ABSTRACT

Considerable attention has been paid to employees’ experiences when working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic, including their well-being and performance. However, less attention has been paid to how managers experience WFH and how this may challenge them in their new role as distance managers. This study investigates how managers of knowledge work experienced distance management during COVID-19. An international survey was distributed in the first weeks of the Danish national lockdown and collected data in spring 2020. Based on Danish responses from 1053 employees and 290 managers of knowledge work, who had limited prior experience in distance management, our analysis revealed 12 items where managers found their work during lockdown to be more challenging than employees did. The implications are that research and practice should consider the well-being and performance consequences of WFH not only for employees but also for managers, as their experiences differ, and the managers express challenges in their leadership.

摘要

在COVID-19大流行期间，员工在家工作（WFH）时的经历已得到相当多的关注，包括他们的健康和表现。但是，对于管理者如何体验WFH以及这如何挑战他们作为远程管理者这一新角色的关注却很少。这项研究调查了知识管理者在COVID-19期间如何体验距离管理。丹麦国家禁闭行动的最初几周进行了一项国际调查，并于2020年春季收集了数据。根据丹麦在1053名员工和290名知识管理经理的反馈中，他们在远程管理方面的经验有限，我们的分析显示有12个项目经理发现锁定期间的工作比员工的工作更具挑战性。