Research: How WFH Can Actually Strengthen Bonds Between Coworkers

by Beth Schinoff, Ashley E. Hardin, Kris Byron and Rachel Balven

November 8, 2024

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Summary.

Increasingly, employers are rolling back the remote work arrangements instituted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Companies such as Starbucks, Walmart, Google, JP Morgan Chase, and Amazon have called employees back into the office — some even mandating a five-day-a-week return-to-office (RTO) schedule.

Beth Schinoff is an Assistant Professor of Management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at University of Delaware. Her research focuses on how employees connect with each other in situations that can be challenging for connection. She has published numerous articles in top management outlets such as Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Organizational Science.

Ashley E. Hardin is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on personal knowledge (i.e., information about the nonwork lives of colleagues) within organizations and how people manage work-life boundaries. She has published numerous articles in top management outlets such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Organizational Science.

Kris Byron is the Meredith M. Leapley WomenLead Professor of Management at Georgia State University. Her research interests include perception, creativity, and diversity at work. She is among the top 2% of all cited scholars in the world and is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Academy of Management Review. She has published numerous articles in journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Psychological Bulletin, and Organizational Science.

Rachel Balven is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on ethical behavior, entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility She has published numerous articles in top management outlets such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Human Resource Management Review.

Read more on Teams or related topics Virtual teams, Collaboration and teams, Employee engagement, Employee retention, Work environments, Hybrid work and Remote work

Research: How WFH Can Actually Strengthen Bonds Between Coworkers

Summary.

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