The Corona Pandemic and Working Life: Findings from a Longitudinal Danish Study

Abstract

There have probably not been any greater disruptions in working life since the Second World War than those experienced during the corona pandemic. This article examines how different occupational groups experienced the changes in their work life during the different phases of thecorona pandemic. The study contributes to the growing literature on how the Nordic labor markets managed the corona pandemic and what we can learn from experiences to improve working life in the future.The data material consists of longitudinal interviews with representatives of five occupational groups in different work life situations four times during the pandemic. Across the interviews, we find that the corona pandemic reinforced three incremental trends in working life: (1) the workplace as an important social arena, (2) reflections on work life balance, and (3) the potentials of homework and online meetings.