Abstract
This article revisits the concept of responsible autonomy, analysing the interplay of employee autonomy, management control and trust experienced by knowledge professionals in the UK compelled to work remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. We theorize about the tensions and paradoxes of responsible autonomy in the contemporary context of the COVID-19 crisis, drawing on empirical findings gathered in May 2020 and May 2021. Many participants experienced increased autonomy and discretion, but also work intensification and blurred work-life boundaries. Interestingly, many accepted this paradox as a palatable trade-off for the autonomy of being able to work from home, particularly where there was reciprocal trust between employee and manager. Trust is the glue in responsible autonomy, yet exists in tension with intrusive managerial control.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Economic and Industrial Democracy |
Early online date | 7 Dec 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 7 Dec 2022 |
Keywords
- Control
- COVID-19 pandemic
- knowledge professionals
- paradox
- responsible autonomy
- trust
- working from home