MANDATORY TELEWORK DURING COVID-19: FROM INSTRUMENTAL RATIONALILY TO THE THEORY OF COMMUNICATIVE ACTION

Abstract

In march 2020, the world population suddenly had to work from home to face an health crisis since the Spanish influenza: the Covid-19 pandemic. This essay aims to analyze telework from an individual perpective, bringing Max Weber’s social action theory and Habermas’ theory of comunicative action into the discussion. Instrumental rationality has prevailed since the Second Industrial Revolution, reaching its peak in the capitalista system of production with Taylor-fordism. There is no Known approach to telework focusing on the interaction between individuals, the core of Weber’s theory of social action. Habermas’ theory of communicative action, in this approach, is used to emphasize the importance of language and communication in telework. In final considerations, the relevance of group support or social support is pointed out to maintain productivity and mitigate the risks inherent in social isolation.