The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on public and private life. As organizations are forced to transition to remote work to reduce the spread of the virus, there is a need for researching how employees are affected. This study explores how municipal workers have experienced the transition, by conducting a survey involving five different Swedish municipalities. This study shows that, while overall productivity has generally either increased or remained at pre-transition levels, some aspects have suffered as a result of working from home. Social interactions among co-workers, information sharing, and community building are examples of where the employees felt that something has been lost. This study contributes to research being done on this phenomenon, and gives suggestions for practitioners.

Background: Destructive leadership seeks to explain how leaders create harmful outcomes in an organizational setting – and why do they choose to do so. However, as with most leadership theories, process models are designed with a traditional office setting in mind which has its own distinct characteristics. Remote working has surged in prevalence in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and features multiple key differences, including increased social isolation and a decrease in communication quality. The combination of this novel and different context with a high likelihood of employees experiencing destructive leadership during their career, it is of high relevance to critically examine destructive leadership processes in a remote setting. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to adapt the proposed framework of destructive leadership by Krasikova et al. (2013) in a remote working environment, and to provide a greater understanding of destructive leadership processes in a less familiar context. Through exploring a new working context, this research aims to expand the understanding of destructive leadership, its situational factors, processes, and possible destructive outcomes in the ‘modern’ workplace. Method: Our methods were built on the choices of inductive qualitative research. Ten semi-structured interviews with leaders and followers were conducted by utilizing the casemethod, and more precisely, the case-oriented research design. The use of case-oriented research design and thematic analysis allowed us to engage in within- and cross-case comparisons and enabled us to generate new insights and to further develop remote working specific factors in the destructive leadership processes. Conclusion: The results of the study demonstrate that remote working environment influences three main areas of destructive leadership: the organizational context behind the process of choosing to engage in destructive leadership, the process of discovery and organizational response, and by establishing feedback loops from existing destructive leadership that leads to further resource shortages.

Följande studie är skriven på svenska och behandlar fenomenet distansledarskap samt hur det skiljer sig mot ett ledarskap utan fysiskt avstånd. Studien tar reda på hur de arbetar med tillit och kommunikation samt hur förhållandet mellan kontroll och autonomi ser ut, när arbetet sker på distans. Studiens empiriska material består av 12st semistrukturerade intervjuer. Samtliga respondenter är svenska chefer som kommer från tre olika branscher, socialtjänsten, energi- samt rekryterings/bemanningsbranschen. Studiens resultat visar att chefers förutsättningar för att bedriva distansarbete skiljer sig åt inom olika organisationer. Det går att utläsa hur autonomi ses som viktigare än kontroll när arbetet sker på distans. Vidare presenteras en god tillit och kommunikation som viktiga aspekter i ett distansledarskap. Hur chefer går tillväga för att skapa denna tillit och hur de arbetar med kommunikationen på distans skiljer sig åt, och det är svårt att presentera en lösning som fungerar i alla organisationer. En enhetlig bild som skapas är att majoriteten av respondenterna föredrar en frekvent kommunikation när arbetet sker på distans. / The following study is written in Swedish and deals with the phenomenon of distance leadership and how it differs from leadership in the proximal environment. The study explores how managers work with trust and communication and how the relationship between control and autonomy looks like, when work is managed remotely. The empirical material of the study consists of 12 semi-structured interviews. All respondents were Swedish managers who came from three different industries, these industries consisted of social services, energy and recruitment / staffing industries. The study's findings show that managers' conditions for conducting telework differ between organizations. It is possible to extract how autonomy is seen as a more important tool than control when the work is done at a distance. Furthermore, good trust and communication are presented as important aspects in the remote work environment. How managers go about creating trust and how they work with communication at a distance differs, and it is difficult to present a solution that works in all organizations. A unified image that we can present however, is that a majority of the respondents prefer frequent communication when remote work is present.

It has become more common these days for organizations to give employees the opportunity to work remotely. This trend was accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many organizations to allow remote work in order to comply with the recommendations set by authorities. Even after everyday life returned to normal, many companies chose to adopt a model that allows employees to work fully or partially away from the office. However, the attitude towards remote work is not entirely positive. It has brought about changes for organizations, especially for their leaders. There has been a debate about which leadership style is the best fit for the remote work model, and this thesis aims to investigate how leaders within the big banks in Sweden have been affected in their perceived ability to motivate employees during remote work. To accomplish this, the authors have applied a qualitative methodology, conducting interviews with two different groups: leaders and employees. The interview results have been analyzed and connected to the theoretical framework derived from research on remote leadership and employee motivation. The results show that an active and motivating leadership style, without being overly monitoring or passive, is preferred in a remote work setting for leaders' ability to motivate their followers in these companies. The thesis also reveals that respondents express a desire for the opportunity for remote work, even though they are somewhat negative towards working remotely.

