The Impact of Working from Home on Support Staff Members of the University of Free State at the QwaQwa Campus Naledi Rethabile Mogotsi 2018220794 Master of Business Administration (MBA) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State Business School Supervisor: Professor Liezel Massyn NOVEMBER 2022 ii | P a g e DECLARATION I declare that the field study hereby handed in for the qualification Master’s in Business Administration at the UFS Business School at the University of the Free State is my own independent work and that I have not previously submitted the same work, either as a whole or in part, for a qualification at/in another university/faculty. I also hereby cede copyright of this work to the University of the Free State. Signed : Name & Surname : Naledi Rethabile Mogotsi Date : November 2022 iii | P a g e ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I want to thank God for seeing me through; all of this was made possible by the strength He bestowed upon me. His GRACE & MERCY have been with me even when I wanted to give up; a constant reminder was the scripture that reads: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”- Philippians 4:13. I want to thank my beloved Mother Tsepiso and little Sister Thato for their unwavering love and support during this journey. To my two brothers, Vincent and Moeketsi, who live far away but made it a point to check in on me now and again to see how I was doing - I appreciate and love you all from the bottom of my heart. To two extraordinary, beautiful ladies Namhla and Sithandile and a gentleman Khabasheane; we began this journey with each other as strangers and ended up being extremely close, more like siblings. I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Your support in every aspect has been a blessing in my life. Professor Liezel Massyn, my incredible supervisor, deserves my gratitude. You held my hand all the way to the end of this journey. Your expertise, guidance, support and patience with me did not go unnoticed, and for that, I am grateful. My gratitude goes to my employer, the University of the Free State; thank you for enabling me to analyse your work environment and for providing me the necessary time to complete my studies, as well as for financially aiding with my studies. Thank you dearly to the participants, I appreciate your willingness to take time out of your busy schedules to partake in my research. I am thankful to Dakela Maleka, my line manager, for allowing me to take time off work to attend sessions and write exams, your support is much appreciated Ntate. Lastly, to everyone who supported me during my MBA journey, I appreciate your support wholeheartedly. iv | P a g e ABSTRACT The University of the Free State, QwaQwa, never had to experience working from home (WFH) before the world was faced with the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore the different perceptions and experiences of the WFH era among the support staff. In a nutshell, the study aimed to investigate how employees at the UFS QwaQwa were affected psychologically, emotionally, and financially whilst working from home during the lockdown period. The reason for selecting UFS QwaQwa was because of the different geographical dynamics, as the challenges experienced in QwaQwa differ from its co-campuses in Bloemfontein. Using the qualitative method, the researcher conducted semi-structured, open-ended questions thus one could obtain a broader range of responses. The method used allowed the researcher to examine the primary objective of the research to acquire more insight into the impact of WFH on the support staff. The results showed that the participants went through different dynamics of making WFH work, despite the circumstances they faced, whether it would be distractions by the children, electricity, or the environment the participants stayed in. There were also many positive outcomes of WFH; many participants benefited financially by not having to travel to work and by spending more time with their families. It was evident in the findings that this study will be a great way for the institution to be more informed of what the support staff experienced, and it gave more clarity on what the impact of WFH was on support staff. The study is a valuable contribution towards enhanced staff well-being and the flexible working policy enhancement in future, not only for the UFS, but even for other institutions at large. v | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .......................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ............................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem statement ........................................................................................ 5 1.2.1 Primary research question ...................................................................... 5 1.2.2 Secondary research questions ............................................................... 5 1.3 Research objectives ...................................................................................... 6 1.3.1 Primary objective/aim ............................................................................. 6 1.3.2 Secondary objectives ............................................................................. 6 1.4 Research methodology ................................................................................. 6 1.4.1 Research design ..................................................................................... 6 1.4.2 Sampling strategy ................................................................................... 7 1.5 Data collection method .................................................................................. 9 1.5.1 Semi-structured interviews ..................................................................... 9 1.6 Data analysis ............................................................................................... 10 1.7 Trustworthiness of the study ....................................................................... 11 1.8 Ethical considerations ................................................................................. 13 1.8.1 Risk-benefits analysis ........................................................................... 13 1.8.2 Permission obtained ............................................................................. 14 1.9 Demarcation of the study ............................................................................ 16 1.10 Chapter lay-out ............................................................................................ 16 1.11 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................... 17 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 17 2.2 Defining working from home........................................................................ 17 2.3 History of working from home...................................................................... 18 2.4 Working from home worldwide .................................................................... 20 2.4.1 Under-developed countries ................................................................... 22 2.4.2 Developed countries ............................................................................. 22 2.5 Working from home in South Africa ............................................................. 23 2.6 WFH in the higher educational institutions .................................................. 24 2.7 The impact of WFH on productivity ............................................................. 25 2.8 Employers’ assistance to employees and the importance of creating a safe working space ....................................................................................................... 28 2.8.1 Creating a workspace from home ......................................................... 28 2.8.2 Secure network ..................................................................................... 28 vi | P a g e 2.8.3 Telephony among employees of a distributed team ............................. 29 2.8.4 Making use of the cloud ........................................................................ 29 2.8.5 Password management ........................................................................ 29 2.9 Working from home policies ........................................................................ 30 2.10 Benefits and challenges of working from home ........................................... 31 2.10.1 Benefits ................................................................................................. 31 2.10.2 Challenges ............................................................................................ 32 2.11 Working from home and work-life balance .................................................. 34 2.12 Post Covid-19 intent to shift to remote work ................................................ 35 2.13 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 38 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .......................................................... 39 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 39 3.2 Research design ......................................................................................... 39 3.3 Sampling Strategy ....................................................................................... 40 3.3.1 Population ............................................................................................. 41 3.3.2 Sample size .......................................................................................... 41 3.3.3 Sampling methodology ......................................................................... 42 3.3.4 Participants ........................................................................................... 42 3.4 Data collection method ................................................................................ 43 3.4.1 Semi-structured interviews ................................................................... 43 3.4.2 Data analysis ........................................................................................ 45 3.5 Trustworthiness of the study ....................................................................... 46 3.6 Ethical considerations ................................................................................. 48 3.6.1 Risk-benefits analysis ........................................................................... 48 3.6.2 Permission obtained ............................................................................. 49 3.7 Limitations to the Study ............................................................................... 51 3.8 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 51 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION ...................................... 52 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 52 4.2 Analysis and interpretation of biographical data .......................................... 53 4.3 Theme: 1 Data analysis and interpretation of the benefits of WFH ............. 55 4.3.1 Individual Staff Members Benefits of WFH ........................................... 55 4.3.2 Benefits for the Institution with WFH ..................................................... 57 4.3.3 Interpretation ........................................................................................ 57 4.4 Theme 2: Data analysis and interpretation of challenges of WFH............... 58 4.4.1 Interpretation ........................................................................................ 59 4.5 Theme 3: WFH productivity and conduciveness ......................................... 60 4.5.1 Interpretation ........................................................................................ 62 4.6 Theme 4: Relationships, mental health & work-life-balance due to WFH .... 63 4.6.1 Interpretation ........................................................................................ 