Impacts of remote work on international employees and the business work environment, post COVID-19 restrictions

This thesis aims to find out how international business workers have been affected since the implementation of hybrid and remote work models into their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it affects those post-restrictions. Its purpose is to reveal how the relationship between the employer and the employees has been affected and the changes that they had to adapt to in their work environment and daily routines. The theoretical part of this thesis consists of the theory behind why organizations adapt to change, the theories behind hybrid and remote work models, highlighting their benefits and potential flaws, and lastly, the social exchange theory that highlights the interaction between the employer and employee and the potential rewards and costs of the two parties. Qualitative methods are applied in this thesis, and semi-structured interviews were chosen as the primary data collection method. Interviews allow the respondents to share their points of view and personal individual experiences with how their workplace reacted to changes and restrictions during the pandemic. The results showed that there has been an increase in the trust between the employee and employer and that overall well-being at work is being more looked after. The work environments have changed, from minor to quite drastic, but in each case, the employer-provided help in getting settled with the changes that were made. Employees are given more freedom in their scheduling, and some jobs became more accessible to potential new hires, while other jobs might seem less appealing to some since it was realized during the pandemic that not all jobs require workers to travel to various locations to carry out their tasks. In conclusion, there has been a positive impact on the relationship between the worker and employer, the worker’s mental health and well-being, and their work-life balance