Work from home: A qualitative study of an altered working life in early 2020, takes the global spread of coronavirus and its impact on Sweden in early 2020, as its starting point. Restrictions limiting crowds, the closing of workplaces and universities are some among the many ways in which people and societal institutions are facing the pandemic. The purpose of this essay is to examine the participating individuals’ experiences of an altered working life, in regards of them working from home, using technology in order to do so. Research questions asked are: How do the participants experience working from home? In what ways have their everyday practices and routines changed? Based on the climate crisis being part of my research area of concern, an extending question is: What can be learnt from the experiences that are made during this time? The essay is based on questionnaires responded to by eight people, whereof six participated in in qualitative interviews. Analyses show how participants negotiate ideas of home and work as the two categories become integrated in one and the same place. Drawing on theory that emphasizes the agency of materiality and its entanglement with social practices, sociomaterial aspects of working from home are discussed. The participants partake in learning processes where they acquire knowledge that is useful when working from home. Basic digital skills become practical necessities when coping with technical difficulties during virtual meetings. Besides affecting individuals’ everyday experiences, to work remotely seems to have implications at an organizational level as well. Social and material relations are highlighted as constitutive of organizations and effected by the distancing of employees and workplaces. The concluding discussion reconnects to the initial attempt at bringing together individuals’ experiences of working from home with the need of transformation towards sustainable ways of life.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-173131 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Langwagen, Olivia |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Institutionen för kultur- och medievetenskaper |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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