Unfolding the ‘grey scene’: exploring the intersection of work and home during post-COVID remote social work

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines how Swedish social workers experience remote work in a post-COVID context. A total of 22 interviews conducted with social workers in Sweden comprises the qualitative data. The theoretical framework employs Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective, analysing how social workers experience remote work practice. The findings reveal what I term an intermediary ‘grey scene’ and ‘informal multi-role’, where social workers balance four tensions: (1) the self's temptation towards remote work, coupled with emotional struggles; (2) impressions conveyed to clients, navigating between proximity and distance; (3) balancing roles amid increased flexibility and blurred boundaries; and (4) navigating the performance between formality and informality. These tensions tend to result in self-doubt, distant relations, role confusion, and informal performance, making it harder to ‘play the role’ of a social worker during remote work due to fragmented and hybridised roles. Consequently, the results point to the understanding of remote work as ‘grey’ social work – a distant and hybrid practice that reduces nuances in client insight and challenges traditional work structure. The findings suggest that remote social work needs to be regulated regarding frequency, structure, and boundaries to maintain clarity, relationships, and fundamental principles of professional social work practice.