1017850

research-article2021
ADHXXX10.1177/15234223211017850Advances in Developing Human ResourcesYarberry and Sims

Article
Advances in Developing Human

The Impact of COVID-19-

Resources
1­–16
© The Author(s) 2021
Prompted Virtual/Remote Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
Work Environments DOI: 10.1177/15234223211017850
https://doi.org/10.1177/15234223211017850
journals.sagepub.com/home/adh
on Employees’ Career
Development: Social Learning
Theory, Belongingness, and
Self-Empowerment

Shana Yarberry1 and Cynthia Sims2

Abstract
The Problem.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many workers to move from brick and mortar
buildings to virtual/remote environments. This created situations in which workers
were forced to not only work virtually, but to work alone. The lack of physical contact
with others has the potential to stifle efforts to remain engaged and consequently
impede career development and progress.
The Solution.
Virtual mentoring is essential for providing emotional support, creating opportunities
for dialogue, helping employees discover a balance between work and life,
implementing a reward system, and enhancing an overall sense of well-being and
belongingness for employees working in virtual/remote environments. Self-efficacy,
a component of social learning theory, is a useful concept to study virtual/remote
workers who often become self-empowered and rely on their own cognitive abilities
to perform in a virtual/remote environment to ensure successful career outcomes.
The Stakeholders.
HRD professionals, managers, supervisors, and others involved in ensuring that workers
are engaged, supported, and continuously building skills while working virtually.

Keywords
belongingness, career development, self-empowerment, social learning theory, virtual
work environments

1
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, Italy
2
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA

Corresponding Author:
Shana Yarberry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, Italy.
Email: sxj008@uark.edu
2 Advances in Developing Human Resources 00(0)

Although it made its world debut in 2019, in early 2020, the United States began to
face a major pandemic known as COVID-19 that nearly shut down the entire country,
many industries, and the economy. As of March 2021, there were approximately
30,000,000 cases and over 545,000 deaths in the United States (Center for Disease
Control [CDC], 2021). States, schools, businesses, and organizations modified their
operations to adhere to governmental, public health, and medical officials’ recommen-
dations. With recommendations and orders to encourage or enforce social distancing,
a significant shift in how and where employees worked changed quickly. Matthew
et al. (2020) stated that 31% of employees transitioned from on-site to a virtual/remote
platform within 1 month amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, compa-
nies such as Amazon, Facebook, and PayPal have offered and adopted long-term
remote work options.
The fallout from the pandemic has caused employers to become purposeful in
utilizing the virtual/remote platform as a replacement for the traditional work plat-
form. First, inadaptability to a virtual/remote work environment could negatively
affect learning and productivity. Second, employees who are not able to collaborate
and share with others in their work group may feel less engaged. Negative effects
of social isolation could result in impede career progress and possibly cause work-
ers to pursue other career interests. Miller and Morris (2016) affirmed, “from a
social learning perspective, virtual peers should influence individual behavior for
those who communicate in an online-only capacity in a manner that is generally
similar to traditional peers’ effects” (p. 1545); however this phenomenon has not
been studied in depth. Human resource development (HRD) professionals will play
a significant role as a catalyst of change and lead efforts to support and prepare the
workforce for a virtual/remote work environment during and after the pandemic.
They must develop strategies that will help employees achieve their career goals
and still meet their organizational needs while the adjusting to a virtual/remote
work environment.

Purpose of the Study

In this article, the term virtual/remote will refer to work environments where employ-
ees perform work autonomously in non-traditional settings, and must often rely on
their own abilities to carry out and complete tasks (Staples et al., 1999). The experi-
ences of eight employees from various professions were studied to examine the impact
of working in a virtual/remote environment as a consequence of COVID-19. To learn
about their experiences, we pose the following research questions:

1. How do employees experience COVID-19-prompted virtual/remote working

environments?
2. How are employees able to enhance their skills and knowledge for career
development and progress?
3. What can employers do to assist with employees’ career development?
Yarberry and Sims 3

First, we discuss the significance of this study to the field of human resource develop-
ment. Next we consider the challenges of working in a virtual/remote environment
with opportunities that are created. We then show how social learning theory explains
how individuals who work in solitude often become self-empowered and rely on their
own cognitive abilities to perform in a virtual/remote environment. Finally, we present
our findings from interviews with the eight participants. Implications are made for
HRD research and practice.