66 vii | P a g e 4.7 Theme 5: Data analysis addressing institutional support and policies ........ 67 4.7.1 Interpretation ........................................................................................ 71 4.8 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 73 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................... 75 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 75 5.2 Conclusions................................................................................................. 75 5.3 Recommendations ...................................................................................... 78 5.3.1 Consider a hybrid work model .............................................................. 78 5.3.2 Thorough research on employee preference ........................................ 78 5.3.3 Provide soft skills training, appropriate hardware support & counselling 79 5.3.4 Refine the policy to best suit the institution’s needs - HR flexible policy79 5.4 Limitations of study ..................................................................................... 80 5.5 Conclusions................................................................................................. 80 BIBILIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 82 APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW GUIDE.......................................................................... 96 APPENDIX B: GATEKEEPERS CONDITIONAL APPROVAL ................................. 98 APPENDIX C: ETHICAL CLEARANCE APPLICATION APPROVAL ....................... 99 List of Tables Table 1: Percentage of work that can be done from home using the main professional category according to the United States of America. ............................................... 21 Table 2: Biographical data of the selected participants from different departments. 54 1 | P a g e CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.1 Background The devastating Covid-19 pandemic overwhelmed the whole world, particularly in 2020. The world was even more affected as it struggled to overcome this catastrophe, especially from the various waves supposedly caused by the different Covid-19 variant effects. The pandemic first appeared in December 2019 (Singhal, 2020). According to Wu et al. (2020), an unidentified coronavirus, known as the 2019 coronavirus, surfaced from Wuhan, China late in December 2019 causing a massive outbreak in numerous Chinese cities and spreading globally. Initially, it was alleged that it originated from Wuhan in China, but this was later refuted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which stated that the virus could have spread from anywhere. The WHO declared Covid-19 a global pandemic on 11 March 2020 (Cucinotta & Vanelli, 2020). At the end of March 2020, the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared a national state of emergency in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 (Lukani et al., 2020). South Africa went into a complete lockdown on 26 March 2020, and this entailed that no businesses, schools, universities, clubs, sports clubs, churches, and many other organisations could operate. Flights were grounded, borders were closed, and a curfew was put in place to restrict movement, to contain the virus. The only establishments that remained in operation were the essential service providers, such as hospitals and convenience stores (Wiyasonge, 2020). Due to company closures, organisations were creative in ensuring resources and access were available to support employees in serving customers by working from home (WFH) to circumvent the consequences of the lockdown. As a result, working from home was officially introduced to many parts of the world and has become part of our daily life. WFH was not entirely a new phenomenon as it has been around for many years but was not practised by many organisations. Before the pandemic, working from home was not even an option in many countries. In the USA, the Pew Research Center Survey discovered that many employees whose job responsibilities can be performed from home, rarely worked from home before the pandemic. More 2 | P a g e than 50% claimed that they would like to continue operating from home even after the pandemic, as revealed in the new Pew Research Center Survey (Parker et al., 2020). Before the pandemic, remote working in South Africa was common in some organisations, mainly the private sector, but with the abrupt closure during lockdown, working from home (WFH) became the order of the day. The constraints of working from home created an ideal environment for the world's greatest mass teleworking experiment. While some organisations were already using teleworking, others swiftly had to catch up (Benhura, 2021). For many organisations, it came as a surprise that they were not prepared for, as they did not have the necessary resources to enable employees to work effectively and efficiently from home. The worldwide organisation shutdowns, enacted and enforced to prevent the virus spread, presented a variety of unique challenges for employees and employers (Kniffin et al., 2021). This predicament was exacerbated by the fact that many businesses still used personal desktop computers and had not yet transitioned to adopting laptops for virtual or remote working. This meant funds had to be disbursed to procure office resources for all the employees working from home. The office resources (laptops, routers, data, small printers, etc.) had to be procured to assist the employees in efficiently working from home. Rapid changes had to occur, for example, arranging data contracts with the network service providers to provide decent, affordable packages to the employees. If organisations were not able to make the necessary procurement arrangements, then employees would be inactive in terms of workloads, thus compromising the productivity and sustainability of the organisation. Many organisations did not have the funds or resources to fully embrace remote employment (Zeidner, 2021). This meant that these organisations might lose clients, which would lead to retrenchments, and it would be downhill from there on. Organisations had to spend money to make money to keep financially afloat. When considering the working from home scenario at the University of the Free State (UFS), the institution initiated several necessary and innovative processes to reach optimum functionality to be at the cutting edge of being a sound service provider in the 3 | P a g e field of higher education. Before this, various departments lacked essential office equipment (e.g., laptops) to assist staff members working from home. The institution organised the necessary office equipment for some of the employees in a short space of time, while many other employees were assisted at a later stage. The staff members who could not be provided with notebooks were requested to utilise their laptops, smartphones, and tablets in the meantime to access emails and other information at large. Employees who used their devices found that it was a challenge (and a significant expense) as they had to use quite a considerable amount of data since most of them were not provided with data contracts and routers. Therefore, the university came up with a solution by allowing the employees to claim this expense (with proof of the data and router) to a maximum of R500 per month. With the institution handling an enormous database with highly confidential information (students and employees), it necessitated a restriction that employees could only access specific data. With the work-from-home condition, the university had to find secure ways to grant employees access to systems that could only be accessed on campus in the past. After a few months of WFH, the IT department initiated Virtual Private Networking (VPN) applications that enabled employees to log in, browse systems, access emails, and surf the internet without consuming their own personal data. For connectivity purposes, two VPN applications were introduced to the university as advised by the IT department, GlobalProtect and Duo Mobile Application. Essentially, a VPN is a way to increase privacy and security by connecting to the internet via a server of one’s choice (McCann & Hardy, 2022). Hence, VPNs have many benefits: security, online anonymity, remote access to an organisation’s network, sharing files in the organisational network, bypassing internet filters, and experiencing better performance of the internet (Gerwirtz, 2021). In other words, an employee can browse through all the systems and the internet without data being deducted from the employee’s data balance. With time and experience, scientists found ways around the virus that has kept the whole world in suspense for a permanent solution, for good. The findings regularly led to the Covid-19 isolation rules and regulations changing with time. When the virus was 4 | P a g e identified in 2019, if you tested positive for Covid19, workplaces would require you to stay in isolation for 14 days, even if you did not have symptoms. Given the changes that constantly happened, early in 2022, the government, with the advice from the scientists and medical advisors, indicated that the isolation period was reduced to 7 days if you have symptoms, and if you do not have symptoms, you do not require to be in isolation. Many organisations are still of work from home, while others encourage their employees to return to the traditional office space. Initially, in 2021, the QwaQwa campus, University of the Free State, requested staff to return to the offices gradually. However, given the pandemic, the return was not immediately on a full-time basis but on a scheduled basis. This was to accommodate staff with getting back into the routine. Early in 2022, the institution approved a required Vaccination Policy, and all employees were requested to return to the office on a full-time basis. During this period, the institution encouraged employees to get vaccinated. The employees were granted the freedom to decide whether they want to vaccinate or not. If one was not vaccinated, the employee would have to undergo a Covid-19 test to access the institution. Given that the lockdown levels spanned from the severe lockdown level 5 (from 27 March - 30 April 2020) to the less severe lockdown level 1 (from 1 October 2021 - 4 April 2022), the National State of Disaster was officially lifted by the 5th of April 2022. In June 2022, the University of the Free State lifted the Covid-19 regulation and required Vaccination Policy with immediate effect. The institution then introduced a HR Flexible Work Arrangement Policy in April 2022, and it took effect from the 1st of May 2022, and was piloted for a period of four months. After four months, the institution decided to suspend the policy for further refinement. All employees were requested to return to campus on a full-time basis from the 1st of September 2022. Any infections would be dealt with case-by-case, per government instructions. Given the pandemic that will soon be coming to an ‘end’, working from home will not be a thing of the past. 5 | P a g e In this research study, the researcher will look at the impact of working from home (psychologically, physically, financially, and mentally) on support staff members at the QwaQwa campus, UFS. This research study will also dissect employees’ holistic perceptions of the notion of WFH. 1.2 Problem statement Not much was known about the impact of working from home instead of the traditional office space. The specific problem arose because the QwaQwa campus (UFS) was not aware of how the support staff were adjusting and coping with working from home, which was led by several challenges (load-shedding, connectivity, and environmental conduciveness) that needed to be addressed. The consequences on the staff members were still unknown, and to some extent, the only issue the university could find was a reluctance from some employees to WFH in the future. Unhappy employees (staff morale) can even lead to a higher turnover, which will affect the organisation's operations. The study’s outcome may provide the institution with multiple considerations regarding the remote work model for their staff. 