General Trends Future of Work Post Pandemic in Cambodia

ABSTRACT This research paper focused primarily on remote working as a recent trend in Cambodia, driven by the pandemic and how it affects businesses in the Cambodian service sector. A population sample (n=219) of randomly selected participants that includes business owners, managers, staff members, and policymakers in Cambodia responded to the survey questionnaire. The key findings shows that more than a year into the pandemic, remote work and physical separation have prevented employers and employees from feeling closer to their co-workers, and most employees say circumstances surrounding the pandemic have negatively influenced their productivity. However, for every worker who says their well-being has declined, two say it has gotten better (2X). We see this phenomenon in the comparison between younger and older workers’ productivity. Millennials (people with dates of birth from 1981 – 1996) and Generation Z (people with dates of birth from 1997 – 2015) are both more likely than older generations (Generation X) to say they have been more productive since working remotely. Furthermore, the majority of the Cambodian service sector workers want to work from the office but not make the office their home. So, many believe offices with hybrid schedules will perform better than those without, mainly if business owners cater to the individual needs of their workers. As a result of the findings, the call to action include company leadership should communicate very well with their employees, managers should demonstrate an interest in the personal well-being of their workers, that implies workers having access to the resources and the trainings they need to do their job effectively (e.g., materials, equipment, technology, and support services), and from on-demand space to occasional face-time, young employees cited access to office space when needed and the ability to meet up with colleagues in person when needed as changes that would improve remote productivity for them the most. Given the popularity of remote working, more research is needed to better understand the impact that it has on the future of work in Cambodia. Key words: Future of work, remote working, pandemic, millennials, generation Z, and X