Navigating Choppy Water: Flexibility Ripple Effects in the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Remote and Hybrid Working

Daniel Wheatley, Matthew R. Broome, Tony Dobbins, Benjamin Hopkins and Owen Powell
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Daniel Wheatley: University of Birmingham, UK
Matthew R. Broome: University of Birmingham, UK
Tony Dobbins: University of Birmingham, UK
Benjamin Hopkins: University of Birmingham, UK
Owen Powell: York St John University, UK

Work, Employment & Society, 2024, vol. 38, issue 5, 1379-1402

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: autonomy; flexible working; hybrid work; remote work; ripple effect; tensions; voice; well-being; work–life balance; workplace location (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:38:y:2024:i:5:p:1379-1402

DOI: 10.1177/09500170231195230

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