The Role of a Manager in Managing Information in the Remote Work of Generation Z Employees

Abstract

The increasing significance of information as an economic resource and a component of competitiveness results in that it has become essential for the smooth functioning and development of modern organisations. Possessing information provides a competitive advantage, which is why information is regarded as a strategic resource of an organisation, which supports various processes including: decision-making, employee communication, and knowledge management. For people from Generation Z, representing the youngest workers on the labour market, the availability of information constitutes a significant attribute of quality of life, as well as quality of work. The significance of information and the resulting information management takes on particular importance in a remote work system. The aim of this paper is to present the views of employees from Generation Z concerning the significance of information and the role of the superior in managing information in a remote work system. The research results presented in this paper are part of a nationwide quantitative study of workers from the youngest generation on the labour market. The study was carried out in December 2022 on a representative sample of Polish Generation Z employees who had experience of remote work. In order to learn the opinions of the young workers concerning the analysed issues, a survey was prepared and the questionnaire technique based on a five-point Likert scale was used. The results of the conducted research indicate that young people from generation Z positively assess the impact of remote working on both the speed of information exchange and the ability to understand the provided information, as well as assess its veracity. They were most appreciative of the speed of information transfer in remote working, and more doubtful about the reliability of the obtained information. In contrast, respondents assessed the amount of information flowing to employees working remotely in a negative manner. As can be seen from the obtained data, respondents appreciate the role of the manager in exchanging information in remote work, especially young employees with short experience in this form of work. Whereas, those with longer experience of remote working and working in micro organisations obtained information mainly from colleagues. However, it should be emphasized that despite the positive assessment of information sharing in remote working and the role played by the supervisor, the interviewed Generation Z employees indicated primarily that they would like to work stationary or in a hybrid manner in the future.