Telework development before, during and after COVID-19, and its relevance for organizational change in the public sector

Interest in, and implementation of telework, mainly working from home using ICT, has dramatically expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic due to government enforced lockdowns. This paper points to both earlier and current research as well as empirical evidence that telework reflects, and can be seen as a surrogate for, organisational change. The public sector has often lagged other sectors in implementing telework, but during the pandemic it has been forced to adopt teleworking practices and the necessary organisational changes in order to continue delivering its basic services. By surveying telework research starting in the mid-1990s up to the present, the paper outlines both similarities and differences in the telework and research themes identified. It offers explanations for these, and also looks towards the post-COVID future and how telework, and work in general, is likely to develop, taking public sector organisational change as the reference point. The paper thus addresses the following research questions: i) what are the common themes in research on telework in public sector organisations before and during the COVID pandemic;ii) how do disruptions impact the way individuals work in public sector organisations;iii) how can telework be understood as a surrogate for organisational change in public sector organisations;and iv) what are the future research topics on telework in public sector organisations? © 2021 ACM.

RemoteWork in Public Sector Organisations: Employees' Experiences in a Pandemic Context

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an immense impact on our society, changing the ways we meet others, learn, buy and work. The crisis has led to rapid and far-reaching changes in organisations from all sectors and employees' everyday working lives. One of the measures implemented in organisations in response to the pandemic was remote work (work from home). This study, based on 40 interviews with employees from two different public sector organisations in Austria, analyses their experiences and insights during and after the first lockdown period in order to understand how remote work is perceived to influence organisational and digital culture. The results address important dimensions of remote work that need to be considered by public sector organisations, for instance in their organisational strategies. Remote work will significantly change ways of working, processes, collaboration and interaction, dimensions that influence the organisational and digital culture of an organisation, and hence will accelerate its digital transformation. On one hand, such changes in public sector organisations reflect substantial challenges, on the other hand, they can provide competitive advantages, as organisations offering remote work can be perceived as modern and attractive employers. © 2021 ACM.