The Emergence of the Work from Home (WFH) Phenomenon during Covid-19 and Its Effect on the Information Technology Industry: A Review of Literature

The COVID-19 pandemic has created profound disruptions in the global economy. Along with massive job losses, it has drastically changed traditional work arrangements. Lockdown procedures and social distancing policies have forced companies to redesign their business models to maintain sustainability. As a result, the work-from-home (WFH) concept has become a viable solution to boost employment and increase worker productivity. The information technology (IT) industry has quickly adopted the WFH concept since workers have greater access to the Internet and IT infrastructure, along with strong technical skills. This case study, therefore, reviews the effects of working from home on the Sri Lankan economy with a special emphasis on the IT industry. A case study was used under the qualitative approach by reviewing secondary sources, including research articles, newspapers, websites, annual reports, and other publications. Based on the results, this paper is convinced that although there are positive and negative consequences of the WFH concept on the economy, the majority of these consequences are positive. As well as it was evidenced that most IT companies in different countries have been widely successful while allowing their employees to work from home during the pandemic. They have been able to address customers' demands while strengthening the national economy. Further findings reveal that while the WFH concept poses challenges, it also offers many benefits to organizations. This paper provides suggestions to make WFH a more widespread model.