Significance of the Study to Human Resource

Development
Certain events or conditions can occur which influence the career preferences, skills,
and plans of an individual’s career movement (Krumboltz & Vidalakis, 2000). Events
such as COVID-19, followed by required virtual/remote work environments, can
influence individuals’ emotional and cognitive responses and their learning abilities,
thereby impacting their career development. Krumboltz et al., (1976) found that learn-
ing experiences also occur when individuals are forced to respond to uncontrollable
events. Undoubtedly, COVID-19 has changed how HRD professionals and leaders
prepare individuals and organizations for change during uncertainty but also how indi-
viduals respond to the change (Lent & Brown, 2013).
The field of HRD is responsible for fostering a long-term, work-related learning
capacity for employees at all organizational levels to include training, career develop-
ment, and organizational development (Watkins, 1989). According to Lepak et al.
(2005), HRD professionals can engage in transactional and transformational HRD
activities such as career management, skills training, and competency awareness in
times of transition. More importantly, these activities enable the organization to adapt
and prepare for significant change and respond to environmental uncertainty such as
the COVID-19 outbreak (Garavan, 2007). However, unanticipated interruptions chal-
lenge the efforts of HRD professionals to effectively facilitate developmental pro-
grams and activities. HRD professionals should be aware that they are positioned to
make the most significant impact and organizational contribution to employee devel-
opment during times of ambiguity and unplanned circumstances (Lent & Brown,
2013). As a result, HRD professionals can become a catalyst of change and lead the
efforts to support, sustain, and advance the career development of today’s virtual
workforce.

Virtual Career Development Challenges and

Opportunities
Amid the pandemic, continuous learning, effective communication, and maintaining
collaboration are essential in the virtual/remote workplace and are significant organi-
zational functions for career success. “With technology transforming workplaces from
physical spaces into virtual/remote environments” (Chalofsky, 2010, p. 148), the HRD
4 Advances in Developing Human Resources 00(0)

function is increasingly tasked with formulating effective strategies for technology-

based workplace learning (Hughes, 2020).While employees at all levels of the work-
force share responsibility to leverage technology and identify resources to support
learning and development during workplace disruptions, HRD professionals are
encouraged to become organizational designers when changes occur to the work envi-
ronment (Bennett, 2010). Such action may require developmental strategies that differ
from traditional activities prior to the workplace disruption. Therefore, organizations
must anticipate more digital transformation and strategize ways to apply virtual human
resource development (VHRD) to prepare employees (Bennett & McWhorter, 2021).
Virtual platforms make professional development readily accessible and practical
(Boyd & Jackson, 2004).
Another challenge for virtual/remote work environments is sustaining mentoring
relationships. Mentoring from a distance is identified as “e-mentoring, computer-
mediated mentoring, tele-mentoring, e-mail mentoring, internet mentoring, online
mentoring, cybermentoring, and virtual mentoring” (Perren, 2003, p. 520).
Organizations should prioritize the development of individuals even in times of transi-
tion and design programs to support such efforts.

Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977a) explains how people learn through observa-
tion of role models. Bandura emphasized the significance of acquiring new knowledge
and skills by paying attention, retaining the information observed, reproducing the
observed behavior, and being motivated to continue the newly learned behavior. A
premise of social learning theory is that interaction with others is critical for employee
development and explains how the work environment along with emotional support
can influence one’s career development and progress. Therefore, Bandura’s social
learning theory is useful for explaining the significance of connecting with others by
having conversations, participating in learning communities, joining communities of
practices, and engaging in mentoring relationships (Bond & Blevins, 2020). However,
these connections could be challenging to develop and maintain in virtual/remote
work environments.
Mentoring, based on multiple tenets of social learning theory, is a recognized
human resource/career development activity that could be easily implemented in a
virtual environment. Moreover, mentoring “has been associated with organizational
socialization, career commitment, and positional power, which is access to important
people and influence over organizational policy decisions” (Harvey et al., 2010, p.
222). Positive impacts of mentoring include “reconnecting to the organizational mis-
sion, improving one’s outlook on the future of the organization, feeling a sense of
accomplishment and achievement, reducing a tendency toward turnover, and improv-
ing morale or commitment to the organization” (p. 222). However, achieving the
positive impacts of mentoring is challenging in a virtual/remote work environment.
In this work environment, access to influential organizational members is limited.
Therefore, social learning through mentoring is likely to be minimal and less
Yarberry and Sims 5

