La pandemia de COVID-19 trajo consigo un incremento sustancial del trabajo remoto que inició como una respuesta de emergencia, pero que se mantuvo durante más de un año en ciertos sectores y funciones. Hasta antes de la pandemia, se habían analizado los beneficios del trabajo remoto en cuanto a la salud mental, el bienestar general y el incremento en la productividad laboral, bajo condiciones donde el trabajador decidía cómo y dónde quería trabajar. La modificación forzada a la rutina laboral y a las condiciones generales del empleo resultaron en una serie de afectaciones negativas tanto en la salud como en el bienestar general de los trabajadores remotos. Este artículo presenta una recopilación exhaustiva de los riesgos y problemas en la salud ocupacional de los empleados remotos, así como recomendaciones para reducirlos y evitarlos.

El artículo presenta un análisis sobre los significados que adquiere la noción de calidad cuando ésta es analizada desde el punto de vista histórico a través de diversas culturas; desde el punto de vista teórico a partir de las experiencias y teorías generadas por quienes han sido considerados como los líderes de la calidad mundial; desde la óptica de la disciplina en la cual se aplique, o bien, desde una aplicación práctica de su aplicación considerando como objetivo a un grupo de ingenieros de la industria automotriz y estudiantes de Ingeniería industrial. La conversación gira en torno a cuestiones relacionadas con la calidad, donde existen tan variadas nociones como autores. Se analizan brevemente sus antecedentes históricos y lo que se ha dicho y escrito sobre la calidad con el objeto de determinar de qué se habla cuando se menciona calidad.

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This chapter analyzes discursive leadership in first-time leadership and introduces a scale that was developed to measure discursive leadership abilities based on seven distinct dimensions: overall effectiveness, tools used, guidance, modulating, empowerment, non-verbal cues, and climate and bonding. The scale was developed and pilot-tested at a private business school in Puebla, Mexico, based on followers' perceptions. Theory on discursive leadership was analyzed as a form of organizational communication and as a process between leaders and followers. An overview of the state of research in the field of business and management, specifically basic constructs, fundamental notions, and elements are presented, as well as new lines of research in the area.

This chapter describes the digital competencies that have become essential in the workforce and how higher education institutions (HEIs) are trying to keep up in a moment in which faculty members have been acquiring digital skills alongside students. A field study was conducted with faculty from HEIs in Mexico to identify the differences between the digital skills that faculty possessed previous to the pandemic and those acquired as a result of remote work. It also analyzes the digital tools they have been provided with to perform their jobs, the training they have received, and the digital skills that they still lack to help students acquire the digital competencies demanded in the workforce. The objective is to identify areas of opportunity and create general guidelines that will help develop critical digital skills. A literature review of the most relevant aspects of digital dexterity and digital competence in higher education (HE) is presented. An analysis of the current context and how it is producing changes faster than before is also included.

Connectedness is essential to human growth and learning. This chapter presents an analysis on connections-based learning from four distinct frameworks: intrapersonal, interpersonal, interdisciplinary, and media-based. It includes a model that shows different levels of interactions in adult learning. Adults can learn anything and everything about any subject through the connections they establish with the world in a lifelong process based on the way we connect with ourselves, with others with different domains, and through different media. Learning is attained as in the weaving process of a seamless web that changes the way people see themselves and the world. Everything becomes interconnected, resembling a mesh.

This chapter presents a general overview of workplace spirituality. A bibliometric analysis was developed to show the evolution of research in the field; the most relevant areas of study; leading institutions in which research is being performed; funding agencies; top authors, journals, and publishers; as well as additional relevant information. Different conceptualizations and topics connected to spirituality at work have been included. Differentiations are established between spirituality and religion. Various scales developed to assess spirituality at work are included, along with guidelines about how spirituality can be promoted in the workplace.

This chapter analyses the effects of remote work on family relationships during confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is centered on faculty and staff members from a private business school in Puebla, Mexico. The research was conducted almost five months after the university closed its doors and moved all its activities online, having participants time to adapt to the new normal. A scale was developed and validated, and later on, it was applied in a country where family values, cultures, and traditions are strong. The scale included five distinct areas of study: remote working conditions, time and task management, work performance, stress, and family relations. All the business school faculty and administrative staff were invited to participate in the study. Results show employees' perceptions about how working remotely positively or negatively affected their relationships at home and their productivity at work, leading to the design of best practices and useful guidelines that will minimize the adverse effects of remote work while enhancing the positive ones.