1.2.1 Primary research question What is the impact of working from home on the support staff at the UFS QwaQwa campus? 1.2.2 Secondary research questions • How does WFH impact employees psychologically, physically, financially, and mentally? • What challenges are the support staff facing when working from home at the UFS QwaQwa campus? • What kind of directives can be provided to navigate WFH with work-life balance at the UFS QwaQwa campus? 6 | P a g e 1.3 Research objectives 1.3.1 Primary objective/aim To investigate the impact of working from home amongst the UFS support staff at the QwaQwa campus. 1.3.2 Secondary objectives • To determine how working from home affected employees psychologically, physically, financially, and mentally. • To analyse the challenges the support staff faces while working from home at the UFS QwaQwa campus. • To provide directives to navigate WFH with work-life balance at the UFS QwaQwa campus. 1.4 Research methodology The primary objective of this research was to investigate the impact of WFH amongst the UFS QwaQwa support staff. A clear description of the researcher’s approach to the study in terms of the sampling, population, sample size, data collection methods, the trustworthiness of the data collected and lastly and most importantly, the ethical considerations for the nature of the research, is provided below. 1.4.1 Research design The research design assists the researcher in meeting the research objective(s) and in responding to the study's research questions (Sekaran & Bougie, 2020). A research plan is basically a plan for accomplishing certain objectives or goals. Considering the nature of the subject, it seemed sensible to use a qualitative technique for the proposed study. The qualitative method was chosen with the participants’ social environment in mind. The nature of the research was inductive since the researcher needed to first gather the data and then analyse the results to reveal the findings. The qualitative method is less restricted, in this case, it was necessary to be more interested in the participant's point of view. The epistemological stance that was used 7 | P a g e is interpretivism since this approach respects the difference between individuals and the objects of natural science. It is also concerned with the empathetic understanding of human behavior (Bryman et al., 2021). This research design was appropriate to satisfy the aim and objectives in the study by answering the questions mentioned above. 1.4.2 Sampling strategy A sample is a subgroup or subset of a larger population that is selected by utilising a pre-defined selection method. From this group, the sample is generally a specific group of individuals that one collects data from (McCombes, 2019). In other words, the sample is made up of some, but not all, of the population's constituents. From the sample, the researcher seeks to, and should be able to make findings that are generalisable to the population of interest by analysing the sample (Sekaran & Bougie, 2020). 1.4.2.1 Population The population that was sampled for the qualitative method's effective implementation was as follows: • The sample population was made up of permanent members of the institution's support personnel. The key rationale for only including support employees in the research was that they had no experience of working from home, whereas academic staff had already been partially exposed to working from home, particularly during university recession seasons. • The UFS has over 2 599 permanent staff members in 127 different departments at all campuses. The permanent staff members at the QwaQwa campus were a little below 500 at the time of the study, of which 200 were support staff from different departments within the institution. 1.4.2.2 Sample size The intended sample size was not defined because the study was qualitative. The researcher went through the data gathering process until data saturation was reached. 8 | P a g e The concept of saturation and pragmatic factors are most used to defend the qualitative sample size. Schwab (2021) formulates the following simple way to define this concept: when the collection of newer qualitative data no longer changes, or changes are minimal in terms of the coding or classification manual, saturation is reached. Vasileiou et al. (2018) state that the sample size arguments in qualitative research are restricted and are not dependent on the number of interviews. Saturation is regarded as the cornerstone of accuracy in establishing sample sizes in qualitative research, but there are no instructions on how to use it outside of grounded theory (Hennink & Kaiser, 2022). Failure to achieve saturation has an influence on the quality of the research; the researcher needs to extend data variety as much as possible to ensure that saturation is based on the broadest possible range of data on the category. 1.4.2.3 Purposive sampling Since purposive sampling is a non-probability technique, the researcher chose it for this purpose and for its subjective nature in the selection of participants who were most likely to relate to the research questions. Purposive sampling assisted in the following manner: • It identifies a specific group(s) of people with critical knowledge that no one else has access to. • The researcher needed to ensure that there are enough variations so that the sampled members differ in terms of key characteristics (Bryman et al., 2014). Therefore, the researcher selected employees from different faculties and position levels. 1.4.2.4 Participants The participants were identified through the institution’s Human Resources department. The researcher sent the HR Head an email explaining the need for a list of support staff for the purposes of a study, included in the email was the ethical clearance approval letter. The HR department responded positively to the request and ensured that the researcher understood how crucial it was to keep the support 9 | P a g e personnel information confidential. The researcher then sent an email to the Heads of Department (HODs) of all the departments to request permission to proceed with the interviews, thereafter the researcher sent invitations to support staff who had been working for the institution for over a year to participate in the study and had experience in WFH. The participants that were invited were from different occupational levels within the support staff structure. The email invitation was sent out to 42 support staff members and included in the email was the ethical clearance approval letter. 1.5 Data collection method 1.5.1 Semi-structured interviews Semi-structured interviews are a form of data collection that involves asking questions that systematically explore each participant's theme. The questions, however, are not in any sequence or wording (Saunders et al., 2019). The qualitative technique is less structured, and the original study concepts were formulated broadly. In this instance, there was a need to be more interested in the participant’s point of view. The interviewee has more freedom in a semi-structured interview because a list of questions on prominent subjects is referred to as an interview guide (Bryman et al., 2021). For this reason, the interview method was a suitable choice to address the impact of working from home for the permanent support staff at the University of the Free State, QwaQwa campus. Semi-structured interviews support the interviewer to probe into a response to elicit more details or seek clarification. In the interviews the participants had to answer pre- set, open‑ended questions to explore the participants’ viewpoints on the working from home experience so that the researcher could obtain incisive knowledge on the research topic (Jamshed, 2014). The interviews were held individually, and each staff member was interviewed for approximately 60-90 minutes. The interviews were conducted at a convenient time identified by the participants. All the interviews did not take place in one day; the timeslots and the day of the interview was dependent on the availability and preference of each participant. The researcher conducted the interviews virtually, recorded and transcribed them. All the interviews were conducted 10 | P a g e in English. Additional notes of what the participant was conveying to the researcher were drafted during the interview session to enable the researcher to flag important quotes and to internalise what is being said. An interview guide (Appendix A) was prepared to produce data that could be analysed qualitatively. 1.6 Data analysis According to Coghlan & Brydon-Miller (2014), data analysis is the process of emerging meaning and knowledge from the numerous data sets that may be acquired throughout the research project as a foundation for future action and theory development. Whereas, Calzon (2022) explains data analysis as an act of gathering, categorising, and interpreting data to acquire insights that can be utilised to make decisions. There are several methods and tactics for doing analysis depending on the industry and the goal of the study (Calzon, 2022). At the data analysis phase, the written and recorded material was utilised to examine each staff member’s experience of WFH during the pandemic at the University of the Free State, QwaQwa. The theory on the research problem was researched in advance to gain a clear grasp of the information that needed to be gathered during the interviews. The research method used by the researcher to analyse the data was thematic analysis. Thematic analysis is an emergent and participatory process of interpreting a series of data, with a typical conclusion of some group structure (Brough, 2018). Even though the researcher had made notes during the interviews, the researcher transcribed the audio recordings on a Microsoft Word document to help assist with the data analysis and interpretation of the interview data. The data was analysed by the researcher in four stages, which will be discussed in detail. Firstly, the researcher read through the data from the beginning to the end. According to Vaismoradi et al., (2016) researchers reach an overall comprehension of data as well as the real problems in the phenomena under study by reading and rereading the transcripts. Secondly, quotes and phrases from the interviews that were important to the study were highlighted by the researcher, it was more of a colour coding on Microsoft Excel programme. In its most basic form, coding is the simple process of identifying meaning segments in your data and labeling them with a code (Skjott Linneberg & Korsgaard, 2019). Thirdly, the researcher coded the 11 | P a g e texts based on their content. This allowed the researcher to classify common codes that displayed some type of relationship, allowing them to be encapsulated into prospective themes. The coding process is a dynamic function, and its nonlinear directionality allows key themes to be identified, coded, and interpreted in the direction of a research study's emphasis, as well as contribute to the related literature (Williams & Moser, 2019). Finally, the researcher merged and refined the categories into themes, even going as far to assess if the themes were a suitable match with the assistance of the supervisor. Whilst there are various variances in the use of the terms "category" and "theme," meanings are expressed in terms of themes and their associated subdivisions as subthemes (Vaismoradi et al., 2016). In essence, the data analysis entailed probing and categorising the data in a way that the study's core primary and secondary objectives were fulfilled. The theory that was gathered predominantly consisted of data from accredited journal papers, newspaper articles, and many other sources that addressed the impact of WFH amongst their employees. The above-mentioned data analysis results, when integrated and compared with the literature study, resulted in a thorough final data evaluation. 