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Possible Impacts of Telework Initiated by COVID-19 Outbreak on Teleworkers’ Psychological Well-being: A Qualitative Study

Saki, Mana | 2021

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 53905 (44)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Management and Economics
  6. Advisor(s): Alavi, Babak
  7. Abstract:
  8. This research explores the impacts of the telework initiated by the outbreak of COVID-19, which is being called “emergent telework” in this research, on psychological well-being of teleworkers. As for the nature of emergent telework which is a new and unique phenomenon, a qualitative research is conducted. In order to do so, 15 in-depth interviews were held with employees from product teams of 11 organizations, and the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. General conditions of teleworking are identified in two categories named as “not working adjacent to coworkers” and “being away from the physical environment of the workplace”. Emergent telework, alongside the general conditions of teleworking, has some unique features including the necessity of quarantine, lack of readiness for teleworking, and generality of telework. Also, the general conditions of teleworking and emergent telework features have activated some mechanisms which were identified in this research. General conditions of teleworking, emergent telework features and the mechanisms, all together described what teleworkers were through in emergent telework. According to the findings of this research, Individual differences could influence how emergent telework affects an individual's well-being. Besides, some individuals and some organizations took actions that effectively affected the relationship between emergent telework conditions and the well-being of teleworkers. In this research individual differences and individual and organizational actions are categorized as contingent factors that can intensify or weaken the impacts of emergent telework on teleworkers’ well-being. A distinguishing feature of this study is its conceptualization of psychological well-being, which encompasses eudaimonia and aspirations in life as a dimension of psychological well-being. Pursuing aspirations including financial affluence, understanding others, having an intimate relationship with others, membership, having an impact, being true to oneself and growth describes the eudaimonic dimension of psychological well-being in this research. Based on the findings of this research, teleworkers’ health and well-being were influenced by emergent telework through its impacts on their affections, pursuing of their aspirations and physical health
  9. Keywords:
  10. Telecommuting ; Self-Determination Theory ; Psychological Effects ; Psychological Well-Being ; COVID-19 ; Eudaimonia

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