Focus Research Project 1: " Reshaping the work experience"

Reshaping the work experience A fascinating project launched in July 2020

Research context

This project has been designed with VPHR from different business lines in July 2020 and launched within BNP Paribas in September 2020, in order to fully understand the challenges of remote & hybrid work.

It has reached over 12.000 participants within BNP Paribas (WM, AM, RE, IRB headquarter & Bank of the West, Spain territory, over a six months period with 4 data collections from September 2020 to February 2021. Being ahead of the hybrid work trend, this research project was one of the very first to address this key issue on such a global scale and has been rewarded by a prestigious award from the Academy of Management [link?].

Research question

How does hybrid work influence employees' work experiences regarding team cohesion, performance, well-being and engagement?

Methodology and milestones

An online questionnaire was administrated 4 times (Sept & Nov 2020, Jan & Mar 2021) in 3 different languages (English, French, Spanish) with up to 4000 answers. This methodology enables to follow the changes at hand in a situation that has been evolving throughout the project. First two waves analysed in Q2 2021. In-depth analysis of the results has been performed through a partnership with Towers Watson Willis, giving BNP Paribas entities the possibility to better understand their results.

Research team

  • Marie-Colombe Afota (Université de Montréal)
  • Emmanuelle Léon (ESCP, Paris campus)
  • Ariane Ollier-Malaterre (UQAM)
  • Yannick Provost-Savard (UQAM)

Research keytake aways

Productivity is on the rise, due to reduced transportation time (often devoted to work). The number of working hours is similar when employees are on-site or remote.

One-third of the participants consider that physical presence at the office remains a signal of their engagement, which will be taken into account for their promotion.

When companies value physical presence, teleworkers try to compensate their absence by being available outside working hours. Availability off-site has replaced visibility on-site. This trend is stronger in countries where employment is less protected.

Managing by objectives, delegating and trusting one's teams remains a challenge for both managers and employees. Areas of improvements have been identified.

Attention points: Informal networking/ exposition, Identification of weak signals, Professional mobility.

Key outcomes

Published academic papers

■ Afota, M. C., Provost Savard, Y., Léon, E., & Ollier‐Malaterre, A. (2024). “Changes in belongingness, meaningful work, and emotional exhaustion among new high‐ intensity telecommuters: Insights from pandemic remote workers”, Journal of occupational and organizational psychology (link)

■ Afota, M. C., Provost Savard, Y., Ollier-Malaterre, A., & Léon, E. (2023). “Work-from-home adjustment in the US and Europe: the role of psychological climate for face time and perceived availability expectations”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management (link)

■ Afota, MC.; Ollier-Malaterre, A.; Leon, E.; Provost Savard, Y. (2021). “To demonstrate their commitment, teleworkers are making themselves more available than ever”, The Conversation (link)

Campuses

Paris