Facing health crisis: human relations and digital technology in redesigned workspaces

Working experiences in our current techno-societies are heavily impacted by the eruption of COVID-19. The health rules imposed in order to fight the pandemic require on-site adaptations (repartitioning, social distancing, wearing of masks, etc.) and off-site practices (teleworking), which can be experienced by employees as a “step backward” or on the contrary a “step forward” and an “accelerator” of change.

The Re-WORK project will address following questions based on an extended literature review and qualitative case studies in the field of working experience, processes, and collaboration:

• What impact do the response to the present crisis and its translation into workspaces have on workers or employees’ experiences?
• What adaptations do they bring in daily workflow?
• How do the growing importance of digital communication and the establishment of digital workspaces alter modes of collaboration and work processes?
• Are the current adaptations temporary and local or are they of a nature to allow for organizational learning and become more permanently embedded in practices and workplaces?