Working Remotely and Employee Wellbeing: A Qualitative Study of Irish Workers within the Pharmaceutical Sector

Black, Adam (2024) Working Remotely and Employee Wellbeing: A Qualitative Study of Irish Workers within the Pharmaceutical Sector. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Employee wellbeing is becoming more important in the rapidly growing remote work environment. Previous research has established that employees with varied work arrangements (fully remote, hybrid remote) can behave differently to remote working. It has also been acknowledged that recent literature concerning the effects of telecommuting on the wellbeing of workers is divisive as well as dividing. It is recognised by several studies that remote working has various positive aspects for employees. However, other research also emphasises negative implications for employees.

Furthermore, additional investigation into the correlation between remote work and employee wellbeing is necessary due to a scarcity of literature on this topic in the Irish pharmaceutical sector. This indicates a gap in the literature and as a result, there is a need to conduct research into this topic by gathering remote employee’s experiences and opinions concerning their wellbeing specifically within the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to bridge the gap via examining the effects of working remotely on the wellbeing of workers.

This research approach adopted a qualitative method, through means of semi-structured interviews. Eight participants were interviewed, representing a variety of fully remote and hybrid remote employees within the pharmaceutical industry. This approach allowed the investigator to critique this topic thoroughly, in addition to deriving experiences and views from employees regarding their wellbeing. The semi-structured interviews were recorded using Microsoft Teams and subsequently transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the data, allowing further coding, and grouping into common themes. Additionally, the study’s ethical concerns were identified and investigated to fulfil the criteria of a competent researcher.

The findings emerged, indicating that working from home has a favourable impact on overall wellbeing. Nonetheless, it is also clear from this research that isolation had an adverse impact on remote employees’ societal wellbeing. The sample size and participant demographics may be a research limitation.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email Doherty, Rachel UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Performance Management > Employee Engagement R Medicine > Healthcare Industry H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Organisational Behaviour > Organisational Culture
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Ciara O'Brien
Date Deposited:	30 May 2025 10:03
Last Modified:	30 May 2025 10:03
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/7697

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