1.7 Trustworthiness of the study The trustworthiness of qualitative research and the transparency with which the study is conducted are critical to the usefulness and integrity of the findings (Cope, 2014). Scholars define trustworthiness in a variety of ways. According to Schmidt & Brown (2017) trustworthiness is the quality, authenticity, and sincerity of qualitative research findings. It refers to the level of trust or confidence that readers have in the outcome. Whereas Polit & Beck (2014), define the trustworthiness or rigour of a study as the degree of reliance on data, interpretation, and strategies utilised to assure the quality of a research. To date, there is still a persistent concern about achieving rigour or reliability in qualitative research. The two most important features of any research are reliability and validity. According to researchers, the rigour of qualitative research equals to the ideas of reliability and validity, which are all crucial components of quality (Tappen, 2021). Based on the information provided, one can establish that the main purpose of this procedure is to guarantee that the data is valid and that the techniques 12 | P a g e are reliable. Reliability is dependent on consistency and thoroughness in the application of research techniques, as expressed in the transparency of research practices, analysis, and conclusions, as represented in an open account that is mindful of the bias and limitations of the study results (Cypress, 2017). On the other hand, the accuracy with which a technique measures what it is intended to measure is referred to as its validity. One sign that a measurement is legitimate is high reliability. If a technique is unreliable, it is most likely invalid (Middleton, 2019). The researcher ensured there is reliability of the study by recording the interview sessions, taking notes during the interviews and also transcribing the results accordingly for each participant. Several qualitative researchers have concentrated on topics like credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability, highlighting the differences that arise from expressing similar concepts differently (Rose & Johnson, 2020). These concepts initially originate from Lincoln & Guba 1985, hence the researcher decided to employ these strategies to increase the trustworthiness of the study’s findings. By triangulating the data the researcher reduced the risk of credibility. By integrating theory, methods, or observers in a research project, triangulation can assist guarantee that basic biases caused by the use of a single method or observation are addressed (Noble & Heale, 2019). Triangulation is an attempt to examine and describe complicated human behavior employing a number of ways in order to provide readers with a more balanced explanation. It is a data validation process that may be used in both quantitative and qualitative studies (Noble & Heale, 2019). To enhance dependability, the researcher created an electronic record that detailed how data was obtained, categories were created, and conclusions were made throughout the investigation. Dependability is also well known as consistency, it is frequently related with reliability and is evaluated through a constructivist viewpoint (Janis, 2022). Forero et al. (2018) and Kennedy-Clark (2012) furthermore defined dependability as a work that, when repeated in the same setting with similar procedures and participants, same results will be produced. The researcher furthermore applied good rich, explanations of the participants (demographics) and the research process (sample strategy), to allow 13 | P a g e other readers to make transferability decisions. According to Korstjens & Moser (2018), transferability is concerned with the issue of relevance and as a researcher, it is your mission to provide a "rich description" of the participants and the study method so that the reader may determine whether the results are applicable to their own situation. Lastly, the researcher sought to minimise biases through confirmability by outlining the process of data collection, data analysis and the interpretation of the data. The researcher went on to further review the literature for examples of the phenomena which was included in the data analysis and interpretation. According to Nassaji (2020), confirmability may be established by explaining the information and findings in such a way that others can confirm their accuracy. An audit trail is a valuable method in which the researcher documents and attempts to justify all processes undertaken and decisions made related data coding and analysis. These documents are then available for additional review and validation. As per the detailed approach above, as the study advanced and specific data points were revealed, efforts were made to confirm each piece of data against at least one additional source (literature). Hence data triangulation was crucial to the trustworthiness of qualitative studies. Overall, the researcher's technique for establishing the trustworthiness of this study was primarily comparing the interviews and field notes, which was successful. 1.8 Ethical considerations Ethics are norms or principles in research that governs study ideas and procedures. Researchers must always follow a set of rules (Bhandari, 2021). 1.8.1 Risk-benefits analysis When conducting research, the goal is to increase the research's benefit while reducing the damage or danger to participants. In terms of this research, the one advantage that stood out was that it will benefit employees in the future, not only at the UFS QwaQwa but also at other institutions abroad; hence, the risk-benefit analysis is vital. In terms of this research, Wood (2017) explains risk-benefit analysis as a tool that compares the risks and rewards of a scenario to determine if the advantages 14 | P a g e exceed the risks. The risks of this research compared to the benefits for the participants were minimal. 1.8.2 Permission obtained Firstly, ethical clearance was sought from the General Human Research Ethics Committee (GHREC) to commence with this research study. A disclosure that the researcher was an employee of the university and forms part of the support staff was also included. The support staff managers were requested to grant permission to interview their subordinates. Before the study commenced, the selected participants were asked to sign consent forms after being given details of the intended research (verbally and written). The research participants’ safety (physical and mental) was always prioritised. All the information gathered in this study was stored in password-protected files on the researcher’s computer. Identities, locations, and information was kept private and confidential by using codes or pseudonyms for anonymity (Taylor et al., 2015). The following are the established ethical principles that relate to human research. 1.8.2.1 Respect for participants As a researcher, one should treat the participants with dignity in all their encounters, by not criticising or discrediting them to ensure that their perspectives are honestly documented and taken into consideration during the evaluation process. Whatever the nature of the data gathering process, the respondents' self-esteem, and self-respect should never be abused (Sekaran & Bougie, 2020). 1.8.2.2 Informed consent Informed consent required the participants to be fully knowledgeable about the research process. This entailed details about the study's advantages, disadvantages, financing, and institutional permission (Bhandari, 2021). The researcher informed the participants in English of the aims and consequences of the research project. The researcher ensured that each participant had a clear understanding of the consent they signed. 15 | P a g e 1.8.2.3 Specific permission required for audio recording According to Vanclay et al., (2013) if a researcher plans to record any participant, special permission must be obtained ahead of time (most countries' privacy regulations may make this a legal necessity). When signing the informed consent, there was a clause that clearly states that the researcher would like to record the interviews, and each participant was granted an option to either allow the recording to take place or not. When participants did not permit the researcher to record the interviews, since it is not mandatory to make an audio recording, the researcher took notes of the interview immediately afterwards. The memory of the interview would still be fresh, and the researcher was able to add more detailed notes to make the data more adequate. 1.8.2.4 No harm to participants No harm must come to participants due to their participation in the intended research. Having an ethical basis against which to foresee challenges and risks and exercising choice to prevent conflict and damage, is not harmful (Saunders et al., 2019). This implies that participants must not be subjected to any form of discomfort or risk. The researcher guaranteed the participants that no harm will be brought about due to the interviews. Even after the research has been published, the data will not be used to their disadvantage. 1.8.2.5 Confidentiality When a researcher is provided with information in confidence, it must be kept confidential (Bryman et al., 2014). The researcher confirmed in the interview that the information obtained will be kept confidential. 1.8.2.6 Voluntary participation and no coercion All study volunteers can choose whether to participate, without being pressured or coerced. All participants could withdraw from or exit the research without feeling obligated to do the interview (Bhandari, 2021). At the start of the interviews, the participants were reminded that they voluntarily form part of the research. 16 | P a g e 1.9 Demarcation of the study The focus of the proposed study was the impact of working from home amongst the support staff members of the University of the Free State, QwaQwa. The study was conducted at the QwaQwa campus; it was a good contrast given that QwaQwa is a rural area with several challenges regarding service delivery etc. The participants involved in the study were support staff operating from different departments and faculties from different operational levels. The participants were interviewed to elicit valuable knowledge on the research topic. 1.10 Chapter lay-out Chapter 1: Introduction and background Chapter 2: Literature review Chapter 3: Research methodology Chapter 4: Data analysis and interpretation Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendations 1.11 Conclusion The purpose of this study was to have a better understanding of how the QwaQwa campus experienced working from home. As a result, the reader is provided with a detailed study of working from home involving the institution's support employees. The main objective was to investigate the impact of working from home in terms of challenges, and to develop strategies to improve the working from home environment involving employee-manager collaborations. Below, an outline of the literature review on working from home is provided. 