Information sharing is a critical success factor in supply chains and involves how information is made accessible, archived and shared. Remote work has significantly increased in recent years, which has affected information sharing within organizations as it primarily occurs through the use of digital tools. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how information sharing is perceived by employees in an IT-oriented organization during remote work. For this purpose a qualitative approach was applied in the form of semi-structured interviews followed by a thematic analysis. The results indicate that remote work has had no significant impact on information sharing, but there is a lack of informal information. Furthermore, the use of digital tools has contributed to more frequent documentation, which in turn has increased the amount of stored information. / Informationsdelning är en kritisk framgångsfaktor i försörjningskedjor och handlar om hur information görs tillgänglig, arkiveras och delas. Distansarbete har under de senaste åren ökat markant, vilket har påverkat informationsdelning i organisationer då det huvudsakligen sker med digitala verktyg. Denna studie syftar därmed till att undersöka hur informationsdelning upplevs av medarbetare i en IT-orienterad organisation vid distansarbete. För detta har en kvalitativ metodansats tillämpats i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer följt av en tematisk analys. Resultaten visar på att distansarbete inte haft någon signifikant påverkan på informationsdelning men att det finns en avsaknad av informell information. Vidare har användandet av digitala verktyg bidragit till mer frekvent dokumentation vilket i sin tur har ökat mängden lagrad information.

La modalidad de trabajo remoto permitió continuar con la actividad empresarial en un momento en el que las restricciones impidieron el desarrollo presencial de labores; sin embargo, generó una serie de cambios importantes en aspectos importante de las organizaciones. Por ello, se realizó un estudio cuantitativo y descriptivo correlacional que buscó determinar la relación entre la percepción del trabajo remoto y el desempeño laboral de 33 asesores de negocios de una agencia bancaria, en quienes se administró cuestionarios adaptados al contexto peruano, con sólidos niveles de validez y confiabilidad. Los resultados evidenciaron que el nivel Positivo predominó en relación con la percepción del trabajo remoto; asimismo, el nivel Alto fue el de mayor frecuencia en la medición del desempeño laboral. Por otro lado, se identificó que no existen correlaciones significativas entre las variables de estudio (p>0,05). Se concluyó que el nivel de percepción del trabajo remoto predominante en asesores de negocios facilita el desarrollo de su jornada laboral, así como el nivel de desempeño laboral que refleja el cumplimiento de sus funciones, sin embargo, estas variables no evidencian una relación significativa en su totalidad ni dimensiones. / The remote work modality made it possible to continue with the business activity at a time when the restrictions prevented the face-to-face development of work; however, it highlights several important changes in important aspects of organizations. For this reason, a quantitative and descriptive correlational study was carried out that sought to determine the relationship between the perception of remote work and the job performance of 33 business advisors from a banking agency, in whom questionnaires adapted to the Peruvian context were administered, with solid levels of validity and reliability. The results showed that the Positive level predominated in relation to the perception of remote work; Similarly, the High level was the most frequent in the measurement of job performance. On the other hand, it was identified that there are no significant correlations between the study variables (p>0.05). It was concluded that the level of perception of remote work predominant in business advisors facilitates the development of their workday, as well as the level of work performance that reflects the fulfillment of their functions, however, these variables do not show a significant relationship in their totality or dimensions.

Flexible work and remote work are new ways of working whose usage has increased during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. This Challenges the traditional ways of working on-site, by offering a new social reality in workplaces and organizations. HR-personnel have a significant responsibility to ensure the well-being of employees and the organization, with HR-managers having the ultimate responsibility. The purpose of this study is to understand how HR-managers view flexible work and remote work and how they think it will evolve. The study is based on a qualitative method with an abductive data analysis. The results of the study is based on semi-structured interviews with HR-managers in companies primarily engaged in administrative operations. The theoretical framework of the study is based on Anthony Giddens’ theory of modernity, incorporating concepts like the separation of time and space, disembedding, expert systems and ontological security. The study’s results suggest that HR-managers see the use of flexible work and remote work as advantageous for organizations. The study’s result further suggests that HR-managers believe flexible work and remote work are here to stay, but require further development to function optimally. The study also reveals a possibility for organizations to become even more boundary-crossing with the potential to recruit and collaborate across time and space. / Flexibelt arbete och distansarbete är nya arbetssätt vars användning har ökat under och efter Covid-19 pandemin. Detta utmanar de traditionella arbetssätten som sker på plats, genom att erbjuda en ny social verklighet på arbetsplatser och organisationer. HR-personal har här ett stort ansvar i att se till arbetstagares och organisationens bästa, där HR-chefer har det yttersta ansvaret. Syftet med denna studie är att förstå hur HR-chefer ser på flexibelt arbete och distansarbete och hur de tror det kommer att utvecklas. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ metod, med en abduktiv dataanalys. Resultatet av studien baseras på semistrukturerade intervjuer med HR-chefer inom företag vars verksamhet är främst administrativ. Studiens teoretiska ramverk baseras på Anthony Giddens modernitetsteori, med begreppen åtskiljandet av tid och rum, urbäddning, expertsystem och ontologisk trygghet. Studiens resultat tyder på att HR-chefer ser användningen av flexibelt arbete och distansarbete som fördelaktigt för organisationer. Studiens resultat tyder vidare på att HR-chefer anser att flexibelt arbete och distansarbete är här för att stanna, men att det krävs ytterligare utveckling för att fungera optimalt. Studien visar även att det finns en möjlighet för organisationer att bli ännu mer gränsöverskridande med möjlighet att rekrytera och samarbeta över tid och rum.

