Understanding Organizations from an Employee Perspective

In recent years, companies have introduced a wide variety of systems and support measures such as remote work systems, work-life balance support systems, one-on-one meetings, and initiatives that promote well-being. Many of these systems and measures aim to enhance engagement and productivity by creating a comfortable work environment for employees and supporting their health. The ultimate goal is to improve corporate performance and corporate value.

Companies and managers proceed with the introduction and operation of such systems based on assumptions of how employees will work in certain systems and environments. However, are their assumptions necessarily correct? After all, on a daily basis, employees conduct their work while considering various matters and interacting with other people around them. How do employees actually perceive the workplace environment, and how do they reflect that perception in their work attitudes?

Companies must understand how the workplace environment is perceived from an employee perspective. If there is a discrepancy with the company's intentions, then the company must make efforts to adjust and correct that discrepancy. I conduct research on such interactions between companies and employees at the boundary between organizational behavior^[i] and human resource management^[ⅱ].

Remote work became widespread as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote work has been reported to increase the autonomy of employees, facilitate the balance of work and private life, and tend to enhance job satisfaction (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007; Laß & Wooden, 2023). Among people who have actually engaged in remote work, many feel that their job satisfaction has increased due to reduced commuting time and a richer private life.

It is true that remote work increases flexibility in working styles and improves commuting efficiency. However, it has also been shown to inadvertently lead to the accumulation of stress (Hayashi, 2024). Remote work (working from home) often involves spending both work and private time in the same space, so switching one's mindset can become difficult. Even outside of working hours, employees often find themselves checking work emails or thinking about the day's tasks. Ideally, it is important to physically and mentally distance oneself from work to relieve stress, but remote work makes this separation difficult. As a result, employees are unable to sufficiently refresh themselves outside of working hours, carrying that tension into the next day. Over time, this accumulation becomes a significant source of stress.

These studies illustrate the importance of incorporating traditional work styles that allow a clear separation between work and private life, rather than adopting a fully remote approach with no office attendance.

In the workplace, supervisors need to communicate closely with their subordinates. At times, it is also necessary for supervisors to understand their subordinates' feelings or offer a helping hand. Such support is naturally provided by supervisors with the intention of benefiting their subordinates, and subordinates likely appreciate that support. Discussions of work-related support have traditionally been addressed in management studies. When considering only the single scene of "the workplace," such support may appear effective; however, human feelings persist across time and place.

Subordinates who receive support from their supervisors feel grateful and a sense of obligation. Over time, this feeling can shift from "I want to return the favor" to "I feel obliged to do so." When that sense of obligation intensifies, they continue to remain in "work mode." That means responding promptly to emails or telephone calls from their supervisors even after working hours. For such employees, their minds do not disengage from work, fatigue does not fully subside, and stress accumulates. Recent research has shown that this state can potentially be induced by the support provided by supervisors, which had been intended as a benefit.

This research suggests the importance of recognizing the so-called right to disconnect, which prohibits responding to work emails or telephone calls outside of working hours.

Companies design systems and initiatives based on rational judgment; however, employees do not necessarily act exactly as intended by the company. Rather, the reality is that employees act according to their own choices, and companies often find themselves flustered by unexpected situations.

The two studies described above show that, while some of the intentions of companies and supervisors are realized, unintended side effects also occur. They also reveal situations in which employees, despite working for the good of their company or for themselves, find their efforts to be in vain.

For companies to effectively manage employees and for employees to achieve their desired careers, it is essential to build relationships based on mutual trust and understanding. I will continue conducting research on how to cultivate such reciprocal relationships.

---

Reference Literature

     ・Gajendran, R. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: meta-
        analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of applied psychology, 92 (6), 1524-1541.

    ・Hayashi, S. (2024). From home to office: dynamics of remote work frequency, boundary crossing and employee
        well-being. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 17 (4), 385-400.

     ・Laß, I., & Wooden, M. (2023). Working from home and work-family conflict. Work, Employment and Society, 37 (1),
        176-195.

---

[i] Organizational behavior is a field focusing on the behavior and attitudes of individuals and groups within organizations.
[ⅱ] Human resource management is a field focusing on how companies utilize their personnel.