Research Topic: An Evaluation of the Impact of Remote Working on Customer Care Department productivity. A case study of XXX organisation in UAE
Abstract
This business report is an intricate documentation following the analysis of the customer care department of organization XXX’s productivity and how it has been impacted by the new phenomenon of remote working. The analysis is inspired by the change of working environment, as a step to align business operations with the requirements and policies instituted in the mitigation of the coronavirus. The remote working phenomenon has since existed in business environment, but organization XXX has adopted it in recently in the face of the new government policies. The digitalization strategy was first adopted in organization XXX. the analysis is dependent on the existing literature on remote working. Two lines of lines of knowledge are analysed, including the benefits of remote working, and its demerits.
The quantitative research methods are employed in the analysis of the impacts of remote working on the performance of the employees. The methods of data collection used included the use of close ended questionnaires, and the analysis of existing documentation and business productivity reports as the performances’ referential marks. The conclusions of the report are imperative in determining the continued adoption of the digitalization strategy of remote working, or to build a new working model.
From the research study, the following it is included that remote working holds positive impacts on the performance of the employees. Remote working increases the connection between the company and the its employees, by offering a platform for skills development. The company provides various online working tools that facilitate the remote working and eventually the employees perfect their skills in these tools, and hence are involved in the company for longer periods, and eventual enhancement of their productivity. Working from home creates a familiar environment for the worker, and hence their attitude towards work is enhanced. The study reports increased optimism and positivism towards work. Consequently, there is improved customer satisfaction. Lastly, the study notes an increased quality of life, a work life balance, and in job satisfaction and hence subsequent improvement in the productivity of the employees in the customer care department of Organization XXX.
Table of Contents
1.2 Rationale of the Investigation. 7
1.3 Research Question, Aim and Objectives of this Research. 8
1.4 Aim and Objectives of research project linked to business aims and objectives 8
1.5 Stakeholders in Research. 9
1.6 Methodology Applied for the Identified Stakeholders 9
2.2 Background of the Remote Working. 12
2.3 Remote Working and Employee Motivation and Employees Performance. 13
3.3 Ethical Considerations. 18
3.4 Research Approach Justification. 19
4.1 Quantitative Data Analysis – Questionnaire. 20
Questionnaire Part 1: People. 20
Questionnaires Part 2: Business 21
Questionnaire Part 3: Technology. 22
4.2 Quantitative Data Analysis: Performance Reports. 22
Performance Reports: Call Average Handling Time (AHT) 22
Performance Reports: Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAS) 23
Performance Reports: Quality Defects Rate. 24
Figure 3: Quality Defect Rate. 24
Performance Reports: Absenteeism.. 24
5.0 Conclusions and Recommendations. 25
Evaluations of Options for Improvement 25
Recommendation 1: 100% Adoption of Remote Working. 26
Recommendation 2: 50% Adopting Remote Working. 26
Recommendation 3: Mentorship, learning and development 26
Appendix 2: Reflective Essay. 36
Appendix 3: Email sent to potential participants 38
Appendices 4: Questionnaire. 39
1.0 Background
1.1 Research Context
In the last decade, remote working, also identified as virtual working has been substantially prevalent. This is affirmed by Mulki et al. (2009) report referencing the Fortune 500 organisations inclusive of Procter & Gamble, IBM, Accenture, and AT&T, which are all multinationals who have currently worked on the elimination of the traditional offices. It is even projected that telecommuting and remote working arrangements will increase in the future as they respond to the current globalisation, customer demands, and the costs and time for commuting. Since this report has focused on the United Arab Emirates organisation, Aboelmaged and Elamin (2011) note that organisations positively benefit from individual freedom, cost reduction, and increased productivity through remote working. The rationale of this report is informed by the ILO (2020) report that notes that remote working is the best strategy of promoting a high-level diversity in modern organisations. Based on the report’s findings, 68% of the global workforce, including 81% of employers, are in existence in countries with recommended or required workplace closures. As a result, the majority of the organisations have been working to make remote working an alternative or a temporary working arrangement. In the UAE, where XXX operates, the available studies have only evaluated the remote working from a general perspective (Lin & Azar, 2019; Kemp & Rickett, 2018). Few studies have focused on assessing the remote working in modern organisations and the extent in which the organisations are productive and success in their roles.
