Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Workplace Transformation at M&S

This research project investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation within Marks and Spencer (M&S), aiming to understand its effects on employee retention and engagement. The study explores the concept and role of workplace transformation within the UK retail industry, examines the specific impact of COVID-19 on M&S, and identifies the challenges faced during this transformation. The research employs a quantitative approach, utilizing a survey strategy to gather data, followed by data analysis and interpretation to draw conclusions and provide recommendations. The report includes an introduction outlining the research aim, objectives, and questions, a literature review covering relevant concepts, a detailed methodology section, data analysis and findings, and a conclusion with recommendations. The project highlights the importance of technology, digital workplaces, and creating a positive working environment to improve productivity and employee satisfaction during and after the pandemic. Challenges such as employee safety, maintaining competitiveness, and adapting to unpredictability are also addressed.

RESEARCH PROJECT
(Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on
accelerating workplace transformation for
retaining and engaging employees within an
organisation)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Overview of the research........................................................................................................3
Background of the company...................................................................................................3
Research aim, objectives and questions.................................................................................3
Research rationale..................................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................5
Concept and role of workplace transformation within the UK retail industry.......................5
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on transforming the workplace for engaging and retaining
employees of Marks and Spencer...........................................................................................6
Challenges faced by Marks and Spencer in transforming the workplace during COVID-19
pandemic.................................................................................................................................6
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................8
DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS..........................................................................................10
Frequency distribution table ................................................................................................10
Data interpretation................................................................................................................12
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.............................................................................18
Conclusion............................................................................................................................18
Recommendation..................................................................................................................18
Reflection.............................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................20
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................21
Questionnaire........................................................................................................................21

INTRODUCTION
Overview of the research
Workplace transformation is considered as an important method that helps in improving
the skills of employees, abilities and tools to keep up with the continuos changes for building
better strategy of an organisation. Technology mainly plays a prominent role in enhancing the
working efficiency and effectiveness of employees for gaining high success and growth in the
competitive market. Digital workplace help in improving the overall process of the company
during COVID-19 pandemic and this enables employees to work in a proper manner through
digital technology. It mainly helps in introducing new and effective methods of working,
increases employee agility and engagement and uses consumer oriented technologies and styles
(Selimović, Pilav-Velić and Krndžija, 2021). COVID-19 pandemic has an adverse effect on the
performance and productivity of the business organisation and this results in decreased sales and
profitability. With the help of workplace transformation, an organisation can improve the
working culture of the business by the help of advanced technology so that all employees can
work from their home. This results in improved productivity, employee engagement, customer
satisfaction, inclusion and diversity in the new working environment in the time of pandemic.
Background of the company
For carrying out the present investigation the researcher has chosen Marks and Spencer.
It is considered as a British multinational retailer which is headquartered in Paddington, London,
England. It mainly specialises in selling beauty, clothing, food products and home products. The
company also provides different range of finance related services which includes savings, credit
cards and insurance.
Research aim, objectives and questions
Research aim
To identify the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation
for retaining and engaging employees within an organisation. A study on Marks and Spencer
Research objectives
 To study the concept and role of workplace transformation within the UK retail industry
 To examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on transforming the workplace for
engaging and retaining employees of Marks and Spencer

