Remote Work Feedback : A study on how new graduates may get affected

Abstract: Background: Since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, more and more companies have implemented new work models, which include remote work, for better and worse. As new graduates expect to be greeted by a manager and friendly colleagues when entering the labor market, they may now instead end up with their work at home. Remote work has come with a new problematization, where newly graduated employees may feel excluded and unseen in their teams. Giving feedback on a distance is now more important than ever before, but how does it affect the well-being of new graduates when working remotely?  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate what expectations new graduates have when entering the labor market, and how different sorts of feedback, or lack of feedback, may affect their performance and well-being at work.  Method: To obtain the necessary empirical data, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 participants who started their careers working remotely to some extent. The questions were designed in such a way that they allowed for a background understanding of their experiences, which was then followed up by how different types of feedback affect them at work.  Conclusion: The interviews gave an insight into how childhood, nurture, and school affect the perception of what feedback is required for the well-being of the individuals. Depending on what the newly graduated employee is working with, and how the instructions are given, the requirement of feedback varies a lot between age and gender. The conclusion of this study is that different kinds of feedback affect different individuals differently. Also, older, more senior managers tend to give less feedback in a remote workplace than their younger, junior counterparts.