Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experience

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the organisation of hospital work with telework and the adaptation of resource management. It is essential to involve the workers themselves in the evaluation of telework, especially the administrative staff who are the most likely to telework. The aim of this study was...

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Main Authors: Charline Mourgues, Anais Nuez, Bruno Pereira, Benoit Cambon, Claire Doplat, Valérie Quiers, Candy Guiguet-Auclair, Frédéric Dutheil
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Heliyon
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025016615
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author Charline Mourgues
Anais Nuez
Bruno Pereira
Benoit Cambon
Claire Doplat
Valérie Quiers
Candy Guiguet-Auclair
Frédéric Dutheil
author_facet Charline Mourgues
Anais Nuez
Bruno Pereira
Benoit Cambon
Claire Doplat
Valérie Quiers
Candy Guiguet-Auclair
Frédéric Dutheil
author_sort Charline Mourgues
collection DOAJ
description The COVID-19 pandemic changed the organisation of hospital work with telework and the adaptation of resource management. It is essential to involve the workers themselves in the evaluation of telework, especially the administrative staff who are the most likely to telework. The aim of this study was to assess the feelings of hospital administrative staff in a university hospital in France towards telework, regardless of the period in which they had experienced it (before the COVID-19 crisis, during the first lockdown, or after the crisis). A descriptive exploratory study, using a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews, was carried out to provide answers to the benefits of continuing telework. Of the hospital's 8815 employees, we included 23 workers (22 women) who were representative of the 400 administrative staff who had experienced teleworking. We showed that the hierarchical barriers to teleworking before the pandemic were overcome after the pandemic, and that some absenteeism was avoided. Teleworking is a good tool for managing public human resources in hospitals, reducing physical symptoms and improving work-life balance. These results should enable human resources departments in healthcare institutions to adapt telework posts and schedules to promote productivity at work and the physical and psychological well-being of employees.
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id doaj-art-ecb8416bb2d74fb8908511a7d49e0462
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language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Elsevier
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series Heliyon
spelling doaj-art-ecb8416bb2d74fb8908511a7d49e04622025-08-20T02:20:00ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-04-01119e4327810.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e43278Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experienceCharline Mourgues0Anais Nuez1Bruno Pereira2Benoit Cambon3Claire Doplat4Valérie Quiers5Candy Guiguet-Auclair6Frédéric Dutheil7Direction de la Recherche Clinique et de l'Innovation, Unité de Biostatistiques, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France; Corresponding author.Direction de la Recherche Clinique et de l'Innovation, Unité de Biostatistiques, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceDirection de la Recherche Clinique et de l'Innovation, Unité de Biostatistiques, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceFaculté de Médecine, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France; UR ACCePPT, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceDirection des Ressources Humaines, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceDirection des Ressources Humaines, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceUniversité Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, CNRS, Institut Pascal, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceUniversité Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LaPSCo, Physiological and Psychosocial Stress, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Médecine Préventive et Médecine du Travail, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceThe COVID-19 pandemic changed the organisation of hospital work with telework and the adaptation of resource management. It is essential to involve the workers themselves in the evaluation of telework, especially the administrative staff who are the most likely to telework. The aim of this study was to assess the feelings of hospital administrative staff in a university hospital in France towards telework, regardless of the period in which they had experienced it (before the COVID-19 crisis, during the first lockdown, or after the crisis). A descriptive exploratory study, using a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews, was carried out to provide answers to the benefits of continuing telework. Of the hospital's 8815 employees, we included 23 workers (22 women) who were representative of the 400 administrative staff who had experienced teleworking. We showed that the hierarchical barriers to teleworking before the pandemic were overcome after the pandemic, and that some absenteeism was avoided. Teleworking is a good tool for managing public human resources in hospitals, reducing physical symptoms and improving work-life balance. These results should enable human resources departments in healthcare institutions to adapt telework posts and schedules to promote productivity at work and the physical and psychological well-being of employees.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025016615
spellingShingle Charline Mourgues
Anais Nuez
Bruno Pereira
Benoit Cambon
Claire Doplat
Valérie Quiers
Candy Guiguet-Auclair
Frédéric Dutheil
Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experience
Heliyon
title Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experience
title_full Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experience
title_fullStr Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experience
title_full_unstemmed Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experience
title_short Adapting work at the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of administrative staff's teleworking experience
title_sort adapting work at the hospital during the covid 19 pandemic a qualitative study of administrative staff s teleworking experience
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025016615
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