Abstract
Remote working is growing in popularity globally, and the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to this trend. While the idea of remote work is not new, the reality is that it is now more common than ever in all industries and organisations where it can be implemented, and it is becoming a preferred method of working globally. The issue of remote work is current, and given how quickly it has spread throughout the globe, it is critical to look at how this new working paradigm impacts work outcomes of constantly connected BYOD (bring your own device) workers. The chapter examines the effects of working remotely for this type of employee. It also presents the remote working trend across the globe, the theoretical lens, and the reason for choosing the job demands-resources theory. A research model is proposed by carefully analysing the key constructs related to the impacts of remote working for BYOD users. The chapter explores strategies and recommendations tailored to enhance the remote work experience for these employees, while also providing insights into future directions.
TopIntroduction
In the current digital era, working remotely and constant connectivity are closely related concepts. The internet and the development of cutting-edge technology have completely changed how people communicate and work, making the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) practice and remote work more common and accessible than ever. This contributed to people increasingly opting to fulfil their organizational duties using their preferred devices. Hence, it can be contended that the BYOD philosophy, constant connectivity, and remote working all contribute to a contemporary work paradigm that has been increasingly popular in recent years. Together, these three components transform how individuals operate and how businesses handle technology and security (Buonomo et al., 2023; Arunprasad et al., 2022).
Businesses are also increasingly implementing BYOD programs and encouraging remote work. The BYOD phenomenon facilitates constant connectivity to work resources, and these trends are closely connected to remote working, by enabling employees to access work-related applications, emails and communication on their personal devices from anywhere. Workers in contemporary companies are now constantly connected as a result of this strategy, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is argued that BYOD and constant connectivity are crucial factors in remote working and have grown in popularity since the pandemic, when businesses were forced to make a hasty switch to remote work arrangements (Buonomo et al., 2023; Arunprasad et al., 2022; Galanti et al., 2021). Since, constant connectivity is a foundational element of remote working, it allows workers to remain connected, collaborate, share materials irrespective of place and location, whether they are in another country or working from a coffee shop or from home (Wang et al., 2021).
Although the BYOD and constant connectivity phenomena are not new study topics, they have gained more popularity in the current teleworking environment as a result of the recent global pandemic across industries. BYOD is a logical organizational response to the surge in work from home arrangements that organizations have enthusiastically welcomed. Due to the recent global pandemic, this topic has gained more attention. IT workarounds and business communications are anticipated to emerge, subjecting employees to nonstop email notifications, a steady stream of task and message reminders, and other work-related activities (Arunprasad et al., 2022; Yang et al., 2022).
Since the culture of work-life integration is becoming more prevalent, the BYOD trend shows no signs of subsiding. Contrarily, businesses that were initially hesitant to using privately owned tools to carry out organizational tasks because of information security risks (Chen & Chen, 2020) have come to understand their importance since the Covid-19 pandemic established the work-from-home culture that has now come to be accepted as the norm.
There is little agreement in the literature regarding the dual effects of constant connectivity on employees' psychological well-being and work-related outcomes such as productivity, organizational commitment, burnout and stress (Hill et al., 2022; Fan & Moen, 2024). Despite the fact that the BYOD trend for work practices has continuously expanded and enables people to perform work duties regardless of the limitations imposed by time and place (Gewald et al., 2017; Köffer et al., 2014; Niehaves et al., 2012; Weeger et al., 2016; Fan & Moen, 2024), this is still the case. It is therefore debatable whether constant connectivity has both beneficial and bad effects on workers. For instance, research frequently links technology use to increased productivity and flexibility. Similar to this, the widespread availability of employees has led to a variety of unusual work arrangements, such telecommuting and flextime (McDaniel et al., 2021). While employees occasionally struggle to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives, technological adoption also contributes to the blurring of the barriers between work and non-work realms. Since work may now be done “anywhere, anytime,” leading to work “everywhere, all the time,” there is less time currently set aside for non-work activities (Cousins & Robey, 2015; Hill et al., 2022).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Work Outcomes: Work outcomes resulting from the impact of remote working of constantly connected knowledge workers encompass the tangible and intangible results of employees' job performance and contributions within an organization. This includes: 1) Perceived job autonomy - The degree to which workers perceive that they have the freedom, independence and control over their decisions regarding when, where and how to fulfill their tasks ( DeVaro et al., 2007 ); 2) Perceived job performance - An individual's managed behaviours and activities that support the organisation's goals. It is an employee's assessment of the general amount, effectiveness, and quality of work performed ( Rotundo & Sackett, 2002 ); 3) Perceived work motivation - The desire to enjoy one's work and focus efforts on things that one is interested in ( Ryan & Deci, 2000 ); 4) Organisational commitment -The degree to which an individual identifies with and participates in the organisation (Mowday et al., 1982 AU64: The in-text citation "Mowday et al., 1982" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ); 5) perceived job satisfaction - The degree of contentment a person has with their employment ( Smith et al., 2018 ); 6) Perceived workload - The pressure that workers experience due to the amount of tasks that they must undertake. It is often characterised by the feeling of being very busy without any reference to any specific target (Lee & Ashford, 1996 AU65: The in-text citation "Lee & Ashford, 1996" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ); 7) Perceived work pressure - Characterised as a physiological and psychological condition that results in a person feeling strained or under pressure to complete activities consistently and on time. Depending on how the employee rates the completion of tasks in relation to the workload and goals, the state changes as work pressure levels do ( Schieman & Young, 2013 )); 8) Work-life conflict – The degree to which commitments to one area of life—such as one's career or personal life—obstruct commitments to another area of life ( Bell et al., 2012 ); 9) Job stress - A relationship between an individual and their surroundings that is deemed to be demanding and dangerous for that individual's health. It is a situation or occurrence that is viewed as demanding, threatening or difficult ( Lazarus & Folkman,1984 ; Harddie et al., 2005 AU66: The in-text citation "Harddie et al., 2005" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ); and 10) Burnout - A prolonged reaction to ongoing emotional and interpersonal workplace pressures ( Maslach et al., 2001 ).
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): The utilisation of employees personally owned mobile technologies such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other tools, including their software applications namely word processor, video conferencing, spreadsheets, instant messaging software, web browsers, and presentation software to complete work-related activities ( Doargajudhur & Dell, 2018 , 2020 ).
JD-R Framework: The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model ( Demerouti et al., 2001 ) is a parsimonious and flexible framework which describes occupational stress as an imbalance between the demands placed on an individual and the resources, they have access to at work. Jobs with high demands incur expenses on a physical, organisational, social, and psychological level and involve continual mental or physical effort. Job resources are characteristics that help employees achieve their goals at work, promote learning and growth in themselves and others, and lessen the pressures of their jobs and the negative effects that come with them.
Remote Working: Remote working, also known as telecommuting ( Torten et al., 2016 ), telework ( Bailey & Kurland, 2002 ), virtual work, working from home, flexi work (Hill et al., 2024 AU63: The in-text citation "Hill et al., 2024" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ) is a flexible work arrangement allowing workers to fulfil organizational duties from home or a location outside of the traditional workplace. This practice leverages telecommunications and computer-based technology permitting employees to conduct their work duties from home, co-working spaces, or other remote locations.