Explaining the Autonomy‐Control‐Paradox With the Rise of Remote Work

Abstract

In the digital age, working remotely has become the new normal for many employees in most European countries. In Austria too, the context of the present study, remote work was once considered to be the exception rather than the rule. Nevertheless, it became indispensable for an unforeseen number of employees, especially within the last couple of years. In line with this transformation of the labour market, more flexibility over both time and place of work leads to a sense of more autonomy for employees. However, the increase of autonomy comes with paradoxical consequences as the new circumstances introduce different modes of control. Therefore, the present paper aims to explain how the autonomy‐control paradox works from an employee's perspective, by applying a two‐phase explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Our results are based on quantitative data using the Micro Census as well as the Austrian AKCOVID Panel Survey and a set of 33 problem‐centred semi‐structured interviews. The findings of our quantitative study indicate that especially employees regularly working remotely perceive increased levels of both autonomy and control. The analyses of our qualitative interviews deepen the understanding of this paradox as we discuss eight subcategories in an exemplary typology representing ideal‐typical characteristics on a continuum where we evaluate individual preferences and the actual working situation using a schematic illustration in a two‐dimensional model.