 To determine the challenges faced by Marks and Spencer in transforming the workplace
during COVID-19 pandemic
Research questions
 What is the concept and role of workplace transformation within the UK retail industry?
 What is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on transforming the workplace for engaging
and retaining employees of Marks and Spencer?
 What are the challenges faced by Marks and Spencer in transforming the workplace
during COVID-19 pandemic?
Research rationale
The main purpose of carrying out this current investigation is to determine the impact of
COVID-19 on bringing workplace transformation for engaging and retaining employees of the
organisation. Workplace transformation is all about bringing new changes and ideas within the
business which helps in increasing the profitability and revenue of the business (Soled, 2021).
The researcher has fulfilled dual objectives while completing this research which are known as
personal and professional. In terms of personal objective, the researcher will come to know about
the concept of workplace transformation and how it helps in dealing the COVID-19 pandemic
situation. On the other hand, in terms of professional objective, the researcher will gain
knowledge about workplace transformation and its role in the company which results in getting
better option for job prospects in the future.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept and role of workplace transformation within the UK retail industry
As per the view of Thevannoor, (2020), workplace transformation plays a prominent role
within the UK retail industry as it helps in attaining high growth and success in the business
market. Workplace transformation is considered as an opportunity that helps company to move
away from manual process of work and realigning the businesses with the growing expectations.
Technology helps in reshaping the operations of the business so that all employees feel engaged
in the activities for better decision making. Digital workplace helps in improving the workplace
of the business so that employees work with high confidence and dedication for attaining the
predetermined goals and objectives (Mahendra and Churiyah, 2022). It includes developing new
products and offerings, revamping and expanding online presence for the business and
integrating a digital approach to their business in the competitive market. Transformation in the
retail industry of the UK helps in increasing the overall sales, boosting satisfaction among
customers and minimising the high cost included in the operations. The role of workplace
transformation within the UK retail industry is defined as below:
 Attracting and retaining customers – Workplace transformation helps in attracting and
retaining large number of customers towards the business so that they gain high
profitability and sales. With the advancement of technology within the UK retail industry,
the company can sell its products through online platform and this results in reaching out
to more number of customers.
 Improving employee performance – Workplace transformation mainly helps in
improving the overall performance of employees for achieving the predefined goals and
objectives of the business in a effective manner (Borg and O'Sullivan, 2021). Employees
are the most important part of the business which helps in gaining high profitability and
growth in the retail industry.
 Creating a right culture for employees – Creating the right culture within the company
helps in motivating employees to work more effectively and efficiently within the
business. This also helps the company in retaining more number of employees because
they keep them engaged in the business activities and in sharing their thoughts in the
process of decision making.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on transforming the workplace for engaging and retaining
employees of Marks and Spencer
As per the view of Woodbridg, (2019), COVID-19 has impacted the overall performance
and sales of the business in a negative manner. Transforming the workplace helps in dealing with
the COVID-19 situation in an effective and appropriate manner in order to survive in the
business market. For retaining and engaging staff members within the business organisation
during pandemic, it is important to adopt new and advanced technology so that they perform
business activities in a better way. COVID-19 has resulted in closure of most of the businesses
and for protecting the business from any discrepancy, it is essential for the company to adopt
workplace transformation so that better results can be gained. Creating a positive working
environment is important because it helps in improving employees productivity and performance
in the competitive business market. Transforming the workplace helps in improving the overall
performance of the business as technology helps in making the manual work more easy as
everything can be updated. This helps in providing employees work from home facility in the
time of complete lock-down so that they work with high flexibility within the business in order
to gain high success in the market.
An engaged employee is more productive and efficient in achieving the sustained aim
and objectives for high growth within the business organisation (Anderson, 2018). Remote work
results in attracting highly talented and qualified talented employees which work in favour of the
business organisation. Providing training to employees is also an important factor because this
results in improving their performance which results in increasing their level of knowledge and
skills. Training also helps in developing employees to deals with the pandemic situation properly
and in gaining high growth and survival in the business market where most of the business
results in closure of their business. Technology mainly helps in completing the given work in a
given time period and this enables business in retaining more number of customers for
purchasing the following goods and services through online platforms.
Challenges faced by Marks and Spencer in transforming the workplace during COVID-19
pandemic
As per the view of Fogarty, (2020), COVID-19 pandemic has brought several challenges
for the company which results in decreasing the overall growth and success in the competitive
retail business market. Pandemic has resulted in many deaths and this creates a fear in the mind

