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‘I could be dead for two weeks and my boss would never know’: telework and the politics of representation
Author(s) -
Whittle Andrea,
Mueller Frank
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
new technology, work and employment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.889
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1468-005X
pISSN - 0268-1072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-005x.2009.00224.x
Subject(s) - boss , disconnection , politics , cynicism , vision , flexibility (engineering) , representation (politics) , power (physics) , isolation (microbiology) , public relations , sociology , political science , law , management , engineering , economics , mechanical engineering , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , quantum mechanics , anthropology , biology
This article presents data from a qualitative study of teleworking consultants in a European firm. We examine the ‘gap’ between the utopian visions produced by the consultants for the benefit of clients and the tales of isolation, disconnection, disaffection and cynicism we observed when clients were not present. The study highlights the power and politics involved in the diffusion of popular images of technology‐enabled flexibility.