Gains and Pains of Teleworking: Importance of Female Leadership

The COVID-19 crisis has led to an unprecedented surge in teleworking. Teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought both benefits and costs. Yet, its impact on business resilience remains underexplored. This study examines the impacts of teleworking on business resilience from two perspectives: business continuity and employee furlough. Furthermore, we highlight the role of female leadership in shaping these impacts. Using a matched dataset of more than 3,000 global firms, we tested four hypotheses and found empirical support. We found that female leadership enhances the positive effects of teleworking on business continuity while mitigating its negative effects on employment.