Effect Of Remote Working on Employee Wellbeing: A Study of Stress in SME Workers During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Covid -19 forced many countries to impose lockdowns with varying degrees of restrictions. Several organizations were forced to shift to remote working in a matter of days. This sudden shift to remote working, something for which most organizations and their workforce were mentally unprepared for, caused a lot of stress among employees. Along with this, other factors like prevailing economic and health uncertainty made the matters worse.  In this study spanning over six months, the authors studied the effects of Covid -19 forced remote working on the emotional wellbeing of a group of 83 employees working in small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) in India. This group of employees moved to completely working remote due to restrictions put in place after Covid -19. The effect of this move on their emotional wellbeing is studied and comparisons are drawn between pre and post pandemic scenarios. The measurement is done using standard psychometric questionnaires which have been found to be valid and reliable. Data analysis is done using SPSS software. The findings of this study will be useful not only for the HR managers, but also for the leaders who wish to understand the effect on Covid-19 on employee wellbeing. The outcomes of the study will be useful for designing the hybrid workplaces of tomorrow.