effective on career development, unless organizations address this deficit as a critical

necessity.
Bandura (1977b) further explained how situations may require that workers become
self-empowered and rely on their own cognitive abilities and remain motivated to
perform well. The strength of a person’s beliefs in their own effectiveness is likely to
affect whether or not they will try to cope with unanticipated situations on their own
without the expectation of support from others. In a virtual/remote environment, “self-
efficacy determines how much effort a person will expend and how long they will
persist in the face of obstacles and aversive experiences” (Bandura, 1977b, p. 194).
Self-efficacy is reinforced by a role model or another person of significance through
rewards and other supportive measures such as consideration to the unexpected change
of balance between work and home. A person with strong self-efficacy is more likely
to overcome situations that interfere with their work performance and ultimately
career progress.

Methodology
A qualitative, phenomenological method was used to study the lived experiences, cog-
nitive responses, and emotional reactions of eight participants who were mandated to
work in a virtual/remote work environment. A phenomenological method is used to
describe the common meanings found among people who experienced the same phe-
nomenon (Creswell, 2013). The phenomenon experienced in this study is COVID-19.
Semi-structured interviews and open-ended questions were designed to capture the
essence of these experiences. The interview questions were structured around the
research questions:

1. How do employees experience COVID-19-prompted virtual/remote working

environments?
2. How are employees able to enhance their skills and knowledge for career
development and progress?
3. What can employers do to assist with employees’ career development?

These questions were fundamental to learning more about the experiences of employ-
ees who moved from a brick and mortar to a virtual/remote work environment during
the pandemic and the impact made on their career development and progress.

Participant Selection and Data Collection

To answer the research questions, purposeful sampling was used to “select informa-
tion-rich [subjects] whose study will illuminate the questions under study” (Patton,
1990, p. 169). One of the researchers e-mailed a letter detailing the study and a consent
form to some of her colleagues to recruit prospective participants. Each prospective
participant was asked to recommend other potential interested participants for the
study. A diverse group of eight men and women were selected based on responses to
6 Advances in Developing Human Resources 00(0)

the e-mail, specifically which indicated they were working virtually due to COVID-19
and wanted to share their experiences. This small population was appropriate for this
study because of the diversity in their work backgrounds (e. g. occupation and indus-
try). Patton (1990) justified the use of small samples by stating:

when selecting a small sample of great diversity, the data collection and analysis will
yield two kinds of findings: (1) high-quality, detailed descriptions of each case, which are
useful for documenting uniqueness, and (2) important shared patterns that cut across
cases and derive their significance from having emerged out of heterogeneity. (p. 172).

A small sample allowed the researchers to extract detailed data from each interview
and still learn of the similarities in the participants’ experiences.
Participants agreed to a 30- to 45-minute, in-depth interview. All eight of the par-
ticipants were interviewed via free teleconference technology, specifically Zoom. The
online method was preferred because the participants were not accessible for face-to-
face interviews due to COVID-19 and “[s]ynchronous online interviewing is a use-
ful. . .replacement to face-to-face interviews” (Deakin & Wakefield, 2014, p. 1). In
addition, the online method offers greater flexibility logistically, allows interviewees
to withdraw by easily disconnecting the video call, and allows interviewees to choose
their level of contact—video or audio only. Each interview participant gave both ver-
bal and written permission to be recorded, and they were each given a $25 Amazon gift
card for their participation.
Each participant provided demographic data during the interview. Table 1 contains
the data and assigned pseudonyms for each participant in the study.
The participants were asked to explain why they decided to participate in the
study. Some of the reasons included interest in the topics, wanting to discuss life
experiences with the phenomena, and to help with resolving the problems associ-
ated with remote learning. Other compelling reasons for participating included dis-
covering underlying issues that working people dealt with during the pandemic and
using this study as an opportunity to advance the knowledge on career impact dur-
ing a catastrophic event.

