Il recovery from work in un'epoca di remote working

Abstract

Il processo del recovery from work (o “recupero dal lavoro”) è importante per la salute, il benessere e la prestazione lavorativa. Il presente lavoro comincia con un’analisi delle teorie e dei modelli che hanno portato alla teorizzazione del recovery from work, per poi esaminare la relazione che intercorre tra recovery e job demands (richieste lavorative), job resources (risorse lavorative), work engagement, performance e benessere. Successivamente, viene introdotto il tema delle new ways of working e del remote working; questi creano una situazione in cui la vita lavorativa incontra e spesso si sovrappone alla vita privata, influendo sul work-life balance (equilibrio casa-lavoro), sulla performance, sulle richieste e le risorse lavorative e sul benessere. Dunque, il presente lavoro indaga la relazione tra remote working e work-life balance, job demands, job resources, performance e benessere. All’inizio del 2020, l’avvento della pandemia da Covid-19 ha fatto sì che il remote working subisse una diffusione senza precedenti, in quanto molte organizzazioni sono state costrette ad adottare il lavoro da remoto per limitare la diffusione del virus, costringendo gli individui a lavorare da casa. In questo conteso, i confini che hanno tradizionalmente separato vita lavorativa e vita privata vengono eliminati, influendo sul work-life balance e su altre dimensioni del dominio personale e lavorativo. Così, il presente lavoro analizza nuovamente la relazione tra remote working e work-life balance, job demands, job resources, performance e benessere nel contesto della pandemia da Covid-19. Infine, viene analizzato il processo del recovery from work alla luce di quanto accaduto dal 2020 ad oggi, per concludere con una riflessione sull'importanza del recovery from work in un'epoca di remote working.

The process of recovery from work is important for health, well-being and job performance. This paper begins with an analysis of the theories and models that have led to the theorisation of recovery from work, and then examines the relationship between recovery and job demands, job resources, work engagement, performance and well-being. Next, the topic of new ways of working and remote working is introduced; these create a situation in which work life meets and often overlaps with private life, affecting work-life balance, performance, job demands, job resources and well-being. Therefore, this paper investigates the relationship between remote working and work-life balance, job demands, job resources, performance and well-being. In the early 2020s, the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic caused remote working to undergo an unprecedented spread, as many organisations were forced to adopt remote working to limit the spread of the virus, forcing individuals to work from home. In this contest, the boundaries that have traditionally separated work and private life are removed, affecting work-life balance and other dimensions of the personal and work domain. Thus, this paper re-analyses the relationship between remote working and work-life balance, job demands, job resources, performance and well-being in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, the process of recovery from work is analysed in the light of what has happened since 2020, concluding with a reflection on the importance of recovery from work in an era of remote working.