1.2 Rationale of the Investigation
As noted in Deloitte (2020) more than 2.7 billion or approximately 4 out 5 employees globally are transitioning to the global workforce environment. As a result, modern organisations have been promoted to put in place arrangements for implementing remote working. Further, Deloitte (2020a) report pointed out that the organisations’ failure to embrace the remote working arrangements would lead to approximately 25 million people being pushed out of employment by 2020. This translates to an approximately $3.4 trillion loss in income. In the UAE case, The National News (2020) note that 31% of the employees are currently rethinking on their work-life balance with 22% actively sourcing for new occupations with 17% focusing on switching their job roles. Apart from the identified aspects of costs and time factor, Personnel today (2020) report introduced the concept of customer care departments’ productivity and noted that organisations’ productivity is directly impacted by the extent to which organisations offer flexible working opportunities to the employees. Through remote working, the customer care department can operate with minimal worries about their appreciation by the organisation and also their effectiveness in their assigned roles. In this regard, the current report will focus on evaluating the extent in which the remote working for the employees working in the customer care department in XXX can best operate through remote working. This is by accessing the benefits incurred and also the potential challenges from the remote working.
1.3 Research Question, Aim and Objectives of this Research
Due to the need of transitioning to global workplace phenomenon, XXX organisation has already rolled out remotely working to the other departments with the customer care department in its initial implementation phases. In this regard, by pursuing this report, it will offer appropriate recommendations to the organisation management on the effectiveness of adopting the remote working strategy.
1.3.1 Research Question
What are the impacts of Remote Working on Customer Care Department productivity in XXX organisation?
1.3.2 Research Aim
This research aim is to evaluate the remote working on employees’ productivity. In specific, the productivity is evaluated in the context of the customer department in XXX organisation.
1.3.3 Objectives
- To evaluate the current phenomenon of remote working in XXX operations
- To develop a critical literature review on the remote working strategies
- To identify the positive impacts that influence the productivity of customers in remote working as a best practice of working in the modern business environment
- To generate appropriate recommendations on best practice of implementing remote working in XXX customer care department in the current workplace operations
1.4 Aim and Objectives of research project linked to business aims and objectives
This report focus on the evaluation of the implication of working in a remote way on aspects of productivity in the customer care department in XXX. XXX is an organisation that has been in active existence since the year 1982 in UAE and engaged actively in producing carton packaging solutions for customers in the UAE and the entire Middle East Region, Africa and Asian parts. Due to this large scope of the organisation operations, the customer care department serves millions of customers annually by responding to their enquiries, solving their problems and ensuring their satisfaction.
Apart from the manufacturing sector, XXX also operates different shopping malls and manages a broad real estate portfolio in UAE. It is progressively pursuing distinct growth opportunities. This is while ensuring they are fully adhering to set values of excellence, innovativeness and integrity.
Hence, the identified business objectives of organisation XXX are best implemented if they have an elaborate system of customer care. Through evaluation of the extent in which remote working can best lead to the employees operations is through a focus on their agility and also the scope of their flexibility as a successful practice of the customers. Since XXX has already established their operations in different locations in their markets, automation of their operations is hence critical and also the extent in which they network in execution of their roles and collaborative practice.
Therefore, taking into account of the identified research aim and objectives, they will be appropriately identifying the extent in which the organisation achieves in their flexibility and also being cost-effective in their evaluation.
1.5 Stakeholders in Research
In this report, the focus will be on XXX customer care department operating in the UAE market. Apart from the customer care attendants, the organisation’s Human resource management will also form part of the stakeholders. Since the XXX customer care department and HR management comprise more than 200 staff, only those with remote working knowledge would be prioritised. It is projected that approximately 50 individuals would be used in the study. Since not all the respondents’ information will fit the expected study outcomes, the final number of respondents is 45. In the respondents’ sampling process, a non-probability random sampling strategy could be applied with the respondents with diverse features being selected. The necessity informs this of ensuring that the information obtained offers an exact representation of the data on the employees’ best practice in their operations. Additionally, the other departments in XXX who have already experienced the remote working opportunities would also form part of this research respondents.
1.6 Methodology Applied for the Identified Stakeholders
In this research, primary and secondary research would be used. The current challenges inform this of obtaining sufficient primary research due to COVID-19 restrictions. Creswell and Creswell (2017) report that the use of this method is also informed that the objectives used in a study should generate the direction for the methodology to be applied in a study. Apart from the desk research, questionnaires would also be applied in the sourcing of the data. To avoid a direct contract with the potential respondents, the survey monkey, an online platform, would be adopted to collect the questionnaire data.