Data Analysis
The data analysis process began with open coding of the transcribed interviews. Each
line of text was reviewed for significant words and phrases, which were written in the
margins next to each line. The words and phrases were then written on separate sheets
of paper, so that similar properties could be listed together in a cluster and given a
category name.
Axial coding was the next step, which included relating each category to the
other categories. Constant comparisons were made, and some categories were col-
lapsed into each other when there appeared to be duplication. Selective coding was
the final step of the coding process, during which the researchers identified the
main themes.
Yarberry and Sims 7

Table 1.  Participant Demographics.

Length of time
working virtually
Participants Age Position (months) Industry

Danyell 36 Educator 7 Public education/school district

Beverly 48 Talent acquisition manager 8 Healthcare
Jamie 32 Manager, physician liaison 8 Healthcare
Darrell 53 Database administrator 8 Energy
Edward 63 Customer service representative 8 Healthcare
Taylor 50 Educator 8 Public education/school district
Diane 35 Customer service representative 8 Healthcare
Lisa 29 Project manager 8 Financial services

Findings and Discussion

Several major themes emerged during data analysis: emotional impact, enhanced self-
efficacy and self-empowerment, lack of human connection and belongingness, value
of employees, work-life balance, and virtual mentoring. The findings from these
themes are discussed in this section.

Emotional Impact
The participants were asked to explain if working remotely had impacted their morale
or motivation. This elicited passion from most of them. A few of them stated that this
was a great question, and most explained that indeed their morale and motivation to
complete their tasks had been impacted. “It impacted my motivation because. . .it’s
like I do it because I have to. I am not looking forward or excited about teaching my
students virtually,” stated Danyell. Jamie told us:

Yeah, that’s a good one. I am a very bubbly wubbly person. But when I am working, I am
like a very serious person, so it did affect me initially because I was so focused on making
sure everything was done. I kind of lost that fun person and that fun side to me. And I
didn’t even know it until my team said, ‘You are kind of like grumpy’.

Taylor discussed how her motivation is impacted by the uncertainty of her students
grasping the material she teaches virtually. “Yes, it has [been impacted] because, I’m
not as motivated to go to work because I don’t have my students [in a seated class].
When I feel like I’m not reaching them that bothers me so you lose motivation.”
Working virtually created emotions that Beverly articulated. “Yeah, I think that it
has impacted greatly. Some days are very depressing because there are some times
where there’s no one; there is no interaction for me to live here in [the city], so I live
alone. I moved here solely for the job, and then the pandemic happened about 5 months
or 4 months while I was here.  .  .so I think that it has caused a great deal of, sometimes
loneliness.”
8 Advances in Developing Human Resources 00(0)

Diane explained, “I thought I was about to be depressed at one point in time because
I did not have that interaction with people; I am just being active. Balancing myself
chemically, I wasn’t able to do that, so I wasn’t just energized or had a lot of energy
like pre-COVID-19.”
Restubog et al. (2020) suggest that effective regulation of emotions reduces nega-
tive emotions and enhances well-being. Emotional regulation refers to processes nec-
essary to provide flexibility to emotions that help to motivate and direct the way an
individual responds and reacts to changes in their normal conditions (Thompson,
1991). “Emotional regulation influences how individuals process information and
make judgments, which can have important implications for career planning and
career decision-making” (Restubog et al., 2020, p. 3). Offsetting emotion impact
requires proactively and purposefully seeking ways to control negative emotions by
engaging in activities that are emotionally energizing.

