Wheatley, Daniel 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6753-2867, Broome, Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6963-8884, Dobbins, Tony ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4159-5218, Hopkins, Benjamin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7319-5249 and Powell, Owen H. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6229-9912
(2023)
Navigating Choppy Water: Flexibility Ripple Effects in the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Remote and Hybrid Working.
Work, Employment and Society.
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Text
wheatley-et-al-2023-navigating-choppy-water-flexibility-ripple-effects-in-the-covid-19-pandemic-and-the-future-of.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. | Preview |
Abstract
<jats:p> This article investigates the challenges of navigating the adoption of remote and hybrid working for large organizations with diverse functions. Focus groups with employees of the UK business of a multinational organization identify conceptual contributions to the sociology of work and employment and empirical findings in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that inform future policy and practice. Location-based flexible working has a potential unintended ‘ripple’ effect wherein application of individual-level flexibility has wider-reaching consequences throughout the organization. Findings emphasize that organizations need to recognize and respond to new realities of location-based flexibility. Management must navigate potential ‘ripples’ in the development of flexible working policies and practice, shaped by various tensions, including an overarching autonomy–control paradox. This requires a coordinated approach centred on ‘inclusive flexibility’ and ‘responsible autonomy’ that involves moving away from one-size-fits-all strategies towards a tailored approach offering employees choice, agency and voice in decision-making, while accommodating different stakeholder needs. </jats:p>
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Status: | Published |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170231195230 |
| School/Department: | York Business School |
| URI: | https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/8692 |
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