Impact of Remote Work on Project Management Cases from UAE Construction Sector

Abstract

The proposed study is coming at a time when companies have been facing challenges in employing an effective business model in their operational activities. In the UAE, the government proposed strict measures to curb coronavirus spread by advocating for working-at-home policies. Companies with no system architecture to adapt to the work-at-home guidelines were forced to close down for a while. The three companies under this study, being multinational companies, struggled greatly with the new directives. As a result, the management of the three companies was left with no alternative but to adopt a new strategic plan to remain stable. This study aimed at finding out the key challenges and benefits associated with virtual team technology. The result of this study is based on a combination of primary and secondary data collection. The primary data collection was obtained via interviews with officials from the three companies. On the other hand, the secondary data was obtained from the comparative analysis of three companies already employing the remote work strategy. This was coupled with the results obtained from past studies in this field. Based on the preliminary results, the new strategy, as predicted, would affect the operations of the company for a while before it is fully embraced. Further, the study recommends that the three companies continue their innovative exercise on effective alternative management strategies to run their projects during this era of coronavirus pandemic and post-COVID-19.