Enhanced Self-Efficacy and Self-Empowerment

The findings from this study also focus on the ability of the participants to empower
themselves and self-teach in a remote work environment. The participants were asked
if they have been able to increase their knowledge and skills while working remotely.
All eight of the participants expressed that they have expanded their skillset while
working virtually in the pandemic. They felt more confident in their ability to com-
plete their jobs and rely on their own knowledge and knowledge-seeking behaviors.
Edward said:

Well, when you have co-workers around, you tend to depend on them a little more to
answer those questions. But, when you are home by yourself, you seem to figure it out.
From that standpoint, it has increased my knowledge because I don’t have anyone to
depend on now.”

Darrell expressed that he is accustomed to working solo. “As long as I have input,
direction or so much of a game plan, I don’t need direct supervision or interpersonal
skills or interactions as much to accomplish my goals.” Danyell stated, “I think that’s
[professional development] one of the best things that I have gotten out of working
remotely. The majority of our professional developments are done via zoom.”
All of the participants said that they have become more task-oriented as they adjust
to their new way of working. One of the participants, Jamie, stated that this transition
has allowed him to better understand that you have to “flex your skillsets and learn.”
Darrell added:

Our company focuses on interpersonal skills and collaboration. While it has been a
challenge to do it virtually, we have learned to adapt and work with it. We typically tend
to work efficiently when we get together in a group and hash things out. So, we are trying
to do something a little different [virtually] and hashing things out is still a bit of a
challenge.
Yarberry and Sims 9

Consistent with Bandura’s (1977b) social learning theory, some participants were
able to develop self-efficacy without the support of their peers and supervisors. Irving
(2015) calls this self-empowered aging, which means “taking control of one’s life,
learning, updating and improving skills, taking risks, building confidence, assuming
power over personal circumstances, and developing the resilience to overcome inevi-
table challenges to come” (p. 74). This finding appears to demonstrate a positive out-
come of virtual/remote work environments. Employers that learn how to maximize
employees’ self-efficacy may effectively reap benefits from a virtual/remote work
environment (Staples et al., 1999).

Lack of Human Connection amnd Belongingness

Several participants explained how a lack of physical connection to their co-workers
or subordinates impacted their performance. Participants were asked, “How does
interpersonal contact play a role in your performance and success?” Darrell said:

Well, sometimes you can feel a little isolated, and um, you have to find different ways to
keep your morale up. It’s easier now to kind of forget the amount of work people do
behind the scenes because we are not in the office, and we don’t see them. We don’t see
them daily, so we forget the little things that we are doing. It is easier to work in a rut. You
only get paid for 8 hours, and you wind up working 10-12 hours and burn yourself out and
wonder what happens.

Jamie stated:

This has been rough and definitely impacted others in a way that I don’t understand. I
mean, I didn’t get it. Some of them thrive off of each other and the team building. And
when they are not getting that [while working virtually], it shows and so. . .while I grew
[professionally], a lot of people kind of took a left turn, and so now I find myself reeling
them back in.

When asked about the impact of interpersonal contact and success, Beverly said, “It’s
hard to do any networking in this community and get out to some of the organiza-
tions. . .that I need to get to know, and that’s been more difficult because they are just
not allowing you to.”
The majority of the participants were accustomed to relying on a co-worker or another
on-site resource as a collaborative way to reinforce their ideas. Working independently
and remotely was detrimental to their sense of teamwork and belongingness. “Employees
without close or supportive relationships at work are more likely to feel disconnected
from their jobs and that can affect their performance” (Pyrillis, 2018, para 4).
Baumeister and Leary (1995) recognize social belongingness as a fundamental
human need. This need is based on frequent, ongoing, non-aversive interactions within
a relational bond. People form relationships under most conditions and resist when the
bond is dissolved. The findings are consistent with the emerging literature on work-
place social belongingness and connectedness (Ellis et al., 2019).
10 Advances in Developing Human Resources 00(0)

Role of Supervisor Support

Relationships are one of the most fundamental job resources (Graves & Karabayeva,
2020). The existing supervisor-employee relationship will likely transfer to the virtual/
remote environment. Graves and Karabayeva suggest if the existing relationship is
sub-par, the virtual worker may be challenged to establishing a virtual relationship that
is critical for their career success.
Participants were asked for suggestions for supervisors of remote workers. From
her experience as a supervisor, Beverly explained the impact of leadership support
during the pandemic. She said:

I think that people have to realize that employees are going to stay with us and with that
manager or leader because of how we treated them during COVID-19. Invest in them and
pour back into them and give back to them. They will remember that when COVID-19 is
over.

