[Paper Review] Impact on the Productivity of Remotely Working IT Professionals of Bangladesh during the Coronavirus Disease 2019

Ganguly Kk, Nada Tahsin+6 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Aug 26, 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts9 references4 citations

TL;DR

This study investigates the impact of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic on IT professionals in Bangladesh, using a survey of 24 productivity-related factors. It finds that workspace and resource limitations, along with declining emotional well-being, are the primary productivity detractors, though increased autonomy and breaks offer some benefits.

ABSTRACT

Similar to the rest of the world, the recent pandemic situation has forced the IT professionals of Bangladesh to adopt remote work. The aim of this study is to find out whether remote work can be continued even after the lockdown is lifted. As work from home may change various productivity related aspects of the employees, i.e., team dynamics and company dynamics, it is necessary to understand the nature of the change during WFH. Conducting a survey, we asked the IT professionals of Bangladesh how they perceive their level of productivity during WFH and how the factors related to productivity have changed. We analyzed the change and identified the areas affected by WFH. We discovered that resource and workspace related issues, emotional well-being of the employees have been hampered the most during WFH. We believe that the findings from this study will help to decide how to resolve those issues and will help to understand whether WFH can be continued even after the lockdown is lifted.

Motivation & Objective

• To assess the impact of remote work on productivity among IT professionals in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify specific factors affecting productivity in a developing country context with distinct socio-cultural and infrastructural conditions.
• To evaluate whether remote work can be sustained as a long-term operational model in Bangladesh’s IT sector post-lockdown.
• To examine the interplay between emotional well-being, work environment, and productivity in a pandemic setting.

Proposed method

• A structured, anonymous online survey was administered to remotely working IT professionals in Bangladesh.
• The questionnaire was informed by prior literature on productivity factors, including technical, environmental, and psychological dimensions.
• A pilot survey with IT industry experts and academicians was conducted to refine the questionnaire’s relevance and clarity.
• Data were collected on 24 productivity-related aspects, including internet quality, workspace suitability, emotional well-being, and work-life balance.
• Responses were analyzed to identify changes in each factor during remote work, with emphasis on shifts in perceived productivity.
• Quantitative analysis was used to determine the frequency and direction of change (improvement, decline, or no change) across factors.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How has remote work during the pandemic affected the perceived productivity of IT professionals in Bangladesh?
• RQ2 Which specific work environment and personal factors have most significantly impacted productivity during remote work?
• RQ3 To what extent do emotional well-being and resource access influence productivity in a developing country context like Bangladesh?
• RQ4 What role do autonomy, break frequency, and work-life balance play in sustaining productivity during remote work?

Key findings

• 68.9% of respondents reported that the frequency of short breaks either increased or remained unchanged during remote work, which is positively associated with productivity.
• 78.7% of respondents experienced increased or unchanged freedom in time management decisions, a factor linked to higher productivity.
• 63% reported no decrease or an increase in music-listening frequency, a factor previously linked to improved focus and output.
• 65.2% reported an increase in household chores during remote work, which negatively impacted productivity due to time and energy diversion.
• 62.2% reported no increase in fear of job loss, indicating that job security concerns did not significantly affect productivity for most.
• The most significant negative impacts on productivity were observed in internet quality (36.4% reported decline), hardware accessibility (32.7%), and emotional well-being (30.4% reported decline).