of people to come in direct contact with a person in the office in any other public place. The
following challenges which the company face are defined as under:
 Safety of employee – Safety of employees is considered as the major challenge that
company face because it effects the overall health of an employee life into risk (Zidek
and et. al., 2020). It is responsibility of the employers of the company to take full charge
about the employees safety the time of pandemic because they are main source which
helps in reaching out to the target customers.
 Staying competitive in the market – Staying competitive in the market is also
considered as a major challenge that company face as most of businesses results in
closure of their working operations. Keeping people healthy and safe must be the primary
objective for the employers so that they keep employees productive and competitive in
the market (Baptista and et. al., 2020). Delivering goods on-time during pandemic is
important because it helps in satisfying customers and creating more demand for the
business in the competitive market.
 Coping with unpredictability and change – The main challenge that business face is
coping up with the change and unpredictability due to the uncertain events occur in the
company. It is the responsibility of employers to keep employees prepared for the uneven
changes so that keep them safe and protect them with any uncertainty because of
COVID-19 pandemic. In the changing environment, consumers demand is likely to
fluctuate in the fast moving trends and health related concerns so that they create high
demand in the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is defined as a strategic process of gathering and interpreting
relevant data on the selected research topic in a significant way. This section also assists in
maintaining the validity and reliability about the collected information on the given topic in an
effective manner. The following parts can be defined as under:
Research philosophy
Research philosophy can mainly be classified as two forms which are particularly known
as interpretivism and positivism (Snyder, 2019). The researcher has selected positivism
philosophy in the current investigation because it mainly assists in gathering authentic
quantitative data about the topic in an effective and significant manner.
Research approach
Research approach is of two types that are defined as deductive and inductive
approaches. Deductive approach has been chosen by the investigator in the following
investigation because it assists in calculating the existing theories in an appropriate way so that
accurate information can be gained.
Research strategy
Research strategy can be classified into different types such as survey, case study, focus
group, systematic literature review and so on (Pandey and Pandey, 2021). Survey strategy is
selected by the current researcher in carrying out the present research because it mainly helps in
gathering and analysing data on the topic for attaining research aim and objectives.
Research choice
Research choice is divided into two different parts which are defined as quantitative and
qualitative. The investigator has selected quantitative choice method in carrying out the current
investigation because it is easy to understand and calculate in an effective and significant
manner.
Data collection
There are two methods that help in collecting data which are known as secondary and
primary data. In carrying out the present investigation in an effective manner, primary and
secondary both methods are selected (Patel and Patel, 2019). The reason for selecting both
primary and secondary methods is that because it helps the investigator because it helps in
collecting correct information from different sources and articles.

Data analysis
Data analysis is divided into various different types which are primarily known as
frequency distribution analysis, thematic analysis and many more (Shahar and et. al., 2019). In
carrying out the present research, the researcher has selected frequency distribution analysis as it
helps in gathering accurate information from a large population set of respondents.
Time horizon
Time horizon is divided mainly in two types which are defined as longitudinal and cross-
sectional. Cross-sectional method has been selected by researcher in carrying out the current
investigation (de Vries, 2020). The reason for selecting cross-sectional method is that it mainly
helps the investigator in completing the investigation in an appropriate and effective manner.
Sampling
Sampling can be classified into two different parts which are primarily known as non-
probability and probability techniques (Solum, 2017). Probability sampling technique is chosen
by the researcher in carrying out the current research because it helps in collecting fair and
collect information on the particular topic in an efficient manner.
Ethical consideration
While conducting out the present research, ethics mainly play a prominent role in
following all the necessary rules and regulations that helps in completing the whole research in a
timely manner. It also helps in managing high quality of the research so that no person gets hurt
by the person so that they deal with the research in an effective manner.
Reliability and validity
Reliability can be defined as the approach that helps in reproducing the same results on
the given topic for attaining same result after doing the research. Whereas validity can be defined
as how accurately and correctly a tool measures about the topic of the research.

DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Frequency distribution table
Q1) Do you think, workplace transformation plays a very important role in
retaining and engaging employees within the UK retail industry?
Frequency
a) Yes 23
b) No 5
c) Can't say 2
Q2) As per your opinion, what is the role and importance of workplace
transformation within the UK retail industry?
Frequency
a) Improving skills of employees 7
b) Reducing the operational cost 8
c) Creating a positive working environment 6
d) Improved performance of employees 5
e) Brings innovation and creativity 4
Q3) As per your opinion, what is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in
accelerating workplace transformation for retaining and engaging employees
of Marks and Spencer?
Frequency
a) Increasing working efficiency of employees 5
b) Increased productivity 7
c) High engagement among customers 6
d) Increasing technical knowledge 8
e) Helps in giving flexibility to employees 4
Q4) Do you think that workplace transformation helps in retaining and
engaging employees of Marks and Spencer during COVID-19 pandemic?
Frequency
a) Strongly agree 8

b) Agree 7
c) Neutral 5
d) Disagree 4
e) Strongly disagree 6
Q5) As per your perception, what are the different types of challenges that
Marks and Spencer faces at the time implementing workplace transformation
during COVID-19 pandemic?
Frequency
a) Complex technology and software 5
b) Adoption of new tools and processes 4
c) Safety of staff members 6
d) Staying competitive in business market 7
e) Training employees about new changes 8
Q6) As per your perspective, what are the different strategic methods that help
Marks and Spencer in overcoming the challenges faced in the time of
pandemic in accelerating workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Providing effective training to employees 10
b) Keeping positive working environment 8
c) Giving rewards and incentives for extra work 5
d) Recruiting IT talented employees 7

Data interpretation
Table 1: Workplace transformation plays a very important role in retaining and engaging
employees within the UK retail industry
Q1) Do you think, workplace transformation plays a very important role in
retaining and engaging employees within the UK retail industry?
Frequency
a) Yes 23
b) No 5
c) Can't say 2
a) Yes b) No c) Can't say
0
5
10
15
20
25
Interpretation: According to the above collected data from the graph, it is interpreted that
workplace transformation plays a prominent role within the UK retail industry because it helps in
bringing new changes and creativity. Out of the total of 30 respondents, 23 respondents have said
yes and agree with the fact, 5 respondents have said no and do not agree with the above
statement while 2 respondents can't say anything about the above statement.

Table 2: What is the role and importance of workplace transformation within the UK retail
industry
Q2) As per your opinion, what is the role and importance of workplace
transformation within the UK retail industry?
Frequency
a) Improving skills of employees 7
b) Reducing the operational cost 8
c) Creating a positive working environment 6
d) Improved performance of employees 5
e) Brings innovation and creativity 4
0
2
4
6
8 7
8
6
5
4
Interpretation: According to the above discussion from the graph, it is interpreted that there are
total 30 respondents out of which 8 respondents have said that workplace transformation helps in
reducing the operational cost, 7 respondents have said that it helps in improving skills of
employees so that they work in a better way. While 4 respondents have said that it brings new
innovation and creativity that makes the work of the company in a proper way.

Table 3: What is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in accelerating workplace transformation
for retaining and engaging employees of Marks and Spencer
Q3) As per your opinion, what is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in
accelerating workplace transformation for retaining and engaging employees
of Marks and Spencer?
Frequency
a) Increasing working efficiency of employees 5
b) Increased productivity 7
c) High engagement among customers 6
d) Increasing technical knowledge 8
e) Helps in giving flexibility to employees 4
0
2
4
6
8
5
7 6
8
4
Interpretation: As per the above gathered data from the graph, it is analysed that COVID-19
creates an adverse effect on the performance of the company and this requires workplace
transformation. Out of the total of 30 respondents, 8 respondents have said it assists in enhancing
technical knowledge that results in better working, 7 respondents mainly feels that it helps in
increasing the overall productivity of the organisational business.