17 | P a g e CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to explore the literature on the research study of working from home. The chapter begins with defining working from home, from the viewpoint of different authors. The chapter further examines the history of working from home as well as how working from home in developing and developed countries. Given that the study is based on a higher educational institution (HEI), the chapter explored WFH at the HEI, the influence of productivity on WFH, and the policies in place for WFH. In addition, the chapter will outline the benefits and challenges of working from home and how working from home impacts the work life balance. Finally, it will explore the post Covid-19 intent to shift to remote work. 2.2 Defining working from home Working from home is a form of remote work also known as telecommuting (Irawanto, 2020). According to Nakrošienė (2019), telework is a sizeable, multifaceted phenomenon with no universally accepted definition. Working from home describes job functions being performed remotely. The acronym WFH is used to describe the concept since more and more organisations permit WFH. In terms of WFH, digital adoption is a critical factor in determining how quickly and efficiently a company can function virtually (WalkMe Corporate Headquarters, 2021). The WFH concept has been defined as remote work, flexible workplace, e-working, and telecommuting (Vyas & Butakhieo, 2020). These terms allude to employees' capacity to work in flexible workplaces, particularly at home, by utilising technology to fulfil job obligations (Grant et al., 2019). It also applies to employees' willingness to operate in flexible and adaptive workplaces, especially at home. Many organisations transitioned their employees from being office-bound to a work from home model to adapt to the Covid- 19 restrictions. While all businesses will need to adjust to remote working on an unprecedented scale in the aftermath of the pandemic, there are remote-first and remote-friendly businesses since the WFH domain is not as straightforward as it may https://blog.walkme.com/telecommuting/?t=21&camp=glossary https://blog.walkme.com/telecommuting/?t=21&camp=glossary 18 | P a g e seem. However, there is a distinction between a remote-first organisation and a merely remote-friendly one. The terms remote-first and remote-friendly are frequently used interchangeably, even though the two remote work models could not be more different. In short, a remote-first organisation is an organisation that operates entirely from a remote location, spreading across multiple time zones, also known as distributed companies (Butler, 2021; Tunggal, 2021). The work culture is more deliberate, and employee wellbeing is woven into the fabric. On the other hand, remote-friendly organisations do not only have physical offices in several places but also allow employees to work remotely according to corporate policy and individual preferences; they operate on a hybrid model (Tunggal, 2021; Simic, 2022). Companies that are remote-friendly strive to balance in-person and virtual facetime, which generally entails scheduling yearly retreats and other team building events for staff (Gupta, 2020). Furthermore, when it comes to calculating employee productivity, remote-friendly organisations prioritise the hours spent in the office (Simic, 2022; Tunggal, 2021), while the remote-first organisations provide flexible working hours and depends on output to measure employee productivity (Erkic, 2022). With varying degrees of commitment, both approaches intend to satisfy the demands of remote personnel. To circumvent the restrictions that were put in place due to Covid-19, WFH has been strategic for many organisations. However, strategies must be developed collaboratively with managers and staff to avoid conflict and misunderstandings, as there would be specific implications for both groups in some way or another (Vyas & Butakhieo, 2020). WFH, in its simplest form, is work done from places rather than the traditional office. Sometimes, WFH could be mistaken as a new phenomenon that came into existence recently, but this is not the case; below is an outline of the historical background of WFH and its origin. 2.3 History of working from home The history of working from home is quite enthralling, especially how it came to being and how new technology has influenced its popularity in recent years. According to Gupta (2020), remote working dates two centuries ago when the first Industrial 19 | P a g e Revolution prompted this. However, working from home today is different from many years ago. Back in ancient times, artisans sold their merchandise in their homes, people operated their businesses in the comfort of their own homes (Butler, 2021). Because of a high demand, the period between the 1700s to 1800s marked the birth of mass production. There was a need for hiring manual labour to assist with the production of products and that is when the traditional working from the offices/factories came into play (Gupta, 2020). The employees were then scheduled to work for a certain number of hours and had to report to managers, as it is now in the 21st century. In 1976 when the so-called telecommunications century began, the internet was still constructed into something affordable and usable. As a result, there was a lack of accessibility to company servers, something the current generation does not struggle with. This lack of accessibility left only selected jobs that could be performed entirely from an off-site home (Oliver, 2021). Opinions on the natural birth of the internet differ however, the most often accepted date is 1969. In 1993, the World Wide Web, with the acronym www, was invented by computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee (Schafer & Serres, 2017). This software enabled people to read and retrieve documents from all around the world and with this intervention, remote work became more possible. The introduction of wireless internet was the final technology created to advance employees' capacity to work remotely. Wi-Fi, which first appeared on the internet in 1997 is the cornerstone for all remote work in the modern-day, and shortly after, in 1999, routers were invented, allowing Wi- Fi to be used at home (Admin, 2017). The sky was the limit for remote workers once Wi-Fi became available in households (Oliver, 2021). Even before the pandemic, there were already several breakthroughs in remote work. Working from home in other organisations emerged when entrepreneurs were struggling to branch out due to budgetary constraints, and not being able to rent or set up administrative stations. Instead, the entrepreneurs worked from their homes, lofts, and garages until they could gather adequate funds from investors (Gupta 2020). Useem (2017) mentions how IBM, one of the biggest companies in the world, allowed five of its employees in 20 | P a g e 1979 to work from home as an experiment. It put boxy, green-screened terminals in the homes of these employees to alleviate a bottleneck at the office mainframe, allowing them to work from home, which then seemed practical. In 1983, the company allowed 2 000 employees to work remotely as they were satisfied with the experiment’s outcome (Gupta, 2020). In 2018, many companies in different parts of the world, were entirely remote, while 70% of the world's population were working remotely at least once a week, and 53% worked remotely half the week, implying that more than half of the world's population were working as remote workers (Casey, 2019). The unexpected virtual office setup due to the Covid-19 pandemic was not an easy transition for some people, hence below, the operations of how the world adapted to working from home will be outlined in detail. 2.4 Working from home worldwide Generally, the world reacted differently when faced with the pandemic, as the Covid- 19 statistics were not the same in each country. However, one thing that was common worldwide was the hard lockdown, but a more notable finding was the variance in the design, timing, and implementation of the lockdown measures. The term lockdown does not have a precise meaning, even though it is widely used. Haider et al. (2020) define lockdown as a set of measures targeted at minimising the transmission of Covid-19 that is implemented indiscriminately to a broad population and contains certain constraints on the established pattern of social and economic life. In 2020, the world was at a stage of hard lockdown and the population was requested to strictly stay at home. Home confinement imposed constraints were implemented on the general population to remain at home for specified periods, curfew was commonly used interchangeably with home confinement, and exceptions were typically made for those whose jobs were deemed vital or for specified sanctioned activities like grocery shopping or exercise. That meant the non-essential occupation individuals could not go to work, therefore, working from home was the only option left to keep the organisations going and for employees to continue earning an income. 21 | P a g e Due to the disparities in the financial status (poor, middle, and high class) worldwide, working from home is not welcomed in the same manner. According to Dingel and Neiman (2020), several occupations can be performed from home, within fractions of detailed occupations. Only a few can work from home and the metric-based its response on the features of each employment. Unfortunately, not all job responsibilities can be done at home. The capacity to work from home is defined by physical and social elements that impact the nature of work and workplace behaviors, such as information input, usage of mechanised equipment, and engagement with people, among other things. According to Hatayama et al. (2020), 37% of employment in the United States can be done from home, with variances depending on city and industry. Domestic workers, drivers, hotel chefs, and security guards, for example, must be present at their workplaces, whereas lecturers, accountants, and software developers can engage in online programs from home (Benhura, 2021). In the findings, most positions in management and professional occupations, at 76.8% and 70.6%, respectively, can be done from home. Table 1, below demonstrates the percentage of work that can be performed from home using the professional category in the United States of America. Table 1: Percentage of work that can be done from home using the main professional category according to the United States of America. Occupation (Done on ISCO) WFH (in %) 1 Managers 76.8 2 Professionals (lawyers, accountants, etc.) 70.6 3 Technicians and associate professionals 39.6 4 Clerical support workers 49.6 5 Services and sales workers 20.7 6 Skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers 8.3 7 Elementary 9.6 8 Plant and machine operators and assemblers 7.4 9 Craft and related trades workers 3.9 (Dingel & Neiman, 2020) 22 | P a g e The above data relates with findings that were done in South Africa whereby the fundamental structure of occupations and industries of employment is an inhabiting factor for working from home (Benhura and Magejo, 2020). Existing information reveals that fewer jobs can be done from home compared to those that cannot, this varies from 6% of all occupations in Ghana to the 56% in Germany (Saltiel, 2020; Dingel and Neiman, 2020). When comparing managers and professionals, administrative support employees, service and sales workers, craft and allied trades workers, plant and machine operators, and individuals in elementary sectors are more confined to work from home (Benhura, 2021). With the above being said, it is evident that managerial and professional jobs account for a sizable proportion of employment in high-income nations (Gottlieb et al., 2020) Below we focus on how differences in economic structure among nations lead to differences in the capacity to work from home. 2.4.1 Under-developed countries Poorer countries have a high proportion of unemployed people, and their occupational variety is not favorable for working from home due to infrastructure limitation, access to certain services, lower education and general development (Matli, 2020; Viollaz, 2022). At national level, the percentage of work that can be performed from home in poor nations vs affluent countries is determined by farmers’ capacity to work from home. According to Dingel and Neiman (2020), farmers can seldomly work from home because they must physically be on the farming land to monitor the progress of the crop or the livestock. It is unclear to what degree this applies to farming in developing nations, which occurs in various technical settings and geographical settings. 