Darrell gave previous insight from his role as a supervisor in the military. “It takes
a lot of work to manage people. It is not about checking boxes and not seeing them at
their desk or their assigned positions. You have to care about the person.” Danyell
stated, “If you have a manager that has compassion for their employees or is empa-
thetic to their employees’ needs, I don’t think this [outreach from supervisors] would
be a challenge for them to take into consideration at all.” And Jamie added, “I think it
is human to understand the challenges we go through and some personal things we go
through; we are in a pandemic.”
While some managers may tend to micro-manage, at the other extreme, some
become too attentive. Striking a balance between the two is key for managers of vir-
tual/remote workers and demonstrating care and concern is crucial. McGuire et al.
(2020), say that:

Exhibiting care in the workplace recognizes the need for employers to support the
physical and mental wellbeing of staff not solely through formal policies and strategies,
but through a contextual and personal approach that involves dialogue and recognizes the
unique circumstances of individual employees. (p. 31)

Care has been conceptualized as being enacted among members within an organiza-
tional context (Lawrence & Maitlis, 2012). Virtual/remote work during and post
COVID-19 will push employers to reimagine how care is enacted in a virtual/remote
work environment.

Work-Life Balance
The blurred lines between work and home can lead to burnout, stress, and other career
inhibitors. Prior to the pandemic, managing the boundary between the two had become
a mutual topic of interest to HRD and human resource management (HRM) practitio-
ners. The onset of the pandemic brought awareness that traditional employer strategies
Yarberry and Sims 11

for supporting employees who are being challenged with maintaining this balance may
not be adequate (Hammer, 2021). In the present study, the participants were asked if
they preferred working from home or the office.
Beverly said:

The office: I feel like it just keeps it separate; you know. I like the work-life balance
[when working in the office]. It allows me to get out of my house a little bit and maintain
that balance between ‘home is home and work is work’, so the separation is better.

Diane added:

I prefer [working] in the office. . .with people. I feel like I have a routine. I get up in the
morning, go to the office, and engage with my co-workers. For me, it’s no separation
now. I have to learn how to work now because my home life and work-life are the same.
Going into the office will make it easier for me and separate my life.”

Jamie discussed how working remotely has kept him from always being available
to people in the office. “[Virtually] you get that time where you don’t have people pull-
ing away at you all the time.” Danyell proposed that a virtual platform is safer, but
“leaders must give employees an additional mental break [in a virtual environment].
This will not only allow employees the time to process the new times we are living in
but also the new norm so that it won’t take a toll on us. . .and prevent us from being
able to grow.”
Diestel and Schmidt (2010) found that well-established resources like supervisor
support, granting latitude for decision-making, and conveying organizational commit-
ment have the potential to buffering the adverse effects of work-life conflict while
working in a virtual/remote environment. Restubog et al. (2020) further recommend
emotional regulation as an effective strategy for balancing work and family/life. The
ability to persist toward work goals and resist distractions that inhibit work effective-
ness is an outcome of emotional regulation and is critical for workers transitioned to a
virtual/remote environment (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000).

Virtual Mentoring
Virtual mentoring was supported in this study. Virtual mentoring has a dual advantage
of serving as a professional development activity and an opportunity to interface
(Perren, 2003). Sevilla and Wells (1999) stated that: “Continuous professional devel-
opment via virtual mentoring can also enable ‘peak performance’ regardless of the
stage of one’s career” (p. 9). Participants indicated they desired more access to their
supervisors and mentors in order to feel valued and validated and recommended that
supervisors reach out regularly to their subordinates and teams. They felt it was impor-
tant to keep a connection to not only check on their well-being but to serve as a
resource for knowledge and professional development. One participant even described
being away from her mentor as a detriment to her professional development. Diane
12 Advances in Developing Human Resources 00(0)

stated that it had previously been easy for her to go directly to her mentor for advice.
She felt the connection was lost after the pandemic. She explained:

My mentor was more so onsite in the workplace so just having that convenience of going
into the office and saying, ‘Hey, I have a question about this, or I have a question about
that’, I can’t. I could get an answer at hand versus being at home. It’s just like the distance
put things off.