Table 4: Workplace transformation helps in retaining and engaging employees of Marks and
Spencer during COVID-19 pandemic
Q4) Do you think that workplace transformation helps in retaining and
engaging employees of Marks and Spencer during COVID-19 pandemic?
Frequency
a) Strongly agree 8
b) Agree 7
c) Neutral 5
d) Disagree 4
e) Strongly disagree 6
a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neutral d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
8
7
5
4
6
Interpretation: As per the above gathered data from the graph, it is analysed that there are total
30 respondents selected by the researcher and out of them 8 respondents strongly agree with the
above statement which helps in delivering better outcomes while 6 respondents strongly disagree
with the above statement and do not find workplace transformation much fruitful for the
company success.

Table 5: What are the different types of challenges that Marks and Spencer faces at the time
implementing workplace transformation during COVID-19 pandemic
Q5) As per your perception, what are the different types of challenges that
Marks and Spencer faces at the time implementing workplace transformation
during COVID-19 pandemic?
Frequency
a) Complex technology and software 5
b) Adoption of new tools and processes 4
c) Safety of staff members 6
d) Staying competitive in business market 7
e) Training employees about new changes 8
0
2
4
6
8
5
4
6
7
8
Interpretation: As per the above collected information from the graph, it is analysed that the
company face different challenges that makes the performance of the business slow. Out of the
total of 30 respondents, 8 respondents feels that providing training about new changes to
employees is a main challenge that company face while 4 respondents have said that adoption of
new processes and tools is also considered as a major challenge by the company.

Table 6: What are the strategic ways that help Marks and Spencer in overcoming the challenges
faced in the time of pandemic in accelerating workplace transformation
Q6) As per your perspective, what are the strategic ways that help Marks and
Spencer in overcoming the challenges faced in the time of pandemic in
accelerating workplace transformation?
Frequency
a) Providing effective training to employees 10
b) Keeping positive working environment 8
c) Giving rewards and incentives for extra work 5
d) Recruiting IT talented employees 7
0
2
4
6
8
10
10
8
5
7
Interpretation: It is analysed from the above graph that there are strategic ways that helps in
dealing with the challenges of the business organisation in an effective way. Out of the total 30
respondents, 10 respondents have said that providing training to employees is the best strategic
way that help in achieving success and growth in the market. While 5 respondents have said that
giving rewards and incentive to employees is the best way to motivate employees in the time of
COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
From the above mentioned report this can be summarised that workplace transformation
is considered as one of the most important method which is used within an organisation in order
to manage changes within the business. Technology is the prominent aspect which is being
added by the business in workplace transformation so that market competitive edge can be
acquired. With the help of digital workplace business process can be improved so that business
functions execution can be made. During the situation of COVID-19 various businesses had to
adopt different strategies so that to enable digital technologies in proper manner. This would be
helpful in developing effective working methods so that business functions can be executed in
most appropriate manner. The report has elaborated impacts which was faced by the organisation
during pandemic situation of COVID. During the situation businesses faced different issues
related with gaining employee productivity so that with the help of digital workplace
transformation the organisation managed their working using workplace transformation. There
are various challenges which has been seen by the organisation during workplace transformation
such as analysing market change and understanding needs of employees and customers. So in
this manner using digital workplace transformation the organisation may lead to develop
different changes in their business along with gaining market edge.
Recommendation
 The organisation should provide continuous training to their people so that needed skills
can be developed within significant time gap. Using such training the organisation can
acquire success within their market.
 The organisation should introduce flexible working in their organisation so that employee
retention can be increased and at the same time overall business strength can also be
increased.
 The organisation should implement right working culture so that happy working
environment can be created and employee may feel happy during working. These
methods could be helpful in increasing employee retention and employee engagement.

