Amid a standstill in the economy and physical mobility restrictions, many organizations were compelled to shift work processes online in an attempt to restore a semblance of normalcy. This essay reflects on this increased interaction between organizations, work, and communication technology in the context of covid-19. The piece explores the role of communication technology not
just as artifacts or tools, but in organizing processes underscored in the labor politics of time. How is the very nature of communication and organizing re-shaped by the convergence of temporal boundaries in remote work? How can we characterize the emerging labor politics of work and time in the ‘new normal’ and how do communication technologies play out in this? How do material inequalities shape crucial differences in the capacity to manage temporal boundaries in organizational communication? Illustrating the importance of new organizational literacies grounded on ‘ethical temporal negotiations’, this piece also argues that the differential ways that organizations and organizational members would be able to manage everyday communication, conflicts, anxiety, and knowledge in this technologically-mediated work set-up can become a key marker of inequality.
The essay presents suggestions for future research in this direction.
