THE IMPACT OF FORCED TELEWORK ON EMPLOYEES’ WELL-BEING AT WORK: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY CONDUCTED DURING THE FIRST LOCKDOWN IN FRANCE

Abstract

The Covid-19 health crisis has turned the professional sphere upside down, leading to a restructuring of activity around teleworking. Without any anticipation or preparation, many employees have been forced to adopt teleworking in an anxiety-provoking context which can severely alter their well-being at work. This study examines the impact of telework on well-being at work, through the prism of the perceptions and feelings of employees who were forced to telework during the first lockdown. Research on well-being whilst teleworking reveals ambiguous effects for employees, both positive and negative. Using an exploratory approach, we aimed to understand whether these effects persist when it comes to this new population of teleworkers (forced teleworkers), by comparing our results with previous literature on voluntary telework. To what extent does forced telework affect well-being at work compared to voluntary telework? To answer this research question, a study was conducted, through semi-structured interviews with thirteen employees from the public and private sectors during the beginning of lockdown in March 2020. Our results were processed by thematic analysis, first by open and then by selective coding. They reveal findings in line with the literature, whilst also shedding light on some contradictions. Nevertheless, the originality of this study consists in highlighting the relationship between well-being whilst teleworking and autonomy on the one hand, and social relations at work on the other. The conception of well-being whilst teleworking is done individually, following social, professional and emotional dimensions.