1.7 Summary
This research will be based on the view that there prevails a research gap on remote working and the best practice in the context of UAE organisation. The need informs this of identifying the extent to which the remote working positively impacts the manner in which the employees’ productivity and ability to assist an organisation to achieve its intended objectives. In UAE, there is a broad gap in regard to the available studies noting the effectiveness of remote working, specifically in the customer care department. This report’s successful execution would provide relevant findings on the best practice of implementing remote working and potential challenges to be encountered in the process implementation.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
In the modern workplace environment, the best practice should involve employees being appropriately positioned to focus on the appropriate timelines and disengaging at other times. This is intending to recover from work- associated stress and maintaining a high-level work-life balance. As noted in Rudnicka et al. (2020), different research works have focused on evaluating teleworking and flexible working strategies. This is precisely in line with the extent to which the employees are involved in managing their transitions and disruptions between their work and individual life. Taking into account the current COVID-19 pandemic as our focus, the existing research has focused on evaluating the extent to which working from home or remote working is a successful process in the modern business environment. The defining attributes of working remotely include the flexibility involved in time, and place of work (CIPD, 2016). While companies were already adopting remote working due to the ease in life-work balance, and to cut down on the operational costs of office working environments., the Covid-19 pandemic has increased this adaptation. Previously, remote working entailed mobile working, and part-time working in the office, while employees work in another area other than the office. Part time remote working involved employees working away from the office for a part of the day, or for a part of the week. Literature on remote working indicates that private firms were the first companies to adopt this digitalization strategy, but the strategy was not eagerly embraced (Shorthose, 2004). Shorthose further notes that the embracing of remote working was hindered by the structure of operations within organizations, and hence only several of the firms were benefitting from the same.
By 2015, the government of UK indicated that companies were quickly adopting, and shifting to remote working. They further noted that other firms were reluctant, due to the difficulty in management of employees working in other environments, other than the office environments. In the same line of knowledge, ACAS (n.d.) indicates that some companies are reluctant in adopting remote working structure as their system of operations is not suited for remote working. Chin (2014) however argued that most companies’ reluctance to adopting a remote working system was fuelled by the uncertainty of such change, and the uncertainty of what benefits the firm would garner through remote working. Conversely, Shellenbarger (2014) stated that uncertainty was not behind the reluctance, instead, the capacity and inability of splitting working weeks, or working hours such that remote working is accommodated, varied for most employees. Shellenbarger’s assessment is a development of Geurts and Demerouti (2003) assertions, that the employee played a major role in remote working and their capacity to adopt to such conditions, and this shift in responsibility of remote working was behind the reluctance in adaptation of the strategy. Therefore, when employees have a home environment which is accommodative in remote working, and offers efficiency, correctness and effectiveness of remote working. Timsal and Awais (2016) stated that remote working is dependent on the employee’s capacity to be self-driven and dedicated to work, regardless of the environment they are in. therefore, there is no definite demerit of remote working, and the literature agrees on the responsibility of remote working being on the employees, more than the employer. Therefore, when an organization provides roles that can be implemented remotely, then the employee can take up the responsibility. Based on this background information, this report focuses on evaluating the available literature relating to the evaluation of the impact of remote working on customer care department productivity.
2.2 Background of the Remote Working
Based on the available literature, it is not clear the foundation of the remote working concept. Considering the Kurland and Bailyn, as evidenced in Tietze and Musson (2010) report, the foundation of remote working can be lined with the recent shift in working style influenced by the employee’s location and assigned work roles. This is opposed to Ellis (2016) study that had a more specific findings and established that remote working has existed in the past 10 years. The study identified as the source of the concept from the UK, where the staff working from home significantly increased to almost a fifth of the entire workforce to 15 million employees. Also, in a distinct context, Trades Union Congress (2013) report had compared male and female involvement in flexible working and pointed out that the number of employees engaged in active remote working has substantially increased in the past.
Also, through a focus on the context of both the public and private sectors, the remote working background could be established. For instance, Wheatly (2017) report noted that senior management is not involved in the remote working with only the rest of the employees in lower hierarchies being engaged in the process in the public sector context. However, taking into account private sector operations, it is evident that they still operate in a non-formalised policy and strategy of enrolling in flexible working opportunities. Hence, it is appropriate to argue that the integration of flexible working depends on the organisation-to-organisation aspects.
2.3 Remote Working and Employee Motivation and Employees Performance
As informed in the different reviewed literature, a core reason for implementing flexible working strategies is promoting employees’ level of motivation and performance levels. For instance, Timsal and Awais (2016) report that it is possible to establish and retain staff by integrating a successful flexible working practice. These findings are appropriately developed by James (2016) by pointing out the practice provides the employees with an ideal opportunity for individual development while at the same time being involved in workplace productivity. These findings are nevertheless contrary to Canonico (2016) report, which had noted that remote working has a negative implication on the level of performance of their employees. This negative performance is identified to directly impact how the organisation culture is advanced in organisation operations. The study noted that despite the appropriate working environment having a positive impact on the organisation’s performance, employees’ personal development improves their performance.
