How Digitalization, Work-Family Balance, and Work Efficiency Can Influence Employees' Preferences for Teleworking in the Future

Gina Cristina Dimian; Mirela Gheorghe; Dana Maria Boldeanu; Mihaela Maftei

doi:10.5755/j01.ee.34.2.30090

Authors

Gina Cristina Dimian Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9137-2616
Mirela Gheorghe Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4030-7026
Dana Maria Boldeanu Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7342-593X
Mihaela Maftei Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.34.2.30090

Keywords:

teleworking, digitalization, work efficiency, work-family balance, mental health

Abstract

During Covid-19 pandemic many employees found themselves in the new position of teleworkers. Proof of the last years, teleworking remains an alternative to the classic system, reason why in this paper we aim to examine, based on an online questionnaire, the perceptions of Romanian employees about the very complex aspects that teleworking involves: the new ICT tools and technologies adoption, impact on work efficiency, work-family balance, and employees physical and mental health. The paper is based on an empirical analysis of data, and the authors have used as research methods: testing the independence of groups (Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis) and the correlation between variables, categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA) and logistic regression model. Our findings show that several factors, such as flexible working hours, family time, and autonomy have a positive influence on the decision to telework, while IT security risks, interruptions and virtual meetings were not perceived by respondents as negatively influencing their decision to telework. However, the consequences for mental health, such as mental stress, lack of socialisation and the difficulty of separating working time from family time, lead respondents to prefer another working system. The implications of the research are relevant for policy makers, employers, and employees as they reveal which categories of employees are more likely to telework and why.

Author Biographies

Gina Cristina Dimian, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Gina Cristina Dimian is PhD, Professor at the Department of Statistics and Econometrics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania. Her research activity includes reviewing and publishing scientific articles in internationally indexed journals, participation in international conferences and collaboration in research projects. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Social and Economic Statistics (JSES) and of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Applied Statistics (ICAS). The areas of interest are represented by the statistical and econometric methods applied for assessing problems like: national and regional competitiveness, labour market imbalances, skill mismatches. ORCID: 0000-0001-9137-2616.

Mirela Gheorghe, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Mirela Gheorghe is PhD, Professor at the Department of of Management Information Systems, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania. Her research activity includes over 40 articles and studies published in indexed journals and in national and international conference proceedings, participation as a member in 14 research projects developed on a national and international scale. The areas of interest are represented by IT Governance, IT audit, risk management, knowledge management and ERP systems, and academic education. ORCID: 0000-0003-4030-7026.

Dana Maria Boldeanu, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Dana-Maria Boldeanu is a PhD in accounting since 2008 and has been an Associate Professor at Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Department of Management Information Systems since 2014. She is the Executive Director of “Centre for Advanced Studies on Electronic Services” since 2009. Her research activity includes over 30 articles and studies published in indexed journals and in national and international conference proceedings, participation as a member in more than 15 research projects developed on a national and international scale. Between interest research areas we can mention the analysis of economic and financial performances, university management, IT governance and audit, e-services, knowledge management and ERP systems. ORCID 0000-0001-7342-593X.

Mihaela Maftei, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Mihaela Maftei is Ph.D. in Business Administration, is an Associate Professor at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, the Business, Consumer Sciences and Quality Management Department, where she has worked since 2001. She is a member of the Research Centre for Business Administration from BUES and has carried out research activities in more than 20 national and international research projects with research interests in quality management, innovation management, business administration, knowledge management and sustainability. ORCID 0000-0002-5363-9938.