Telework in a client company: The cornerstones of successful telework
Rundberg, Janika (2020)
Rundberg, Janika
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020052212963
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020052212963
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis is to study how telework functions in a client company. Telework is spreading in the society constantly, and it is important for companies and their competitiveness to offer opportunities to telework for employees in the industries where teleworking is possible. Telework is having an impact in many industries, including finance and healthcare.
This thesis reports on the current state of teleworking at a large financial services company (referred to as the client company) operating in Finland, the Nordic region, and beyond. A single operating unit of this company was selected for an employee survey. This unit is involved in customer service. In the company, teleworking has been increasing within the last few years and it is still growing. The process is still moving forward, as the opportunities for telecommuting increased dramatically last year. Formerly, most of the workers are allowed to work from home a maximum of two days per week. Covid-19 forced nearly everyone to work from home full-time.
In the theory part of the thesis the main concepts of telework will be introduced. Trust has been given its own section too, as it is the base of telecommuting. When the manager and the workers are not working under the same roof, it is more challenging for managers to follow the performance of the worker, and for workers to earn managers trust. Telework also creates challenges to communication, as most of the communication happens virtually. When the communication is only text, excluding the facial expressions, tone of voice and other physical matters, the chance of misunderstanding grows. Different platforms and tools for teleworking are included in the survey.
The theory of the thesis is based on previous studies about telework and its requirements. The framework of the thesis is based on Kowalski and Swanson’s (2005) literature based review about the success factors of teleworking: support, communication and trust. Many other studies are introduced as well, indicating similar factors.
The research for teleworking cornerstones was conducted as quantitative research for a single operating unit of the client company. A survey was sent to all the 133 workers of this specific unit and more than 90 of them replied to it in April 2020.The research was planned around the theory of the thesis, to receive information about what different issues contribute to virtual leading and its success. The research indicated that the employees are quite satisfied with the current situation. Some development ideas did arise, for example clearer instructions and IT readiness.
This thesis reports on the current state of teleworking at a large financial services company (referred to as the client company) operating in Finland, the Nordic region, and beyond. A single operating unit of this company was selected for an employee survey. This unit is involved in customer service. In the company, teleworking has been increasing within the last few years and it is still growing. The process is still moving forward, as the opportunities for telecommuting increased dramatically last year. Formerly, most of the workers are allowed to work from home a maximum of two days per week. Covid-19 forced nearly everyone to work from home full-time.
In the theory part of the thesis the main concepts of telework will be introduced. Trust has been given its own section too, as it is the base of telecommuting. When the manager and the workers are not working under the same roof, it is more challenging for managers to follow the performance of the worker, and for workers to earn managers trust. Telework also creates challenges to communication, as most of the communication happens virtually. When the communication is only text, excluding the facial expressions, tone of voice and other physical matters, the chance of misunderstanding grows. Different platforms and tools for teleworking are included in the survey.
The theory of the thesis is based on previous studies about telework and its requirements. The framework of the thesis is based on Kowalski and Swanson’s (2005) literature based review about the success factors of teleworking: support, communication and trust. Many other studies are introduced as well, indicating similar factors.
The research for teleworking cornerstones was conducted as quantitative research for a single operating unit of the client company. A survey was sent to all the 133 workers of this specific unit and more than 90 of them replied to it in April 2020.The research was planned around the theory of the thesis, to receive information about what different issues contribute to virtual leading and its success. The research indicated that the employees are quite satisfied with the current situation. Some development ideas did arise, for example clearer instructions and IT readiness.