How it started, how it’s going: Why past research does not encompass pandemic induced remote work realities

This paper presents a critical evaluation of recently published studies that attempt to address remote work and virtual team challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the increasing prevalence of remote work, these studies postulate a diverse set of recommendations to summarize what we know about remote work complexities and how to combat them. In this piece, we argue that most of these recommendations fail to serve the needs of leaders, virtual teams, and remote workers, as many of these recent publications gravely overlook the core challenges emerging from the forced nature of working remotely. Indeed, the unique nature of the pandemic poses particular challenges that go beyond previously identified ones. Thus, there is an urgent need to address unidentified obstacles and challenge misplaced recommendations to better equip executives and employees working remotely.