When Remote Work is Inevitable: Experiences of Remote Workers During the Pandemic

Remote working was obligatory rather than optional for many workers during Covid-19 pandemic. We interviewed 23 whitecollar participants, who were forced to work from home in this period, using semi -structured questionnaires to determine their experiences in the remote working process and to identify the factors influencing the efficiency of remote working. We qualitatively evaluated the participants' responses and determined seven themes: location flexibility, time flexibility, belonging and status, communication, recordability/concrete evidence, anxiety of being invisible and being forgotten, and the view of other people on remote workers. The most important factor determining the participants' perception on these themes is the nature of the work. If the work requires constant and quick communication among different partners, remote working is not perceived to be as efficient as working in an office. Works involving tasks that can be performed individually and independently appear to generate more satisfaction in a remote working environment. Regardless of the nature of the work, personal development opportunities, such as trainings, seminars and workshops, provided by the employers to their remote working employees during the pandemic seem to alleviate negative consequences of remote working on the employees to some degree.