The impact of remote work on motivation in Finland

Abstract

Remote working has become normalized in recent years, especially for office workers following the spread of Coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Despite the health crisis leading to many people feeling isolated due to mandated remote work, many people have enjoyed the flexibility that come from remote working.

Studies show that people in Finland were already accustomed to remote working prior to Covid-19, but more research is needed to understand if it increases motivation and well-being.

The question that this study will address is: whether full time employees self-determination of the frequency of their own remote working, increases motivation and does that in effect contribute to their well-being. Ideally motivation leads to more positive attitudes in the workplace.

The author will look at definitions of motivation and discuss different theories of work motivation. This study will explore the positive effects and possible disadvantages of remote work, work place motivation drawing on statistics from statfin, focusing on the inter-relationship between motivation and well-being. The author aims to establish whether there is a causal link between work and increased motivation and to see if current research supports this study done in Finland.

This study will be carried out during a six-month period, and it is qualitative research. Articles, other studies, professional websites, and literature review will be used to support this study. The chosen sample group consists of eight people, working in a range of different companies in Finland, all with the possibility to remote work. Questions asked are both open-ended and close-ended. The data will be analyzed via comparative analysis.

The study results demonstrated that remote work had an overall positive impact on motivation and well-being. It allowed more time for work life balance with less commute and more sleep. The most important factors in the study that affected the motivation of interviewees were flexibility, social interaction, and well-being. Some had felt lonely when working fully remotely and stated that they would work more in the office in future. Moreover, most believed that it was important to be able to choose the days at the office for personal goals such as meetings or to meet with colleagues or for chats outside of work. This had a positive effect on motivation and well-being. Employers should encourage remote work when requested by an employee as people usually have good knowledge or an idea on how that affects them and choose it for a mutual benefit for them and the company. Companies should consider remote work on a case by case basis as if affects motivation differently in individuals.

This study may be of good value for those contemplating on work policies offering remote working and for further studies on the subject.