Inledning: Till följd av Covid-19-pandemin har arbetsformen för statligt anställda tjänstemän i Sverige skiftat från arbete i en kontorsmiljö till det mer flexibla arbetssättet hybridarbete. Hybridarbete är definitionen av en blandning av både distansarbete och arbete på den ordinarie arbetsplatsen. Studier har visat varierande effekter på medarbetarnas välbefinnande samt motivation och produktivitet på grund av detta nya arbetssätt.Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka de effekter som uppkommer genom denna arbetsform kopplat till självupplevd motivation och produktivitet samt att komma fram till vilka för- och nackdelar hybridarbete kan leda till för både medarbetaren och organisationen. Metod: I studien undersökte vi den självupplevda uppfattningen hos statligt anställda i Sverige. Totalt genomfördes fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med hänsyn till att skapa förståelse för hur hybridarbete tillämpas samt vilka effekter denna arbetsmodell har med avseende på motivation och självupplevd produktivitet. Teori: I uppsatsen används flera teorier som författarna anser relevanta för studiens innehåll. Äldre motivationsmodeller vävs samman med nyare forskning för att skapa ett bra underlag för analys av empiri.  Resultat: Resultaten vi hittade var mycket likvärdiga när det gäller att förstå vilken typ av gynnsamma samt ogynnsamma effekter denna arbetsmodell kan bidra till.Denna arbetsmodell ansågs av samtliga respondenter vara en förmån även om nämnda organisationer verkade ha låg eller ingen förståelse för dess effekter med avseende på välbefinnande, produktivitet och motivation. / Introduction: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the work environment for government employeesin Sweden has shifted from an office environment to the more flexible arrangement ofhybridwork. Hybridwork is the definition of a mixed work setting of both remote work andwork at the regular workplace. Studies have shown varying effects in employees well-being aswell as motivation and productivity due to this new way of working.The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of this form of work on self-perceivedmotivation and productivity, and to conclude what advantages and disadvantages hybridworkhas for both the employee and the organization. Methods: In the study we examined the self-perceived perception of government employees inSweden. A total of five semi-structured interviews were completed with the regard of creatingan understanding in how hybridwork is applied and what the effects of this work model areregarding motivation and self-perceived productivity. Theory: The essay uses several theories that the authors consider relevant to the content of thestudy. Older motivational models are interwoven with newer research to create a good basis foranalysis of empirical evidence. Results: The results we found were very equal in terms of understanding what type of effectsand side-effects this work model can contribute to. This work model was among all respondentsconsidered as a benefit, although said organizations seemed to have a low to no understandingof its effects with respect to well-being, productivity and motivation.

No description available.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been wide adoption of remote work while major companies have started introducing permanent flexible work arrangements. This dramatic shift in the workplace has raised questions regarding the effect this will have on innovation as it is critical for a future company’s success. Based on the literature review we managed to identify six key aspects to the innovative workplace: communication, collaboration, trust, knowledge transfer, company culture and management. We were able to evaluate the impact of remote work on these aspects by using both theoretical findings and empirical data gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted within a Swedish telecommunications company. Our results indicate that despite some advantageous features, communication, trust and knowledge transfer suffered. In management there has been a slightly positive shift. The results in collaboration and company culture appear inconclusive with significant advantages and disadvantages. In order to avoid an overall decrease in innovation we propose the adoption of a hybrid work model to combine the best aspects of these opposite arrangements. / Som en följd av Covid-19-pandemin har distansarbete blivit betydligt vanligare, stora företag har redan infört sådana permanenta arrangemang. Denna dramatiska förändring på arbetsplatsen har väckt frågor angående effekten på innovation eftersom det anses avgörande för ett företags framtida framgång och konkurrenskraft. Baserat på en genomgång av forskningslitteraturen har vi identifierat sex viktiga förutsättningar för företagens innovationskapacitet: kommunikation, samarbete, förtroende, kunskapsöverföring, företagskultur och ledning. Med utgångspunkt i tidigare teoretiska och empiriska forskningsresultat har semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med ett svenskt telekommunikationsföretag för att analysera effekten distansarbete på innovation. Våra resultat indikerar att en del positiva effekter kan uppstå men att tyngdpunkten återfinns i den negativa vågskålen. Således verkar ledningsfunktionen påverkas positivt medan andra faktorer viktiga för innovation som kommunikation, förtroende och kunskapsöverföring har försvagats. Vad gäller samarbete och företagskulturen förefaller både positiva och negativa effekter uppstå. För att undvika en generell försvagning av innovationskapaciteten bör en hybrid modell användas som kombinerar de bästa aspekterna av distansarbetet med platsbundet arbete.