The relationship between working from home and employee productivity

dc.contributor.authorNaidoo, Daiveshni
dc.contributor.supervisorSieff, Grant
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-10T10:11:23Z
dc.date.available2024-09-10T10:11:23Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.descriptionA research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023
dc.description.abstractOrientation: The relationship between working from home and employee productivity. Research Purpose: This study aimed to understand if there is a relationship between working from home and employee productivity while also understanding the factors that effect productivity when working from home. The answers received will provide input into policy formation around work from home arrangements. Motivation for the study: With more organisations implementing work from home arrangements, this study was undertaken to investigate if there was a relationship between working from home and employee productivity. The study built upon a rich foundation provided by the literature and gave insight into how organisations can ramp up their employee value proposition and implement policies and procedures to improve employee productivity. Research approach/design and method: The research conducted used an inductive method of thematic analysis of 29 semi-structured interviews of white collared workers who work for organisations based within Johannesburg. Purposive sampling of participants with the common criteria of working from home either full time or at least more than once a week was used. The interviews were semi-structured to elicit as much information from the participants as possible. Main findings: The study showed a positive relationship between working from home and employee productivity in that productivity increased due to ability to focus and minimal distractions. Being disciplined and accountable are vital qualities for employees to have when working from home. Productivity was seen to increase however this could have been attributed to the increase in the number of working hours worked in a day. The participants enjoyed a hybrid working arrangement and preferred to have more days working from home than from the office. Practical/managerial implications: With the changes within the working environment and majority of organisations offering different types of working from home arrangements, policies need to be developed that enhance employee wellness and the employee value proposition to retain and attract employees. Additionally, organisations being able to leverage on the benefits of increasing productivity through working from home arrangements. Contribution/value-add: This study aims to substantiate other similar studies within South Africa for organisations to enhance employee productivity, improve employee engagement and develop deeper human interactions relevant for the different work from home arrangements
dc.description.submitterMM2024
dc.facultyFaculty of Commerce, Law and Management
dc.identifier.citationNaidoo, Daiveshni. (2023). The relationship between working from home and employee productivity [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/40655
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.rights© 2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
dc.rights.holderUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.schoolWITS Business School
dc.subjectWork from home
dc.subjectHybrid work arrangements
dc.subjectOrganisational culture
dc.subjectEmployee productivity
dc.subjectFlexibility
dc.subject.otherSDG-8: Decent work and economic growth
dc.titleThe relationship between working from home and employee productivity
dc.typeDissertation

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