Beyond the Tarmac: Assessing the Impact of Remote Work Policieson Administrative Staff Productivity in Aviation Organisations in Nigeria

Résumé

The post-pandemic normalization of remote work has fundamentally altered organizational structures globally. However, empirical research regarding its impact on productivity remains heavily skewed toward generic knowledge sectors, leaving high-reliability industries like aviation underexplored. Specifically, the administrative and support staff who manage the complex logistical, financial, and regulatory back-office functions of aviation organisations face unique operational constraints that challenge standard remote work paradigms. This study assesses the impact of remote work policies on the productivity of non-operational aviation personnel, examining how sector-specific factors moderate this relationship across different administrative sub-functions. Employing a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design, Phase 1 collected quantitative survey data from 467 administrative staff across airlines, airport authorities, and aviation service providers. Phase 2 conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 participants to contextualize statistical patterns. Data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression and thematic analysis, framed by the Job Demands-Resources model, Media Richness Theory, and Institutional Theory. Findings reveal a significant inverted-U relationship between remote work intensity and productivity, peaking at three to four days per week before declining due to coordination latency. Crucially, outcomes varied starkly by function: analytical roles (e.g., Revenue Management) experienced robust productivity gains, while highly interdependent roles (e.g., Crew Scheduling) suffered significant deterioration due to "operational blind spots." Furthermore, legacy IT infrastructure imposed a pervasive "friction tax," and rigid regulatory compliance mandates severely constrained remote effectiveness for safety administration staff. The relationship between remote work and productivity in aviation is deeply contingent upon task equivocality, technological adequacy, and institutional pressures. Blanket remote work policies are empirically flawed for this sector. Aviation organisations must adopt differentiated, function-specific hybrid models, prioritize cloud migration of legacy systems, and advocate for digital regulatory modernization to optimize administrative productivity without compromising operational continuity or safety compliance.

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