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1-2: Politics, Perils and Privileges: Immobilities in the Time of Global Pandemics
  • ISSN: 2397-7140
  • E-ISSN: 2397-7159

Abstract

This article explores the interplay between digital work and mobility through a look at the career trajectories, remote work practices and im/mobilities of professionals in the information technology (IT) sector. We draw upon a qualitative study conducted with IT professionals who work remotely for Swiss or Swiss-based international companies. IT professionals have been pioneers in practising virtual work long before the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis and have long engaged in various forms of mobility, including tourism and labour migration. A focus on their remote work and im/mobility practices can shed light on the possibilities and challenges of the virtualization of work, especially in the context of the pandemic. We discuss how geographical immobility, combined with digital technology, becomes important in building a career and a personal life, staying ‘rooted’ and reconstituting the boundaries between work and non-work.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • NCCR
  • Swiss National Science Foundation (Award 51NF40-182897)
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2022-12-28
2026-04-22

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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): digital work; im/mobilities; information technologies; rooted digitalism; rootedness; Switzerland

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