The use of digital communication tools and working from home arrangements across different industries: Implications for management

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home (WFH) has become a standard working arrangement in many organisations across the globe, especially in Europe. Such flexible work arrangements are largely made possible by adopting digital communication tools (DCTs). Using survey data from Switzerland, we explore the role of DCT in the WFH setting. Consistent with the theory of technology adoption, we find that organisations at the forefront of technological innovations are more likely to employ a more comprehensive range of DCTs. Amongst five key industries, we find that a significantly larger proportion of IT, media and financial services employed a comprehensive range of DCTs over the survey period of three years to facilitate the adoption of WFH. Given the continuing trend of WFH, our work suggests that the WFH arrangement should be reassessed by senior management as part of the strategic decision-making process, particularly by late adopters of technologies. These organisations should consider investing in DCTs to enable employees to access a wider array of DCTs.