New Telework, Time Pressure, and Time Use Control in Everyday Life

Eva Thulin, Bertil Vilhelmson and Martina Johansson
Additional contact information
Eva Thulin: Unit for Human Geography, Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
Bertil Vilhelmson: Unit for Human Geography, Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
Martina Johansson: Unit for Human Geography, Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: This study explores how changing conditions for home-based telework affect the quality of life and social sustainability of workers in terms of time pressure and time use control in everyday life. Changing conditions concern the spread of telework to new types of jobs of a more routine character, involving new practices of unregulated work and anytime smartphone access. Empirically, we draw on survey data from a sample of 456 home-based teleworkers employed by six governmental agencies in Sweden. Results indicate that subjective time pressure is not associated with job type in terms of distinguishing between bounded case work and more independent analytical work. Time pressure is intensified by family-related factors, telework performed outside of working hours, and part-time work, and is moderated by the private use of smartphones. We find no significant associations between subjective time use control, job qualifications, and teleworking practice. Family situation and having small children at home reduce time use control. Also, high levels of smartphone use for work-related purposes are associated with reduced control.

Keywords: telecommuting; remote work; quality of life; social sustainability; time pressure; work–life balance; everyday life; job qualifications; telework practice; smartphone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (43)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/11/3067/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/11/3067/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:11:p:3067-:d:235862

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().