Remote Working Adoption Strategies and Employee Performance during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of MTN Uganda Limited
Abstract
This study examined the effect of remote working adoption strategies on employee performance at MTN (U) Ltd during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the study analyses the effect of flexible work schedules, technology accessibility and remote worker motivation on employee performance in remote working at MTN Uganda. The study adopted a descriptive research design, employing quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Quantitative data was collected from a sample of 89 respondents using questionnaires, and qualitative data was collected from 5 key informants using interviews. Data was analysed using Pearson's correlation and regression analysis with the help of Statistical Packages for Social Scientists (SPSS version 25). The study finds a significant positive relationship between flexible working schedules and employee performance (r = 0.594, p = 0.000); technology accessibility and employee performance (r =0.616, p = 0.000); and remote worker motivation and employee performance (r=0.273, p=0.010). The explanatory variables jointly explain 57.3% of the variations in employee performance in remote working at MTN (U) (R-squared = 0.573; p<0.000). It is recommended that MTN (U) Ltd and other telecom companies improve the flexibility of their work as one way to enable employees to adopt remote working during periods of crisis such as pandemics and epidemics. This is to enable continuous workflow. There is a need to invest in technology and make it accessible to all employees, and create motivation packages such as fringe benefits that seek to motivate employees working remotely to enable them to embrace remote working and improve their performance
Downloads
References
Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2015). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40–68.
Alyssa, L. (2020). The Coronavirus Pandemic's Impact on Remote Work. https://blog.employerscouncil.org/2020/07/01/the-Coronavirus-pandemics-impact-on-remote-work/
Arkenberg, C.L.P., Evans, A., Westcott, K. (2022). TMT Predictions, Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/pt/Documents/technology-media-telecommunications/TMTPredictions/tmt-predictions-2022/TMT-predictions.pdf
Avery, C., Zabel, D. (2001). The flexible workplace: A sourcebook of information and research. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.
Ayyagari, R., Grover, V., & Purvis, R. (2011). Technostress: Technological antecedents and implications. MIS Quart. 2011, 35, 831–858.
Blitchok,A. (2023). How technology is changing the way people work from home in 2023. https://www.btod.com/blog/technology-work-from-home/
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2016) Remote working can be a mixed blessing for both employers and employees [Online] Available at: http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/peoplemanagement/b/weblog/archive/2016/09/20/remote-working-can-be-a-mixed-blessing-for-both-employers-and-employees.aspx.
Delanoeije, J., & Verbruggen, M. (2020). "Between-Person and Within-Person Effects of Telework: A Quasi-Field Experiment". European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 29 (6): 795–808.
Eddleston, K. A., & Mulki, J. (2017). "Toward Understanding Remote Workers' Management of Work–Family Boundaries: The Complexity of Workplace Embeddedness". Group & Organization Management, 42 (3): 346–387.
Gitta, S. (2021 October 13). How MTN Uganda has kept a float despite COVID -19 Pandemic. New Vision. https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1529184/mtn-uganda-kept-afloat-despite-covid-19-pandemic.
Grant, C. A., Wallace, L. M., Spurgeon, P. C., Tramontano, C., & Charalampous, M. (2019). "Construction and Initial Validation of the e-Work Life Scale to Measure Remote e- Working". Employee Relations, 41 (1): 16–33.
Jackson, D. (2020). A pandemic, remote work and 'the new normal'. Urgent Communications.
Johnson, W. (2019). Leading Remotely. MIT Sloan Management Review, 61(1), 1-4. https://search-proquest-com.op.idm.oclc.org/docview/2335159873?accountid=39660
Joseph, M. M., Hellen, W. S., & Andrew, K. (2020). The Effect of FlexiTime on Employee Performance in Financial Institutions in Kericho Town. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 10, Issue 1, January 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.10.01.2020.p9791.
Judge, T. A., & Bono, J. E. (2011). Relationship of core self-evaluation traits—self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability—with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 80-92.Kizza, J. M. (2013). Ethical and social issues in the information age. London. England: Springer-Verlag.
Kniffin, K.M., Narayanan J., Anseel F., Antonakis J., Ashford S.P., & Bakker A.B. (2020). COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action. American Psychologist. 2020;76(1):63–77.
Kossek, E.E., & Lautsch, B.A. (2018). Work–life flexibility for whom? Occupational status and work-life inequality in upper, middle, and lower-level jobs. Academy of Management Annals, 12(1):5–36.
Kuehner-Hebert, K. (2019). Remote work comes with its share of challenges. BenefitsPRO.
Lupu, V.L. (2017). 'Teleworking and Its Benefits on Work-Life Balance', International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on Social Sciences & Arts SGEM, p. 693.
Mason, B. (2020). Is remote working really so bad? The benefits of working from home during Covid-19. https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/news/remote-working-really-so-bad-benefits-working-home-during-covid-19
McCarthy, N. (2021). COVID-19: How many remote workers are there in different parts of Europe? Available from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/05/europeans-work-from-home-remote-covid-coronavirus-pandemic-europe-eu/
Michael, R., & Smith, S. (2015). Building Ergonomics into Remote Work Policies. Risk Management, 62(9), 12,14.
Molino, M., Ingusci, E., Signore, F., Manuti, A., Giancaspro, M. L., Russo, V., Zito, M., & Cortese, C. G. (2020). Wellbeing costs of technology use during Covid-19 remote working: An investigation using the Italian translation of the techno stress creators scale. Sustainability, 12(15), 5911.
MTN Uganda Limited. (2021). Annual Report for the year ended December 31 2021. https://www.mtn.co.ug/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MTN-UGANDA-LIMITED-2021-ANNUAL-REPORT.pdf
Noonan, M., & Glass, J. (2012). The hard truth about telecommuting. Monthly Labor Review, 135(6), 38-45
Prasad, K., Mangipudi, M. R., Vaidya, R. W., & Muralidhar, B. (2020). Organisational climate, opportunities, challenges, and psychological wellbeing of the remote working employees duringCovid-19 pandemic: A general linear model approach with reference to information technology industry in Hyderabad. International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology, 11(4), 372–389
Purwanto, A., Asbari, M., Fahlevi, M., Mufid, A., Agistiawati, E., Cahyono, Y., & Suryani, P. (2020). "Impact of Work from Home (WFH) on Indonesian Teachers' Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study". International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology 29 (5): 6235–6244.
Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2007). Influencing children's self-efficacy and self-regulation of reading and writing through modeling. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 23, 7-25.
Shockley, K. (2014). Telecommuting. Retrieved from http://www.siop.org/whitepapers/scientificaffairs/telecommuting/telecommuting.pdf
Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (2018). Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta- analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 240-261.Tarafdar, M., Tu, Q., & Ragu-Nathan, T.S. (2010). Impact of technostress on end-user satisfaction and performance. J. Manag. Inf. Syst. 2010, 27, 303–334.
WHO (World Health Organization). (2020a). WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - March 11 2020. 1
Wienclaw, R.A. (2019), 'Telecommuting', Salem Press Encyclopaedia. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89185784〈=sv&site= eds-live (Accessed: May 2 2020).
Wiik, N. (2020). The Remote Revolution: Preparing for the boom in distributed work with data-based insights. A V Technology, 13(3), 42.
World Health Organization. (2015). Facing the Challenges, Building Solutions. In Proceedings of the WHO European Ministerial Conference on Mental Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Copyright (c) 2023 Innocent Begumisa, Regis Zombeire Kamaduuka, PhD, Mubiru Pontious, James Kizza, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