2.4.2 Developed countries For developed countries, it was somewhat different from how the underdeveloped countries have navigated their way around WFH. By April 2020, half of the employed population in the United States worked from home (Brynjolfsson et al., 2020) and in the UK, the percentage is around 47% (Cameron, 2020). Furthermore, in 2020, social media platforms such as Twitter permitted their employees to work remotely 23 | P a g e indefinitely. This mirrors the sentiments of 25% of the IT workers who want to transition to full-time remote employment (Gupta, 2020). It is evident that in different parts of the world, WFH is embraced in different ways. The literature below will outline the South African perspective of remote work and how other companies deal with the new normal. 2.5 Working from home in South Africa The world of labor has undergone an extraordinary transformation. Some organisations, for example, have had to embrace teleworking to remain viable in the face of the pandemic. During that period, the South African government implemented a countrywide lockdown in response to the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic, which was announced by the President Cyril Ramaphosa in March 2020. The National State of Disaster was formally ended on April 5, 2022, after spanning from the most severe lockdown level 5 (27 March - 30 April 2020) to the less severe lockdown level 1 (1 October 2021 - 4 April 2022) (Disaster Management Act No.57 of 2002, 2002). In a search conducted by Benhura (2021), males are more likely than women to be unable to work from home in South Africa. Of the four population categories, Black Africans, Coloreds, and Indians/Asians are more likely to be unable to work from home. Furthermore, those who live in informal settlements have fewer opportunities to work from home than those in urban areas. Regarding geographic location, employees in rural regions face more constraints while working from home than those in urban areas (Haider et al., 2020). Longitudinal studies reveal that certain businesses with low-skilled jobs cannot permit employees to WFH, as they require them to be physically present to perform their jobs responsibility (Kawaguchi & Motegi, 2020). Variations in production organisations or degrees of technology adoption, according to Hatayama et al. (2020) means an occupation with the possibility of working from home. Metrics based on the United States may lead to skewed findings on the viability of working from home in developing countries. Therefore, within this constraint, Kerr & Thornton (2020) attempted to adapt Dingel & Neiman’s (2020) categorisation to the South African environment using normative reasoning. According to their findings, 24 | P a g e 13.8% (2 million workers) of South Africans who were working before the strict lockdown can potentially work from home. Over and above that, 63% of workers are incapable of working from home (about 10.5 million workers). Therefore, the study shows that working from home is only feasible for highly skilled people. Before the Omicron variant emerged, it looked like most South African organisations wanted to return to the office and implemented two to three days back in the office each week, according to Linda Trim, director of Giant Leap, one of South Africa's prominent workplace design consultants (Staff Writer, 2021). The fact that not all employment responsibilities can be completed from home, has created an essential question concerning the viability of occupations performed at home (Hatayama et al., 2020). The upcoming discussions will be on a vital concept to the world of higher education, including productivity in the workplace while employees work from home. Although some easily adapted to the idea of WFH, others struggled due to various valid reasons that will be uncovered in detail later. 2.6 WFH in the higher educational institutions Universities have a long history of working in volatile, disruptive, and unexpected circumstances. They have seen political instabilities, economic meltdowns, technological and digital transformations, and globalisation trends (Wangenge-Ouma & Kupe, 2020). To satisfy the Covid-19 pandemic guidelines, employment patterns in higher education have ebbed and flowed. With working from home during the outbreak of the pandemic, the higher educational institutions were more concerned about the transition in academia and not so much about the support employees. Campuses that have been centres of study for decades were deserted, and institutions needed to figure out how to keep going while not abandoning anyone. This was no simple task with thousands of students enrolled, from various origins and socioeconomic backgrounds (Wangenge-Ouma & Kupe, 2020). Academic staff, support staff, and students scrambled to find methods to adapt. The pandemic compelled South African universities to take a rapid leap into the future (Armstrong et al., 2021). Many university lecturers conducted classes online using 25 | P a g e tools like Blackboard, Moodle, and Zoom. In contrast, support staff utilised video conferencing and executed tasks remotely, to assure the organisation's continued viability (James, 2020). Above all, the pandemic inspired higher education institutions to innovate and develop new instructional systems and evaluation methodologies (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). The pandemic provided the educational system in general with a chance to pave the route for the use of digital learning. According to researchers, there are several flaws in higher education, such as a lack of online teaching infrastructure, a lack of exposure for instructors to undertake online teaching, an information gap, a non-conducive atmosphere for home study, equality, and academic excellence (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). It became evident that universities, like the rest of society, rely on universal, affordable internet connectivity, a national imperative still to be achieved. Device access, digital literacy, infrastructure, and systems are almost unavoidable in higher education and an increased investment in employee upskilling, training, equipment, and infrastructure is necessary (Armstrong et al., 2021). Before the pandemic, many higher education institutions permitted academic staff to work from home but not support staff. However, during the pandemic, it was discovered that most of the support staff duties can be done remotely (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). According to a poll conducted by Boston University, academic and support personnel self-reported that they are more productive working remotely (Lederman, 2022). The most significant issue institutions have with working from home is culture (self-discipline etc) and maintaining it. 2.7 The impact of WFH on productivity The main aim and the most crucial reason why many organisations exist, is to ensure that they make a profit. And for that to materialise, the organisations need to be fully productive by being effective and efficient. The main idea of productivity is for employees to spend their working hours wisely to produce great results. Productive employees concentrate on the right things at the applicable moments. Hence productivity is the primary driver of progress (Padayachee, 2021). To some extent, the 26 | P a g e Covid-19 pandemic significantly altered perceptions of where and how individuals work best. Many organisations reported work-efficiency gains from WFH, but they also show that there are certain drawbacks to this system (Alaqra & Andersson, 2020). It has also been discovered that some people are productive by working in public places; coffee shops stimulate creativity in ways that workplaces and residences cannot (Lufkin, 2021). According to research, the stimuli in these public spaces make them a fantastic working environment; the combination of noise, easygoing crowds, and visual variety may offer just the right amount of distraction to help them be sharp and most creative (Lufkin, 2021). Even though 66% of professionals reported improved productivity while working from home, 24% of employers stated that employee productivity concerns are a significant obstacle to long-term remote working (Smith, 2021). Data was gathered from a firm, Robert Walters’ 2021 Salary Survey, conducted amongst 2 000 professionals in South Africa. This survey shows that the employers and employees do not see the working from a home model in the same light. Many organisations that were previously opposed to workers working from home have found that employees might be just as effective working remotely, even with the unfavorable conditions of the stay-at-home instructions and social distancing (DeRamus, 2020). In the higher educational institutions, it was reported that there was improved autonomy, flexibility in workday scheduling, elimination of undesirable distractions, and high levels of job productivity and happiness. However, there is an issue with inadequate communication and a lack of opportunity for skill development (Aczel et al., 2021). Over the years, companies who were advocates of WFH started to recall employees to work from the office, one of them being the most prominent global company, IBM. In March 2017, IBM made a startling announcement and requested thousands of their workers to be back in its traditional office, to be physically present (Useem, 2017). Also, in 2018 a Facebook official was cited as saying that the business wants as few staff as possible to work from home, mentioning worries of decreased productivity and a lack of accountability (Gupta, 2020). However, due to the pandemic, Facebook has shifted its philosophy, and it expects more than half of its staff to be remote by 2025. 27 | P a g e The Chief Executive of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, in a memo to staff, stated that WFH has provided him with more room for long-term thinking and has even benefited him in spending more time with his family, which has made him happier and more productive at work (Cutter, 2021). Some organisations such as Amazon, Adobe and Microsoft have discovered better ways to navigate and ensure better productivity management. There are applications (apps) that can measure productivity that can hold teams accountable when working remotely (Simic, 2022). Employee training technology is the key to the future of remote work. Learning and growth are key components of an employee's performance on the other side of the wall, particularly for remote and hybrid-working personnel (Ramani, 2021). Companies, however, require the necessary digital tools to continue these projects. Some of the tools the organisations use are Google Docs and Hive for project management and collaboration. These tools track changes to documents and new projects so that teams can see how productive they are daily (Simic, 2022). Team communication tools like Slack, Sococo and project management tools such as Asana provided managers and company owners with simple solutions that allow them to operate their teams efficiently no matter where they are (Butler, 2021). Pawaria (2021) mentioned that Asana is one of the best productivity tools to keep higher education institutions organised and integrated. Employee training technology is the key to the future of remote work. Learning and growth are key components of an employee's performance on the other side of the wall, particularly for remote and hybrid-working personnel. Companies, however, require the necessary digital tools to continue these projects (Ramani, 2021). To many organisations and employees, WFH is a new paradigm they have never experienced, therefore, they did not have the experience or necessary equipment. The following discussion will be on how employers assisted employees to ease into the new normal of WFH. 28 | P a g e 2.8 Employers’ assistance to employees and the importance of creating a safe working space Organisations unfamiliar with the WFH era and how it works had to follow the operations of other companies like Automatic and Gitlab since they have been telecommuting for many years (Gupta, 2020; Oliver, 2021). See below: 2.8.1 Creating a workspace from home The first step towards remaining productive is to adopt a proper frame of mind. Having a dedicated workstation at home will assist in setting the tone. The workstation is not the only important thing in developing the technique but rather the ergonomic adjustments to ensure comfortability, even if it means putting a comfortable cushion on the work chair (Simic, 2022). It is also important to place the devices near the internet hotspot; one might say this is a no-brainer, but it is imperative to ensure that the workspace has complete access to high-speed internet (Boyarsky, 2021; Simic, 2022). Lastly, it is essential to ensure the workspace has excellent lighting, preferably natural light; however, if it is not possible, any well-lit area in the house will be sufficient. 