Remote work in Škoda Auto a.s. before, during, and after COVID

The diploma thesis focuses on the environment of Škoda Auto a.s. in Mladá Boleslav, which is the largest automobile manufacturer in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest car companies globally. It is also one of the largest employers in our country, with additional production facilities in India, China, and Kazakhstan. The primary goal of this thesis is to determine the optimal number of remote workdays within the company’s IT department. Initially, remote work was introduced minimally, only for a few days per month. However, unexpectedly, it gradually became the norm for all working days in a month during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in 2024, with COVID-19 no longer dominating media headlines, some companies are returning to requiring physical presence at workplaces, including Škoda Auto a.s. Yet, a significant number of employees have embraced remote work as an IT industry standard and are reluctant to return to office-based workspaces. In the first part of the thesis, an analysis of remote work within the company is presented, spanning from its inception to the present day. Furthermore, attention is given to the suitability of remote work in relation to the nature of employees’ job responsibilities, the personality traits of employees working remotely, the tools used to facilitate remote work, tools for tracking work performance, and how employers can support their remote workforce. The document also covers trends and experiences related to remote work during the COVID pandemic, as reported worldwide. In the subsequent section of the thesis, a questionnaire survey is conducted among employees in the IT department of the company. The aim is to establish correlations between individual survey questions. From the posed questions, it is also possible to infer how employees have improved their home workspaces or whether they have sufficient tranquillity at home to carry out their job responsibilities. All collected information is analysed, leading to conclusions that guide recommendations for effective remote work settings within the company, ensuring competitiveness in the job market.