Re-materialization of work as a consequence of telework de-humanizing effects? A social regulation perspective

Globalization, flexibilization, digitalization… For several decades, a large number of transformations of work have been observed in our societies (Huws, 2014). These changes led to the virtualization of work but also to the emergence of "New ways of Working (NWOW)" (Taskin, Ajzen & Donis, 2017). Among the practices traditionally associated to the NWOW, telework has been of high-interest for scholars (Ajzen, Donis & Taskin, 2015). Among this large body of literature, many publications aim at questioning the effects of such practices on organizational outcomes). While questioning these research results, we can observe that the effects are extremely diversified and mostly unexplained (De Menezes & Kelliher, 2011; Martin & MacDonnell, 2012). Indeed, little is known about the social dynamics that occur from the negotiation of teleworking practices to their effective uses by social actors, what some authors refer to as 'appropriation' (Reynaud, 2004; 2007). To do so, this research aims at questioning the ways teleworking uses are regulated through social dynamics, and how this social regulation process produces social norms, from a critical perspective in management. While we might expect that the management policy on telework (or the collective agreement) defines the standards of using the practice through rules, principles or work processes, many studies point out a gap between the prescribed work and its real application ("concrete work") (Lallement, 2007; Cushen & Thompson, 2012). Beyond the work techniques and processes, this is the managerial rhetoric that is questioned (Léonard, 2015), in particular through the actors' autonomy and empowerment (Thorne, 2005; Huws, 2014). Even though telework provide more opportunities to workers to tackle the issue of work-life balance, the autonomy "given" by the management is embedded in a discretionary space that constraints the action. Therefore, by questioning the power issues on the "rules of games", this research aims to reintroduce the political dimension underlying the process of building social relationships in organizations by proposing an original articulation between the social regulation theory (Reynaud, 2004; 2007; Reynaud & Richebé, 2009) and the French theory of conventions in management (Gomez & Jones, 2000; Gomez, 2006;). This analytical framework aims at questioning the potential of emancipation or alienation of teleworkers through the use of a presumed empowering practice. The research was composed of two in-depth case studies conducted within Belgian organizations (logistic and insurance sectors). Data has been collected through semi-structured interviews (115 interviews). The latter was audiotaped and completely transcribed. A computer-aided analysis (Nvivo11) was used to analyze the empirical material through a double analysis: thematic analysis and categories of concept (Paillé and Mucchielli, 2012). The results from the analysis of the first case study (insurance sector) show several effects of telework on both social and organizational processes. Results show many re-regulation of the work activity at different levels: on time arrangements (e.a. a higher frequency of teleworking use than authorized by the management policy); workspaces relocation (working from different countries, homeworking for long period of time for health or family matters); on ICT tools (resistance to use company ICT tools); on work organization (reallocation of working time and lifetime); on control (the evaluation of work shifts from the visibility and presence at work towards a semi-autonomous management by objectives). The ways the organization of work and the employment relations have been performed through the use of telework provide some insights of the processes leading to re-regulation the activity of work but also to the actors' rationalities (convention). First, it has been observed a process of de-humanization of work resulting in the "invisibilization" and deskilling of real work but, simultaneously, also in strategies consisting in re-visibilizing people. In the first case, work and people become more invisible, communication tools replace face-to-face meetings, people feels useless and isolated, and finally, some tasks are not associated to work anymore (e.a. write emails on the evening at home, in the train). In the second case, as a consequence of "invisibilization", actors aim to re-materializing social relations at work through different means such as the virtualization of exchanges (WhatsApp groups), being present at work at particular moments ("when the boss is at work"; "for important meetings") but also by giving more visibility to work produced remotely (e.a. sending emails on Sunday evening). A second result observed is the transformation of the sense of the workspace. The more people use teleworking practices the more the functions of the workspaces are reallocated. Another effect observed is the re-appropriation of the productive times by the actors. Telework overtakes the work-life balance issue through a complete re-organization of working time and lifetime. The latter is organized around the working time and the opposite as well. Therefore, overworking (working on the evening, during the weekend or holidays) becomes normal just as well as the fact to go shopping or going to the dentist during the traditional working hours. In line with this effect, other results show some shifts of responsibilities from top-management to middle-management through local work-arrangements (e.a. providing more flexibility) but also from middle-managers to employees through the empowerment rhetoric. In many cases, the latter is assimilated by workers that manage collectively the telework practicalities but also they feel more responsible to perform their work efficiently in order to 'save time' for lifetime. This leads to new behaviors such as: overworking or exit from the workspace in order to avoid wasting time in transports or workplace disruptions (e.a. noise, social exchanges). In conclusion, far from building a new social order, telework there confirms the existing rules of the game but also, offers the possibility to some resisting workers to escape the dominant order (what marginally threatens the convention) through the re-appropriation of spaces and times. In this case, the convention of efficiency has been reinforced by the introduction of telework. However, the efficiency here overtakes the working area by encompassing the life area. In this context, teleworking may provide more spaces to micro-emancipations (Huault, Perret & Spicer, 2014). But, in the same time, surrounded by efficiency requirements, the more than ever blurred boundaries between work and life may lead to workers' alienation.