The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the remote work - an employee perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic - an unprecedented example of VUCA surroundings - caused significant changes in the work environment. To limit the risk of infection and on account of closing educational establishments, a large number of employees started to work remotely. The research presented in this article aimed to assess the remote work - its scale and frequency, its selected characteristics, and crucial impediments before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative research on the group of 327 deliberately chosen respondents proved that the number of employees working exclusively from a distance has significantly increased. Additionally, the following positive effects were indicated: timesaving, work adjustment to personal needs', work-life balance. The most negative consequences of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic were: no direct contact with co-workers, blurring lines between work and private life, feeling of permanent presence at work. Lack of social relationships and isolation were pointed out as the most significant impediment of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. For those respondents who have children under 18, the greatest impediment was the presence of children at home and the need for taking care of them and learning with them. The research results explicitly show the significance of interpersonal relationships in employees' functioning within the organization. Respondents declared the willingness to more often work remotely after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.