2.8.2 Secure network Using mobile devices for work enables hackers to gain access to critical company information. A virtual private network (VPN) can connect remote employees to an organisation's internal network, providing enough protection against hackers while preventing remote risks (Simic, 2022). According to Gewirts (2021), VPN establishes a private tunnel across the public internet, the concept is that everything that is being communicated is enclosed in this private communication channel and encrypted, making it impossible to decode the packets even if they are intercepted. As a result, it conceals a person’s online identity, allowing the user to access the internet safely and anonymously (McCann & Hardy, 2022). VPNs are practical tools for protecting the organisation and its data. 29 | P a g e 2.8.3 Telephony among employees of a distributed team With WFH, organisations need to engage with employees via other methods besides regular emails. An elegant solution to this form of communication was a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) that enabled employees to make, receive and forward calls. The likes of Skype for Business were installed in this sense. Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is an IP communication name for various offices that manage the transmission of voice data over the internet. A key advantage of VOIP is that it allows for economical long-distance communication, the flexibility of applying various pressure improvements, data transfer capacity effectiveness, and inconvenience-free communication (Chaudhari, 2018). Simic (2022) also mentions that it records call traffic and allows you to trace the device’s users that make the calls. Callers can also leave voicemails on VOIP systems, making it a platform for unified communication. 2.8.4 Making use of the cloud Living in unpredictable times has forced many businesses to depend more on cloud apps. One of the main reasons to rely on cloud apps is to avoid losing or misplacing vital information. Currently, organisations increasingly rely on cloud apps and services to enable remote workers to remain productive while also gaining access to the corporate resources they require to complete their jobs (DeRamus, 2020). The most significant advantage of working on a cloud is that one knows when documents are uploaded, they will stay there and can be recovered at any time. 2.8.5 Password management Unfortunately, there is a considerable risk in the world of technology, like cyber- attacks, etc. Password management is a tool used to safeguard and manage passwords throughout their lifespan. Organisations use Password Management to protect the employee credentials from unauthorised access to accounts and services (Security Tech, 2021). Many organisations now incorporate policies that monitor access controls, safeguarding devices with a two-factor authentication by enabling users to regularly change passwords across devices e.g., changing passwords every three months (Simic, 2022). 30 | P a g e 2.9 Working from home policies Due to the pandemic, most, if not all, employees were required to work from home. As a result, most organisations were compelled to make the WFH policy a priority. In doing so, policies had to be developed with the practicality of both employers and employees in mind (Vyas & Butakhieo, 2020). Earlier in the year 2000, standards were required, and the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act legitimised remote workers and made telecommuting practices essential for businesses (Butler, 2021). For an organisation to succeed and operate accordingly, policies are imperative. The main aim of having a policy is to simply have guidelines and principles on how an organisation operates. Another reason for having a policy is to ensure consistency, accountability, efficiency, and clarity around specific issues, whether human resources or everyday operational matters. According to Kelly (2020), the goal of policies and procedures is to bring consistency to company operations and consequently reduce the chance of undesirable outcomes. Pollack Porter et al. (2018) explain it in a very simple way; it is a standard set of principles to govern a course of actions. Rules and procedures direct employees to operate in certain ways, helping the organisation to achieve its objectives more successfully. Policies and procedures can occasionally assist in achieving operational goals like creating a new product or handling customer service calls. Many organisations initially did not have the WFH policy before the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, many organisations had to draft WFH policies, also known as a remote work policy, allowing employees to work from home either full-time or whenever it is most convenient for them. New guidelines have been constructed in some higher educational institutions, allowing many employees to work from home up to two days a week. Institutions like human resources at Virginia Tech have implemented such policies, and 10% of the workforce already have qualified to work 100% off-site under the university’s evolving flexible work policy (Lederman, 2022). For employers, the increase in WFH during the pandemic challenged the policymakers 31 | P a g e worldwide, as they had to ensure they had the same rights and benefits for the employees as they had in the traditional office (ILO Brief, 2020). In the same light, policymakers kept in mind that not all occupations within the organisations can work from home. According to Leone (2020), policymakers also had to concentrate on methods to offer financial security for the poorest populations during moments of lockdown. As stipulated, policy plays a significant role in any organisation, and it is like the rule book. On the other end, the pandemic somehow highlighted the benefits and challenges of working from home that will be discussed below. 2.10 Benefits and challenges of working from home When Covid-19 reached the world, several businesses were forced to let their employees work from home to keep their operations running. However, many employees did not find this transition of working remotely accessible. There are some challenges and benefits of working from home, and it is outlined below: 2.10.1 Benefits 2.10.1.1 Savings costs for the organisation When employees work from the office, there are several expenses the company will incur, but if many employees work from home, the company will save on some operating costs. According to Garg & van der Rijst (2019), the company will save on infrastructure, electricity, water, internet bills, phones, cleaning services, and security. Erkic (2022) emphasises that working from home proved to help companies reduce overall operational expenses, the most significant cost being office space rentals for organisations that do not own property for office space. 2.10.1.2 Travel benefits When it comes to traveling, one of the most significant benefits of WFH is that the employee no longer has to worry about commuting to work, which saves them both time and money (Simic, 2022). Many employees find themselves spending a lot of time in traffic congestion since most of them start work at the same time. If an 32 | P a g e employee is mainly based at home, they will enjoy not being in traffic, which lowers stress levels (Garg & van der Rijst, 2019). Working from home benefits the employee and employer and has significant benefits for society regarding air pollution, traffic congestion, and energy consumption. According, to Hart (2019), employees who work from home often have a better work-life balance and are more productive because they save time driving to the office and can accomplish things more quickly in a focused setting. 2.10.1.3 Flexible working hours and reduced absence, WFH gives employees more flexibility in time, they get to feel independent since they have more control in managing their own time. This implies that employees can start and stop their days whenever they like, if their task is completed, resulting in positive consequences (Courtney, 2021). According to Garg and van der Rijst (2019), employees who work from home for at least 2.5 days a week experience a significantly lower work-life conflict. 2.10.2 Challenges Working from home does not only have benefits; the challenges/pitfalls that the employees face is discussed below. 2.10.2.1 Travel-related pitfalls Research confirms that active walking, using public transport, or even cycling is healthy for people, and employees that regularly travel have this advantage over those who do not regularly travel (Garg & van der Rijst, 2019). There are so many health issues that can impact individual health when working from home, that Dr. Berzin (2020) picked only one to highlight. Sitting for long hours can lead to weight gain, blood sugar issues, and a lower metabolism, while when one is around the office, one tends to walk around perhaps to make coffee and visit the canteen. 2.10.2.2 Professional isolation and organisational identification To some extent, when employees are working from home, they do not feel connected to the organisation’s work culture (Garg & van der Rijst, 2019). The lack of face-to- 33 | P a g e face contact can quickly impact the team’s cohesion, which can cause a disconnect among colleagues (Simic, 2022). Hence some employees will experience professional isolation, which causes employees to lose confidence in their skills and experience, putting them at a disadvantage in their job performance. 2.10.2.3 Manager-employee relationship Employees are responsible for driving innovation, creating goods, and shaping the consumer experience. Management teams understand that engaging with their employees is critical to the overall success of the organisation (Chopra, 2020). The WFH transition inevitably changed the regularity and quality of interactions between the managers and the employees. One of the common disadvantages of WFH between a manager and an employee is communication (Garg & van der Rijst, 2019). Subsequently, working from home reduces face-to-face communication coupled with less feedback from managers, which harms the quality of the manager-staff relationship (Oliver, 2021). In this instance, managers may not timeously be aware of employee dissatisfaction. 