Peterson et al., (2020), found that a “virtual mutual mentoring model was an effective
way of creating a cross-institutional community of personal support” (p. 328). This
prior research finding is consistent with social learning theory’s focus on role model-
ing situations and employees being motivated by the reward of having personal
support.
From a diversity and inclusion perspective, virtual mentoring could offset and min-
imize the effects of exclusion on marginalized groups. Kasprisin et al. (2003) explains
how virtual mentoring creates access and provides availability to support networks
that could otherwise be unfeasible for groups such as minorities, women, and people
of color. In addition, virtual mentoring decreases inequities and feelings of fear that
could be present with in-person mentorship building, while also improving the rela-
tionships among those with a different social status (Kasprisin et al., 2003).

Recommendations for HRD Research and Practice

More research about the impact of COVID-19-prompted virtual/remote work environ-
ments is needed. A limitation of this study was the small number of participants. A
future study could include a larger sample from a wider range of workforce diversity
(race, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender, etc.) and provide more data and a broader
range of perspectives. Another study could focus on the supervisors’ perception of
their subordinates’ performance and self-efficacy while working remotely.
There are several areas of practice that HRD could adopt. First, in order to provide
virtual employees with opportunities to communicate and interact with their supervi-
sors and mentors, a virtual mentoring program could be developed/designed from
existing in-person mentoring programs. More intentional activities that engage
employees in dialogue, including learning communities, employee resource groups,
and communities of practice could be created and administered remotely.
Second, a reward system for employees who demonstrate success via self-direction
and creativity in their virtual/remote work environments could be implemented. It is
important to recognize employees who have not only adjusted to working remotely but
have thrived and improved practices and/or procedures as a result. Current reward
systems can incorporate the acknowledgement of outstanding employees in a virtual/
remote environment in the same manner that onsite employees are acknowledged.
Finally, this study is consistent with prior research that highlights employees’ well-
being and the significant role of work-life balance on performance outcomes. Employer
work-life balance programs should now be more inclusive of the virtual/remote work
Yarberry and Sims 13

environments by including policies for virtual/remote workers who are experiencing

difficulty managing remote work and family responsibilities. These can include flex-
ible work hours for parents whose children are attending school at home or those car-
ing for parents who are no longer living in nursing homes due to the threat of COVID-19
transmission. These initiatives can become permanent if they prove to be useful
post-COVID-19.

Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape of the work environment and
working relationships. The new normal will require HRD professionals to be creative
in their approaches to developing and supporting employees who will work autono-
mously for an indefinite period of time (Byrd, 2020). Virtual mentoring will likely be
a trend that has emerged in response to this changed landscape. The self-efficacy of
workers to overcome feelings of working alone, persist in remaining engaged, and
become empowered makes an important contribution to understanding how workers
are taking responsibility for their career success during unanticipated changes to the
work environment.
It is organizations that will ultimately benefit from employees’ career development
(Collins & Clark, 2003). For more mutually beneficial outcomes, human resource
development professionals are tasked to shift development initiatives to a virtual/
remote environment in response to the new workplace normal.

Author Note
The authors acknowledge the ADHR Editorial team for suggestions and recommendations made
to this article.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of
this article.

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Author Biographies
Shana Yarberry is a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas with ten years of experience
in human resources, in both public and private sectors. Her areas of expertise include employee
relations, training and development, performance management, and diversity, equity and inclu-
sion. Additionally, Shana holds the Professional in Human Resources® certification.
Cynthia Sims, Ed.D. is Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at College of DuPage in
Illinois. She has published articles and books on diversity and inclusion topics, mentoring, and
career development. She has over 30 years of higher education experience as a professor and
administrator, and she has served as a diversity trainer for non-profit organizations.