Additionally, by focusing on different organisation case studies, Bloom (2014) had evidenced that facilitating employees with an opportunity to enroll in remote working opportunities positively improve their performance levels. This study is in line with the current research as the focus area was on the organisation call centre. The findings in this report are also in line with, Bailey (2012) report that had made a detailed comparison of flexible working and an office-based working environment. The study had identified that remote working has more positive implications on performance and overall productivity. These findings are also affirmed by London School of Economics and Political Science (2016) study, which had established that employees in remote working are substantially more productive and effectively conducting their assigned roles as opposed to those working in a workplace environment or a full-time basis arrangement. These findings are nevertheless contrary to Morganson et al. (2010) study that had established that as a consequence of the problems that are associated with the job satisfaction, work-life balance aspects, flexibility in the area of work, the performance is not guaranteed in remote working compared to working in a workplace environment. However, Lewis and Humbert (2010) established that the most successful organisations in remote working are the ones that will manage to successfully transition in their prioritisation of flexible working practices and office working environment.
2.3.1 Technology
The theme of technology is in grandeur evidence in the existing literature of remote working. With sufficient integrated technology, an organization can safely shift most of its operations to remote working. Robert, within a 2010 podcast, reported that remote working was becoming a growing part of the conversation due to the cut down on the daily commute between the workplace, and home. In the podcast, Roberts suggests that the adaptation of the strategy should be fast due its benefits to both the employer and the employee. He however notes that the willing candidates should be as well willing to integrate technology that eases remote working. Timsal and Awais in 2016 affirmed these assertions, and argued that the move was as well advantageous to the environment, as the reduction in the commute resulted in reduction in global warming. However, Cole (2016) notes that the increasing technology in remote working reduces team work by creating a human and social disconnect between the employer and the employee, and between the employees. This was marked by Yahoo’s move to ban remote working, after a study indicated, remote working had resulted to reduced innovation and performance of the employees (Arun Pathak et al., 2015). This move was evidence of reduced communications, with reduced interactions among the employees. Other organizations have reported reduced collaboration and team work among employees, with increasing shift in remote working, including Best Buy (Basile and Beauregard, 2016). Conversely, other organizations are however adopting remote working successfully. This trend is apparent majorly in the Big Tech companies, such as Google, Microsoft and Hewllet-Packard. Moreover, other companies as Apple and Amazon are engaging in the staffing, and training of employees that work entirely remotely, as reported by Irish Times, and the companies report increased involvement in business operations (Reddan, 2015). Some departments as customer care, and customer service have been shifted entirely to remote working by companies as Amazon (Reddan, 2015). This trend in the Big tech companies can be aligned with the high degree of technology in the organization. the increased affordability and availability of hardware and software capacitating remote online working, are therefore imperative in the adoption of remote working. CIPD (2016) asserts that broadband connectivity has immensely influenced remote working, since employees can access company resources regardless of physical distance restrictions.
2.3.2 Work-Life Balance
The balance between one’s work and one’s life is imperative as it determines the degree of job satisfaction and hence the degree of productivity. Working practices determine how the employee balances their life, and their wok. In a study carried out by Tietze and Musson (2010), it was found that managers who worked remotely reported a better work-life balance. However, the study was not conclusive in asserting that remote working resulted in a better work-life balance. However, it was apparent that employees who were offered the flexibility of remote working, accrued more benefits to work-life balance to the remote working. According to McCartney and Evans (2010); it was found that business and company managers influence the success of the business, and hence remote working for the managers might not be effective. Moreover, when managers work remotely, the flexibility enjoyed is more on the space and environment, as opposed to other employees who also enjoy time flexibility.
The flexibility in time for employees working remotely is addressed by Timsal and Awais, who argue that degree of employee productivity and employee performance is premised on the effectiveness of the work-life balance. Moreover, a company with a proper work life balance is tactfully more competitive and more successful, compared to its counterparts (McCartney and Evans, 2005). Even so they argue that, there is no absolute evidence to indicate remote working is tied to a better work-life balance. In refute, Anderson and Kellinger suggest that remote working increases one’s commitment to his employer, and hence enhanced job satisfaction. Turcotte (2010) states that remote working eliminates time constraints, and increases one’s time by eliminating activities such as commute. Subsequently, the employee is left with more time at their disposal, which they use as they wish. Bloom (2014) and Burton (2017) affirm this assertion, and postulates that increased personal time results in more happiness, hence more job satisfaction which is a measure for a good work-life balance. Mellner et al. (2016) holds that remote working makes one to remain always alert, even outside work hours, which may impact negatively on work-life balance. Conclusively, there is no agreement in the literature on whether remote working impacts positively, or negatively on work-life balance.
2.3.3 Employers
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