People managers’ perceptions of changes during the shift to remote work

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic provided previously unexplored areas worth researching, as organizations were forced to rapidly adapt and implement new ways of working. This study contributes to research regarding understanding and managing change, particularly in the event of the rapid changes elicited by the COVID-19 pandemic. These contributions are made by exploring how the rapid changes that occurred during the pandemic were experienced at Tetra Pak’s site in Lund, and what the change management implications of the experienced changes are. Tetra Pak is a multinational business-to-business corporation operating in the food and beverage industry.

This study is an important contribution to research, as it was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted using semi-structured interviews to explore people managers’ perceptions of changes during the shift to remote work. The findings were then elaborated upon in order to consider the change management implications of the rapid shift to remote work.

The findings revealed four key themes in the perceptions of people managers: impacts on work outputs, challenges presented due to the lack of personal and informal interaction, well-being impacts and support mechanisms, and new ways of working. Change management implications included a discussion of: maintaining the momentum of change, maintaining and boosting work outputs, altering organizational culture, boosting the well-being of employees, and improving sustainability.