the global workforce is not used to working from home, this sudden change
has led to many problems. They are adjusting their seats to meet their organisational needs amidst
everything that is happening around the world. Until now, remote working was seen more as a perk
or luxury that companies provided to meet the needs of the employees and vice versa. But now, it
has taken centre stage in our work culture. Nothing much has changed in terms of work (for those
whom work from home is feasible). Employees doing their jobs from their homes have accepted the
realities. But this sudden shift in work culture has brought some new challenges with it like: 1. Flow
of communication, 2. Distractions at work, 3. Lack of motivation, 4. Technology hiccups, 5. Work- life balance” [6].
“Whether you’re an employer already familiar with managing a work-from-home workforce or your
company is just diving into the waters of working remotely, the need to consider work from home
best practices has never been more apparent. Especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic,
employers should be doing everything they can to keep their employees working if there is enough
work to do—and that means putting on “creative thinking caps” about appropriate work from home
arrangements. Even if companies haven’t previously considered this as an option for every role in
the organization, they should be considering it across the board now” [7].