Working Remotely in the UK Automotive Industry during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Managerial Perspective

Purpose: The purpose of the research study was to identify the positive and negative aspects of working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of managers in the UK automotive industry. The research focused on identifying the factors that had an impact on job effectiveness, working with team members in a virtual environment and the management of work-life boundaries. Research Design/Methodology: The research project was an exploration of the personal experiences of managers from one automotive company, working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. A qualitative research approach was adopted and a thematic analysis was carried out on eight in-depth interviews. All of the study participants worked from home during the pandemic but were normally office-based. Findings: Remote working during the pandemic was associated with increased work intensity, difficulty collaborating with team members, and the erosion of work-life boundaries. A surprising finding was that the use of video conferencing software to create a virtual work environment was perceived to have increased the frequency of meetings, changed the pattern of work, reduced productivity and caused some managers to behave unreasonably in their interactions with colleagues. Study participants derived benefit from greater work schedule flexibility, the absence of office distractions and time saved on commuting. However, a lack of face-to-face contact with colleagues and poor quality of collaboration via video conferencing software were seen as disadvantages. Limitations: This qualitative research study explored the personal experiences of eight managers in one company in the UK automotive industry and the research findings would need to be tested before they can be generalised