CHAPTER II

RELATED LITERATURE REVIEW

According to Zou et al., (2020b), the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way that
people work and most people chose to work form home(WFH). Many companies have
opted for flexible work practices, such as working from home to reduce the spread of
disease and losses. During the Covid-19 crisis, most people were already using online
commerce as well as WFH and digital businesses and in response to the outbreak of
the crisis, work patterns changed and the work from home model grew rapidly.
Researchers found that over 80% employees felt more mentally relaxed working
from home (Sun life 2020). Likewise, Grant et al. (2013) stated that e-working would
improve QWL, and e-employees found it possible to combine work-life and non-work
life. Employees found that their productivity was improved by e–working (Grant et al.
2019). (Arntz, Sarra, and Berlingieri 2019) indicate that among parents, WFH decreases
the gender gap in working hours and monthly earnings, as contractual hours increase
more among mothers. Working from home (WFH) has both benefits and challenges for
the employees when it is compared to the office working. While some of the
researchers, such as Shafizadeh et al. (2000) claim that working from home increases
the productivity of the employees, other researchers, such as (Purwanto et al.2020),
claim the opposite that WFH can lose employees‟ work motivation because they have
to bear the cost related to WFH.
One of the most influential reasons for preferring working from home is the
flexible scheduling options. Lupu (2017:695) states that flexible scheduling enables
employees to have a certain autonomy in planning their daily lives, including both
employee and family activities according to their needs, such as taking their children to
school or go to the doctor. Ford and Butts (1991:20) mention the possibility of the
employees to modify their working schedule daily or even hourly. Wienclaw (2019:2)
lists the benefits of flexible scheduling option as follows: being free to sleep in and work
late, starting and ending early, working forty hours in four days instead of five or six
days a week, scheduling personal appointments (e.g. physician, dentist, hairdresser)
during office work-hours and completing the work later in the evening without using
vacation days.
Another benefit of working from home for the employees is saving time in
commuting to the office, avoiding rush-hour traffic. Ford and Butts (1991:20) claim that
eliminating the stresses of driving in rush hour traffic may represent the most important
advantage for many employees. Wienclaw (2019:2) indicates that by not commuting,
employees will have more free-time to spend with their families.
In the study of Go et al., (2021), about exploring the attitudes of Filipino
employees toward work during the COVID-19 crisis. Several themes that reflect
favorable and unfavorable attitudes toward job and work tasks, work arrangements,
employers, as well as work-life balance, health, and sustainability emerged from the
data. These themes were described using the tripartite (or affect-behavior-cognition)
model of attitudes. Results of the study emphasize the importance of context in shaping
employee attitudes, and suggest different ways organizations can help improve
employees’ experiences and perception of work during and beyond the COVID-19
crisis.
Republic Act No. 11165, otherwise known as the Telecommuting Act, recognizes
telecommuting, or work from an alternative workplace with the use of
telecommunications and/or computer technologies. A work from home arrangement
can be properly considered as telecommuting.
The Telecommuting Act grants the following rights to WFH employees:
1. A WFH employee should be given the same treatment as an onsite employee. This
means that the WFH employee should have the same or equivalent workload and
performance standards, access to training and career development opportunities and
subjected to the same appraisal policies as those of comparable workers at the
employer’s premises.
2. A WFH employee should be given fair treatment as to rate of pay, benefits and rest
days.
3. A WFH employee shall have the same collective rights and access to safety and
health services afforded to onsite employees.
4. A WFH employee should receive the appropriate training, at NO cost to him, on the
technical equipment used as well as the characteristics and conditions of
telecommuting.
5. A WFH employee should be given the opportunity to meet with colleagues and
access to the regular workplace.