Boundary-creating practices in work spaces of academics working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This study aims to explore the ways of creating boundaries of academics working from home and investigate the differences between the practices of creating these boundaries. Although working from home is not a new practice, Covid-19 pandemic shifted the working patterns of most people, especially the education-related branches such as academics. This exploratory study investigates how people set up their work environments and the boundaries in response to the change in the working practice. The study consists of an exploratory interview that contains classified questions on spatial, temporal, and psychological boundaries people create in their working environments. Interviews were held face-to-face and online via Zoom with 20 participants. The thematic analysis method was used to analyze the collected data. The findings suggest that the ways of creating boundaries differ between individuals, and these changes are affected by factors such as marital status, population at home, and spatial limitations. The results give a general idea and offer an insight into the optimal separation or connection of working spaces in the home.