Wired to the World, Chained to the Home: Telework in Daily Life (review)

Work-life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A European perspective

“…The other advantages of RW for workers are: 1) having the freedom to plan their own time (Gurstein, 2001); 2) increased available time for leisure (Ammons and Markham, 2004); 3) reduced time and costs for commuting (Morgan, 2004); 4) increased productivity (Bailey and Kurland, 2002) because of less frequent disruptions from colleagues (Thulin et al, 2019), as well as the greater effort put into one's work as a consequence of the job autonomy one enjoys. However, there is controversy regarding the effects of RW on workers' productivity (see Bailey and Kurland, 2002 for a review of the possible impacts of teleworking on productivity).…”

Dark side of teleworking: impact of initiated interdependence, professional isolation and psychological detachment on emotional exhaustion

“…Past research in the field of telework/WFH has empirically highlighted the positive consequences of telework, such as reduced costs (Morgan, 2004), reduced traffic and pollution (Handy and Mokhtarian, 1996), work opportunities for diverse groups (Morgan, 2004), reduced travel (Tremblay and Thomsin, 2012), reduced informal communication (Khalifa and Davison, 2000), increased family and leisure time (Ammons and Markham, 2004;Johnson et al, 2007), less distraction from co-workers (Golden and Veiga, 2008;Martinez-Sanchez et al, 2008;Tremblay and Genin, 2007), improved productivity (Fonner and Roloff, 2010), increased job satisfaction (Gurstein, 2001), time planning freedom (Morgan, 2004), increased autonomy (Harpaz, 2002), increased family and leisure time (Ammons and Markham, 2004;Johnson et al, 2007) and lower stress (Fonner and Roloff, 2010).…”

The Fault Lines of Internet-enabled Work in Rural Atlantic Canada: Putting Gender and Class in Place.

“…The gender of teleworkers continues to elude researchers, despite numerous empirical studies across various disciplines, including transportation, labour, urban planning, ethics, law, sociology, and organizational studies and time periods; there remains no consensus on the key question: are teleworkers most likely to be men or women (Bailey & Kurland, 2002;Gurstein, 2001;Haddad et al, 2009;Haider & Anwar, 2023;Kley & Reimer, 2023;Tremblay, 2003)?…”

“…While the outcome was somewhat positive for the union, with remote work gaining allowance on a case-by-case basis, news reports that discussed or announced a dialogue around the fact that telework is not a homogeneous experience were noticeably absent. 1 While productivity may increase and work may still get done from home, evidence has shown that telework often leads to working longer hours, higher amounts of work-family conflicts, and any time saved is sacrificed for the family's needs (Greenhill & Wilson, 2006;Gurstein, 2001;Higgins et al, 2014;Hilbrecht et al, 2008;Sullivan, 2003). The negative consequences are most pronounced for women because of the burden of domestic work associated with gender roles and the division of labour within the home (Greenhill & Wilson, 2006;Gurstein, 2001).…”

“…Research does not tend to include the relationships between the household and the community, nor do studies tend to include dimensions particularly relevant to rural regions, such as distance to schools and availability of resources and other critical services that may shape how workers complete paid work and undertake other activities to support their households. When and if studies do attempt to insert place into the discussion, the locations are primarily urban and suburban places and not rural regions (see Gurstein, 1996Gurstein, , 2001. Empirical studies in rural areas are limited, and those documenting the work experiences of long-time residents of rural communities are scarce.…”