Quality of Work Life among IT Professionals in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Comparative Analysis of Remote and Office-Based Work Environments

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally reconfigured workplace norms, accelerating the adoption of remote and hybrid work arrangements across the global Information Technology (IT) sector. While these transitions were initially driven by necessity, they have persisted as deliberate organizational strategies, raising critical questions about their implications for employee Quality of Work Life (QWL). This study examines and compares QWL among IT professionals engaged in Work from Home (WFH) and Work from Office (WFO) arrangements, with additional attention to gender-based variation. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, drawing a purposive sample of 200 IT professionals (100 WFH, 100 WFO; 100 men, 100 women) from technology parks in Kochi, Kerala. QWL was assessed using the validated Quality of Work Life Inventory (Vijayalakshmi, 2005), a 50-item instrument spanning eight dimensions including compensation equity, occupational safety, career growth, institutional governance, and human capability development. Results reveal that WFO employees report marginally higher QWL scores than WFH counterparts, attributable primarily to differences in social integration and organizational support dimensions. Gender differences were not statistically significant within either work modality. Findings carry practical implications for HR strategy, hybrid work policy design, and employee mental well-being programmes in the post-pandemic IT landscape.