Can smart working be more meaningful? : Exploring the organizational worry of people disconnection in the new remote work universe

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The study examines and interrogates the varied practice of smart working, with its inherent flexibility, and how this relates to organizational meaningfulness and interpersonal relationships between coworkers. It draws on a European data set, within which a minority of respondents met the criteria for smart working practices. Smart working stimulated a positive feeling of organizational meaning and significance for those employees who worked in this way. Some people experienced interpersonal relationship challenges along the way, but this is resolvable. Managers and HR teams should therefore design smart working-centric processes to evolve their organization to be future-fit and malleable. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.