From home or back to office? An analysis of discourses and social perceptions on telework after the end of the pandemic

Abstract

This article aims to assess the social perceptions and discourses of employees in relation to telework. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an explosion in the use of telework, once confinements and the promotion of social distance forced many organizations to encourage working from home; however, after the end of the health emergency, some companies and administrations have progressively resumed face-to-face work. What is the employees’ perception of telework at this time of transition back to the office? This article focuses on this question by analyzing the discourses of employees from various sectors in relation to telework, collected from a series of interviews conducted with workers in the Community of Madrid at the end of 2023 who work partially or totally under this modality. The results show that among employees there is a preference for maintaining the hybrid model, since it allows them to better reconcile work and personal life and allows them to achieve a flexibility closer to what they really want. The analysis indicates an increase in productivity based on greater motivation and satisfaction perceived by the employee, as well as the lengthening and intensification of the working day by working from home. Additionally, the debate around teleworking suggests a dispute around the idea of business flexibility, since employees and company management seem to be holding different perspectives regarding it.