6. Conclusion
6.1 Managerial implications
The study has revealed some implications for MM, for which suggestions will be presented here. It first regards general suggestions to apply, building on the findings. Further, suggestions to stabilize the Teams program will be presented. Lastly, suggestions for future reorganization as employees return to the onsite location are explored.
6.1.1 Asking the questions
This study has shown that, as work processes are changed, ways of doing things that have previously been taken for granted are considered. This consideration is, e.g., seen with the transformed process of handling orders, where something like the timing of delivering orders are being questioned and hereafter changed to optimize work for Customer Service and Warehouse.
The findings show that some of the work processes are being questioned by employees though never changed. It is suggested that MM explicitly asks these questions to allow a change in the work processes that might be more effective. Asking these questions is always theoretically a possibility. However, the more stable the work process is, the more difficult it is to question it.
Therefore, a further suggestion is to be especially aware when work processes are changed or appear to be unstable, as this often better allows for these questions to be asked.
73 6.1.2 Making the investment
The study shows how the ‘Layoff’ schedules have successfully organized work for employees in MM. It is also clear that many resources have gone into producing these schedules. The schedules’
success proves that the investment made in organizing work paid off. A suggestion is, therefore, to not disregard the rentability of making such investments. It requires many resources to change work processes, from planning to communicating to equipping the employees. The more resources put into this process will make the behavior more predictable.
6.1.3 Training and procedures for the use of Teams
It is seen that the use of Teams is varying across the organization. The varying use of Teams creates confusion about how to use it, when to use it, and what type of communication should be mediated via Teams. It would be deemed effective to limit this confusion and create a more collective approach to Teams across the organization. In order to do so, investments need to be made. It is suggested that training in the functionalities of Teams is performed to help everyone understand the program. Further, it is also recommended that MM provides policies of how and when Teams is used. Policies should also be made for the use of the calendar and color codes of Teams, as Teams appear to organize planning behavior involving these elements. These policies are assumed to create a more stable use of the program and aid employees in having more effective work processes and collaboration across the organization.
6.1.4 Coming back to the onsite location
The plan is that, as people get vaccinated, and the virus gets more under control, the employees of MM will move work back to the office. Relocating employees again will result in a new
reorganization of work. As mentioned earlier in this paper, it is not practically possible to return to what has been, as some things will always have changed. One example, in this case, is that Teams is not expected to disappear from work in MM and will therefore change some of the ways work is performed compared to before the covid-19 situation. Further, as employees have been relocated and dispersed, the attachment between employees has changed. Returning to the onsite location with different attachments than before might affect work processes and information sharing.
Employees have also found other ways of performing their work tasks, which they will either continue or have to transform to the new work situation onsite.
74 With employees working more dispersed than before, it is seen that they become more autonomous and can focus better on tasks. However, it creates a lack of informal information sharing and alters the knowledge at hand on which decisions are built. Therefore, it is suggested to ensure that the positive effects of focus are possible while finding a way to bring back informal information sharing. This can be done either by creating policies for work location that supports these positive effects or creating a different way to share informal information. It is suggested that both are done.
It is crucial, as mentioned before, to invest in changes in work processes. The return to the onsite location will involve changes in work processes and should, therefore, be well planned, policies should be created, and intentions communicated. When creating the policies to aid a successful return to the office, it is suggested that MM find a balance between giving employees the peace needed to focus on tasks, such as allowing working from home when tasks require more focus, while still having a meeting point for informal information sharing, such as determining days everyone should be at the office or limiting the number of days allowed to work from home at a time. As employees have collaboration partners dislocated from them even as they return to the onsite location, it is still recommended that MM finds a way to share informal information across locations. The solution can be, e.g., to set up informal knowledge sharing meetings, have dedicated updates from each department, perhaps in a whiteboard format, or create cross-functional teams to share information.
75
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Internal documents
Calendar: Continuous access to viewable Outlook calendars within Mermaid Medical.
Email 1: Management. (2020, March 6). Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Update 1.
Email 2: Management. (2020, March 11). Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Update 2.
Email 3: Management. (2020, March 11). Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Update 3.
Email 4: Management. (2020, April 3). Meddelelse om hjemsendelse med løn.
Letter: Management. (2020, April 3). Hjemsendelsesbrev. (for a specific individual) Schedule 1: Hjemsendelsesplan. (for a specific individual).
Schedule 2: Hjemsendelsesplan April Overview.
Interviews
Interview A Interview B Interview C Interview D Interview E Interview F