Reflection
I am glad that I have got the opportunity to execute the current research on the topic of
identifying the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on accelerating workplace transformation for
retaining and engaging employees within Marks & Spencer. The current research is going to
provide highest yield to me in terms of academic and career perceptive. The current research
would increase my understanding on the topic of digital workplace transformation. During the
research I have analysed that I am strong over my critical thinking and analytical skills. These
skills helped me in taking out research information from the respondents and summarising the
same to draw research outcomes. On the other hand, I have examined that I am weak in
communication and presentation skills. In order to overcome these skills I have attended
different seminars over communication skills. This has helped me to manage my communication
skills and the same can be used by me in developing my career perspective. Using knowledge
from the current research I will be able to conduct future researches in more appropriate manner.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Anderson, G.J., 2018. Transforming Workplace Relations: The Way Forward. Victoria
University of Wellington Legal Research Paper, (90).
Baptista and et. al., 2020. Digital work and organisational transformation: Emergent
Digital/Human work configurations in modern organisations. The Journal of Strategic
Information Systems, 29(2), p.101618.
Borg, C. and O'Sullivan, C., 2021. The Corporate Brand Identity in a Hybrid Workplace Model.
de Vries, K., 2020. Case study methodology. In Critical Qualitative Health Research (pp. 41-
52). Routledge.
Fogarty, J., 2020. Digital transformation in the workplace: the impact on frontline employees and
line managers.
Mahendra, R.H. and Churiyah, M., 2022. Workplace Flexibility A Bibliometric Analysis. Jurnal
Syntax Transformation, 3(5), pp.667-674.
Pandey, P. and Pandey, M.M., 2021. Research methodology tools and techniques. Bridge Center.
Patel, M. and Patel, N., 2019. Exploring Research Methodology. International Journal of
Research and Review, 6(3), pp.48-55.
Selimović, J., Pilav-Velić, A. and Krndžija, L., 2021. Digital workplace transformation in the
financial service sector: Investigating the relationship between employees' expectations
and intentions. Technology in Society, 66, p.101640.
Shahar and et. al., 2019, September. Research Methodology Trending in Evolutionary
Computing. In International Conference on Computational Collective Intelligence (pp.
474-485). Springer, Cham.
Snyder, H., 2019. Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and
guidelines. Journal of business research, 104, pp.333-339.
Soled, J.A., 2021. Workplace Transformation and Its Tax Compliance Implications. Vill. L.
Rev., 66, p.575.
Solum, L.B., 2017. Originalist Methodology. U. Chi. L. Rev., 84, p.269.
Thevannoor, R., 2020. Workplace Transformation. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 17(4),
pp.4-4.
Woodbridge, M., 2019. How to Strengthen Your Digital Workplace Program to Sustain Digital
Transformation. https://emtemp. gcom.
cloud/ngw/globalassets/en/doc/documents/441490-how-to-strengthen-your-digital-
workplace-program-to-sustain-digital-transformation. Pdf.
Zidek and et. al., 2020. Digital twin of experimental workplace for quality control with cloud
platform support. In 4th EAI international conference on management of manufacturing
systems (pp. 135-145). Springer, Cham.

APPENDIX
Questionnaire
Q1) Do you think, workplace transformation plays a very important role in retaining and
engaging employees within the UK retail industry?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Can't say
Q2) As per your opinion, what is the role and importance of workplace transformation within
the UK retail industry?
a) Improving skills of employees
b) Reducing the operational cost
c) Creating a positive working environment
d) Improved performance of employees
e) Brings innovation and creativity
Q3) As per your opinion, what is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in accelerating workplace
transformation for retaining and engaging employees of Marks and Spencer?
a) Increasing working efficiency of employees
b) Increased productivity
c) High engagement among customers
d) Increasing technical knowledge
e) Helps in giving flexibility to employees
Q4) Do you think that workplace transformation helps in retaining and engaging employees of
Marks and Spencer during COVID-19 pandemic?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Neutral
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
Q5) As per your perception, what are the different types of challenges that Marks and Spencer
faces at the time implementing workplace transformation during COVID-19 pandemic?

a) Complex technology and software
b) Adoption of new tools and processes
c) Safety of staff members
d) Staying competitive in business market
e) Training employees about new changes
Q6) As per your perspective, what are the strategic ways that help Marks and Spencer in
overcoming the challenges faced in the time of pandemic in accelerating workplace
transformation?
a) Providing effective training to employees
b) Keeping positive working environment
c) Giving rewards and incentives for extra work
d) Recruiting IT talented employees