Beyond Home or Office – Arbeits(t)raum Homeoffice während und nach Corona

In the social science and media discourse about the new world of work that has changed as a result of the pandemic, working from home is currently mostly reduced to three essential aspects: First, the performance of employees in overcoming the pandemic has become a secondary consideration. Second, it cannot be assumed that after the pandemic people will exclusively work in their homes, but rather in a hybrid office. And third, post-pandemic the working mode will intensify from avoiding contact as much as possible to direct interaction again. The article shows why not only work from home shapes the changed world of work, but a continuum of work between home and office. Based on a qualitative panel survey of executives with personnel responsibility from various industries, the handling of the pandemic since the first lockdown is considered. Despite all the differences in the coping modes, there are similarities. Where working from home became possible for executives, self-organised overtime could be seen in the course of an increasing merging of work and private life. Where employees remained present for business reasons, but their managers were often working from home, the perception of inequality intensified.