Esme will be discussing her working paper analysing the diverse and fragmented body of literature on digital connectivity at work, with two core aims: Firstly, to contribute a clearer conceptual understanding of digital connectivity and its significance for work and employment studies. Secondly, to propose a future research agenda that utilises digital connectivity to explore work and employment issues both empirically and theoretically.
Taking a multidisciplinary approach, we engage with the conceptual debates surrounding digital connectivity, and synthesise broad themes in the literature which cut across empirical contexts, namely: organisational expectations and control, work and labour process outcomes, worker agency and wellbeing, and work-life boundaries. We then propose a future research agenda, outlining areas where a digital connectivity lens could be harnessed to contribute further to work and employment research.