Working from Home in the Post-Pandemic World: A Structural Equation Modeling-based Study

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations and employees to switch to working from home. We conducted a survey to understand the opinion of people on working from home, and if they would like working from home after the pandemic is over. We found that the respondents, most (92%) of whom were in IT-related professions, appreciated the comfort and flexibility afforded by working from home, but also had difficulties because of lack of facilities at home, low motivation and reduced synchronous communication, collaboration and teamwork. The possibility of IT-related activities (t= 2.214), flexibility (t= 2.603) and effective communication (t=2.012) made the respondents feel that working from home can lead to positive changes in society (P<0.05). The shift to working from home allowed organizations to continue with their business processes during the pandemic and lockdowns, and the experience was mostly positive for employees. The shift to working from home also brought a much needed change in the work culture in many organizations. organizations may allow their employees to work from home as a norm rather than as an exception after the pandemic but will require redesigning their business processes.