A Multidisciplinary Review of Remote Work Adoption Trends

  • Authors

    • Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka Professor, University of Tokyo, Japan. Author
    • Dr. Yuki Nakamura Associate Professor, Kyoto University, Japan. Author

    DOI:

    https://doi.org/10.67228/30715636/IJETMR-2023PI2R5Q

    Published 02-04-2023

  • Remote Work, Hybrid Work, Digital Collaboration, Organizational Transformation, Telecommuting, Workforce Trends, Distributed Teams, Digital Productivity, Knowledge Work, Multidisciplinary Review

    Issue

    Section

    Articles

    How to Cite

    [1]
    H. Tanaka and Y. Nakamura, “A Multidisciplinary Review of Remote Work Adoption Trends”, IJETMR, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 01–13, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.67228/30715636/IJETMR-2023PI2R5Q.
  • Abstract

    Remote work has evolved into a global work model driven by digital communication, globalization, and socio-technological changes. This multidisciplinary review examines its development, adoption, challenges, and future across economic, technological, organizational, and social dimensions. The study highlights how traditional office-based work has shifted toward hybrid and fully remote models, supported by technologies like cloud collaboration tools, VPNs, cybersecurity systems, AI-driven automation, and virtual communication platforms. While these tools improve flexibility and efficiency, remote work also presents challenges such as digital fatigue, blurred work-life boundaries, ergonomic issues, and psychological impacts. At the organizational level, it requires new leadership approaches, updated performance evaluation systems, and strategies to manage distributed teams and maintain company culture. Economically, remote work enables cost savings, access to global talent, and labor market expansion, but also raises concerns about inequality and workforce distribution. Socially, it can reduce environmental impact and urban congestion while supporting rural economies, though it may increase digital inequality and social isolation. Effective policies around data security, labor rights, and regulations are essential for sustainable implementation. Overall, remote work is not a one-size-fits-all solution but a growing structural component of the global economy, requiring context-specific strategies and continued innovation.

  • References

    [1] N. Bloom, J. Liang, J. Roberts, and Z. J. Ying, “Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment,” Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 130, no. 1, pp. 165–218, 2015.

    [2] S. Messenger and P. Gschwind, “Three decades of telework: A systematic review,” New Technology, Work and Employment, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 195–217, 2016.

    [3] A. Waizenegger, B. McKenna, T. Cai, and M. Bendz, “An affordance perspective of team collaboration and enforced working from home during COVID-19,” European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 429–442, 2020.

    [4] M. R. Gajendran and D. A. Harrison, “The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and outcomes,” Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 92, no. 6, pp. 1524–1541, 2007.

    [5] K. Sostero, S. Milasi, J. Hurley, E. Fernández-Macías, and M. Bisello, “Teleworkability and the COVID-19 crisis: A new digital divide?” European Commission JRC Working Papers, 2020.

    [6] S. K. Parker, C. T. Knight, and J. K. Keller, “Remote working and psychological well-being: A review and future research agenda,” Organizational Psychology Review, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–42, 2020.

    [7] P. M. Leonardi, “COVID-19 and the new technologies of organizing: Digital exhaustion and renewed infrastructures of work,” Information and Organization, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 1–14, 2021.

    [8] R. B. Cooper and J. M. Zmud, “Information technology implementation research: A technological diffusion approach,” Management Science, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 123–139, 1990.

    [9] B. S. Bell and S. W. Kozlowski, “A typology of virtual teams: Implications for effective leadership,” Group & Organization Management, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 14–49, 2002.

    [10] A. Felstead and G. Henseke, “Assessing the growth of remote working and its consequences for effort, well-being and work-life balance,” New Technology, Work and Employment, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 195–212, 2017.

    [11] F. Palumbo, “Let me go to the office! An investigation into remote working and employees’ work–life balance,” International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 33, no. 6/7, pp. 665–686, 2020.

    [12] A. S. Golden, “Telecommuting and employee performance: Examining the influence of personal and situational factors,” Human Resource Development Review, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 338–359, 2009.

    [13] D. J. Boudreau, “Global talent mobility and remote work: New patterns of distributed labor,” Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 52, no. 5, pp. 745–763, 2021.

    [14] K. Savić, “COVID-19 and work from home: Digital transformation of the workforce,” IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 212–216, 2020.

    [15] A. Gupta, S. Sharda, and L. Ozanne, “Digital infrastructure and remote work readiness: A multi-country analysis,” Information Systems Frontiers, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 463–478, 2022.

  • Downloads