2.10.2.4 Load shedding The word load shedding originally entered the South African vernacular in 2007, when the country's primary electrical supplier stated that it would be unable to deliver power to the entire country simultaneously (Thompson, 2019). The electricity supplier indicated that it would establish a blackout schedule termed load shedding to save the whole electrical infrastructure from collapsing. According to a journalist Grootes (2019), in 1998, an Energy White Paper had already predicted that in 2007 the generation capacity surplus would be fully utilised, which was something that the electricity supplier was already aware of however, provision was not made for the foreseen circumstances. The energy supplier initially announced that the blackouts would only last five to seven years. However, to date South Africa is still experiencing blackouts. During that time, experts warned that the blackouts would affect the country’s economy since some organisations would be significantly affected and unable to operate without electricity (Thompson, 2019). 34 | P a g e Load shedding has such a significant impact on the business world, even during the pandemic, when people had to work from home, load shedding was an issue that affected employers and employees tremendously. In an article written by Moodley (2021), experts indicated that disruptions in the power supply affected those working from home‘s productivity levels. Other employees were able to make means by having generators or inverters, however, because of the entire area being down, this affects suppliers of Wi-Fi. During load shedding, many fibre users lose their access to the network. When the power is restored, too many users attempt to reconnect simultaneously, and this creates considerable delays because the network's control mechanisms become overburdened. It might take two to three hours for everyone to reconnect (Moodley, 2021). To date, this gap has made it very difficult for companies to handle daily operations. 2.11 Working from home and work-life balance The balance between work and people’s personal life is a recent quest many organisations are concerned about. Work life balance is defined as the capacity to balance work and personal life without experiencing a setback as a result of insufficient attention (Olanipekun et al., 2021). Whereas, OECD (2020), defines work-life balance as being able to balance family obligations, leisure, and work both a paid and unpaid effort. According to Wiradendi Wolor et al. (2021), work-life balance is supported by two concepts: accomplishment and happiness, and both are required. It has been shown that working from home has a positive impact on employees, such as improved work-life balance and fewer family disputes (Sirgy & Lee, 2018; Vyas & Butakhieo, 2020). Employees who can work from home can better manage work and personal commitments, which can lead to higher employee retention due to happier and more productive employees (Wiradendi Wolor et al., 2021). The transition toward more efficiently combining work and life is part of a cyclical tendency that precedes the Industrial Revolution. Home and work were not considered distinct geographical or conceptual components of life (Wiradendi Wolor et al., 2021). According to Abdel Hadi et al. (2021), WFH is a blessing and a burden since it gives additional flexibility to deal with many (conflicting) demands in the work-home 35 | P a g e interface. WFH has an impact on flexibility and workplace engagement since it allows employees to do their work at their own speed and does not require them to stick to office hours (Bina Bangsa et al., 2020; Grant et al., 2019). Homeworkers believe that working from home provides them with the freedom to manage their time efficiently, allowing one to reconcile the demands of their paid employment with the responsibilities of caring for others. It is said to provide people with greater freedom in balancing work and leisure (Sirgy & Lee, 2018) and it is linked to a higher level of family life satisfaction (Arntz et al., 2019). However, Palumbo (2020) discovered that working from home is adversely related to work-life-balance, with homeworkers being more prone to have work-life and life-to-work complications. Researchers found that work fatigue contributed to a reduction in work-life balance (Palumbo, 2020). Another study discovered that combining work and home environment issues, increased stress, which may reduce the benefits of WFH in comparison to work-life-balance (Beauregard et al., 2019). WFH was reassuring in terms of care because of the freedom to combine multiple jobs and family commitments, except that worktime was not segregated. While individuals who assigned a distinct location for work were able to better focus on work, the research results revealed a blurring of WLB (Gorjifard & Crawford, 2021). Some researchers identified two major issues: working longer hours for lesser compensation and an inability to shut off (Felstead & Henseke., 2017). Bouziri et al. (2020), confirms that overlapping borders between home and work time causes psychological danger. Maintaining a strong work-life balance has far-reaching consequences for many outcomes, including excellent health and well-being, good social and personal relationships, and individual and organisational performance and productivity (Olanipekun et al.,2021). In other words, a healthy work-life balance benefits both the employee and the organisation. Perhaps the working balance will be seen post Covid- 19 when working from home is no longer a forced obligation but a flexible option. 2.12 Post Covid-19 intent to shift to remote work Since its existent, Covid-19 has shown to have a long-term influence on the future of work (McRae & Aykens, 2022). The increasing popularity of remote work is not a 36 | P a g e passing trend, because of the extra freedom it provides, working remotely has become a mantra to the younger generation in recent years (Kong et al., 2022). Many businesses are considering making WFH a permanent option and are ready to enrol their employees in enterprise-wide collaboration platforms. Findings by a survey that was conducted in January 2022 of full-time workers from Ergotron found that workers have become more acclimated to hybrid and remote office environments since the pandemic’s inception, they said to be experiencing better physical and mental well-being (Robinson, 2022). As a result, many companies are considering a hybrid virtual approach that combines remote work with time spent in the office Companies should pay any attention and look beyond today to create more progressive workplace practices that will help them prosper, according to the findings, executives must rethink their workplace culture to be more accepting of remote and hybrid work—as this is the new normal (Robinson, 2022). This cautious step will lead to significant productivity improvements, this is supported by Barrero, Bloom & Davis, (2021), who stated that they anticipated that greater WFH levels will increase productivity by 4,6% because WFH saves time on travel which accounts for more than half of this productivity boost. However, while productivity has increased, many employees report feeling nervous and worn out (Alexander et al., 2021). It appears even though there is a quest for the new normal that encompasses the future of work and the role of the office, there seems to be an emerging concern about the mental health effects WFH can have on some employees (Ipsen et al., 2021). On the other end, individuals who work from home need flexibility for several reasons. WFH is a popular option for people who need to care for dependent children. Many parents believe that the expense of day care is prohibitively expensive, and that it may even consume your whole pay check, therefore working from home is another option that allows you to maintain their income while caring for the children (Cinelli, 2022). Still, many employees just want a better work-life balance and the convenience of working in a different location. During the pandemic questions like do we really need to be together, in an office to work our work? We received our response during the pandemic. We discovered that many of 37 | P a g e us don't need to be located with colleagues on-site to complete our tasks. Individuals, teams, and whole workforces can all operate well while being completely distributed— and they have (Choudhury, 2020). Remote working is considered the way of the future in a post-pandemic era. In higher education, there has been a tremendous shift whereby institutions made sense of the impact of working from home. It has been a moment to be innovative, proactive, and to adapt for a post Covid-19 world (Wangenge-Ouma & Kupe, 2020). Baker’s (2021), research project involving 229 human resources (HR) departments showed that approximately 50% of the organisations had more than 80% of the employees working from home during the early stages of Covid-19; and predicted a substantial long-term increase in working from home after the pandemic (Kniffin et al., 2021). Facebook estimated that 50% of its employees might be working from home within five to ten years. It promises to modify compensation for employees who relocate to places with a lower cost of living (Dans, 2020). In addition, Google declared that employees whose jobs do not necessitate their presence at the Googleplex, its fictional headquarters, would be able to continue working from home as they wish. They would receive a certain amount for purchasing computers, additional monitors, cameras, and office furniture (Dans, 2020). According to Samantha-Jane Gravett, associate director at Robert Walters Africa, while the pandemic did not necessarily bring about completely new trends in working style, it undoubtedly accelerated the inevitability surrounding flexible working by as much as 5 to 10 years for many organisations (Smith, 2021). In recent research, 74% of companies want to relocate staff to remote employment, and 48% of workers will likely work remotely at least as part of their post Covid-19 strategy (Baker, 2021; Butler, 2021). As a result, workers who have more experience working from home may be more responsive to tacit social structures like loyalty and organisational connectedness (Garg & van der Rijst, 2019). The recent trend in thinking regarding post Covid-19 prospects is that most organisations are looking into investing in employees to either work from home full-time or to have a flexible work schedule where they can either be at the office or home-based. Despite the challenges 38 | P a g e remote work presents, Forbes thinks WFH will be the most significant legacy of the pandemic (Labeau, 2021). 2.13 Conclusion Thus far, WFH was a vital tool for mitigating the economic consequences of social- distancing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic (Gottlieb et al., 2020). Increased employee productivity and contentment are more than enough for some organisations to continue allowing work from home after the stay at home orders lessen (DeRamus, 2020). Covid-19 overwhelmed the world, challenged society in previously unknown ways, pushing individuals to reevaluate a wide range of habits, from work to pleasure to fundamental travel and everyday duties. Not only has this had an individual impact, but it has also had an economic impact on countries, putting a variety of economic sectors to a halt (Vyas & Butakhieo, 2020). While research has revealed that WFH has both advantages and disadvantages, it is crucial to highlight that these can have an impact on the well-being and performance of people. Proper training is essential if this technique (WFH) becomes a viable choice or the new standard. Perhaps the working balance will be seen after the pandemic when WFH is no longer a forced obligation but rather a flexible option. It is evident through research that has been conducted that remote work is here to stay. 39 | P a g e CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The previous chapter focused on what the