THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND WELL-BEING OF ROMANIAN TELEWORKERS DURING PANDEMIC

Abstract

This period of mandated remote work has been challenging the Romanian employees to adept to the new paradigm of telework for most of them. While prior to COVID-19 pandemic employees were accustom with the work environment and its variables, they were suddenly replaced. The psychological place for restoration, called home, got invaded and occupied by working life. In this time remote workers were learning to adapt to the new way of working from home and balancing it with everyday life. While employers are searching for new and performing approach to accomplish their goals, employees are addressing new conditions affecting their working performance and personal or family life. The study presents and analyses data of two surveys conducted by the “European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions”. The impact and consequences of telework on work-life balance and well-being of workers are discussed, seeing that the working time and work intensity dimensions have a direct influence. The search for sustainable telework requires customized working conditions, adapted skills, tackling emerging risks and involving all stakeholders in Romanian working environment. Article history: Received 18 February 2022; Revised 4 March 2022; Accepted 21 March 2022; Available online 30 May 2022; Available print 30 May 2022. JEL Classification: M100, M540, M150

Keywords

• telework, work-life balance, well-being, work intensity, working time, flextime, autonomy, right to disconnect, COVID-19