Transformative Nature of the Knowledge Workplace

Telework can be defined as using a computer or a similar technological device to work away from the central office. The remote location is commonly set at the worker’s home (Lafferty & Whitehorse, 2000). In this regard, the main difference in the conceptualization of telework and remote work is that telework is primarily conducted from a home office. In contrast, remote work can be carried out from a satellite office, local shared space facilities such as a coworking environment or home. However, both concepts have been widely used to describe the same situation where individuals conduct team-based and work-related activities from various locations to shorten the commute time, cut down the related costs, and seek positive work-life-associated improvements. While the term telework has been extensively used in scholarly debates throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the term remote work has somewhat prevailed in the 2000s and early 2010s, mainly due to organizations and knowledge workers experimenting and trying various facilities to conduct their work and scout for compatible leisure activities. In turn, the term “work from home” (WFH) arose during the recent pandemic-driven disruption, with similar term-related spins such as “COVID-working” (Tagliaro & Migliore, 2021) also emerging in scholarly debates. Therefore, the following discussion aims to understand the contemporary history of dislocated work and the related production and social experience processes.