Beyond the office: temporal and spatial changes in the modern workplace

The rapid acceleration of digitization has significantly transformed traditional work practices, introducing a new era of hybrid working that enables individuals to perform their duties from virtually any location and at any time. This thesis explores the extent to which the traditional concepts of working time and space are evolving due to hybrid work, and the consequent effects on individuals, particularly in terms of social relationships and personal autonomy. The first chapter sets the stage by highlighting the contemporary relevance of smart and flexible work within the Italian context, supported by data and insights from numerous studies, underscoring therefore the shifting preferences of employees and the increasing emphasis on flexibility in the Italian workplace. In the second chapter, a comprehensive literature review is presented, encompassing various facets of modern work dynamics such as labor productivity, work intensification, the blurring of boundaries between work and personal life, working hours, and overtime theories. This review synthesizes existing research to provide a robust theoretical framework for understanding the implications of these temporal and spatial changes in the workplace. The final chapter presents an empirical analysis using discrete choice experiments to examine the evolving preferences of employees regarding their working time and space. This empirical approach sheds light on how employees' choices are shifting in response to the newfound flexibility and what this means for the future of work.