Workers In Italy Research Articles

Injury risk in foreign workers: a proposal for a prevention plan in South Tuscany

Abstract Background There are nearly 2.3 million foreign workers in Italy, many of whom hold low-skilled and heavy jobs that expose them to greater safety risks. The aim of the study is to analyze data on the accident phenomenon by using information flows from the national work accident insurance institute, in order to ensure a safe and inclusive work environment. Methods The total number of foreign workers’ accidents in the South Tuscany during the five-year period 2017-2021 was quantified. General injury trend was assessed, breaking down the events by province (Siena, Arezzo, Grosseto), year of occurrence and severity. We analyzed the events by nationality of the injured ones and by severity of compartment. Results A total of 38,254 occupational accidents were recorded, of which 6,172 (16.13%) occurred to foreign workers. Compared to the incidence of foreigners residing in the reference territory, the accident figure is 16.13% out of the 10.5% resident population. The majority involve people from Eastern Europe (60.8%). The most representative nationalities are: Romania (1,477 events), Albania (1,022), Morocco (404), Macedonia (341), Kosovo (264), Tunisia (190) and India (170). Romanian workers are the population most affected by occupational injuries in Southeast Tuscany with 1,477 events. Agriculture is the predominant sector with 17.7% of total injuries. Conclusions Information flows on foreign workers’ accidents is the starting point for specific design of prevention plans (supervision, assistance, research, information and training, awareness raising) aimed at reducing specific accident risk factors. Language and cultural differences represent an element of possible conditioning of risk perception, which must be considered in an effective design of safety training courses for foreigners. Key messages • The study of accident information flows of foreign workers provides the basis for specific design of prevention plans in order to reduce accident risk factors. • Language and cultural differences must be considered in an effective design of safety training courses for foreigners.

The lived experiences of the welfare state of platform workers: The barriers to accessing social protection in Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom

AbstractThe recent literature on platform work and the welfare state has stressed that, despite being affected by high‐income insecurity, platform workers cannot easily access social protection. However, it is unclear why platform workers encounter such barriers. This article offers an inductive and empirically based theoretical framework to investigate the obstacles faced by platform workers. It shows that the barriers experienced by platform workers depend on the eligibility criteria, the assessment criteria and the trade‐off between taxation and social protection. The article substantiates these claims by offering both a policy analysis of formal arrangements and a qualitative analysis of the lived experiences of welfare of 101 platform workers in Italy, Sweden and the UK during COVID‐19. The research found that, while many platform workers attempted to access social protection during COVID‐19, platform workers' access to social protection was affected by their positionality as outsiders, which clashes with the eligibility criteria (in Sweden and Italy); by the irregular nature of platform work, which contrasts with the rigidity of the assessment criteria (in the UK, Italy and Sweden); and by the implicit trade‐off experienced by platform workers between minimising taxation and accessing to social protection (in the UK and Italy).

Experience of Marginalization in Noncooperative Spaces: The Case of Undocumented Migrant Workers in Italy

AbstractUndocumented migrant workers are among a group of marginalized stakeholders who are severely exploited at their workplace and across broader society. Despite recent scholarly discussions in marginalized stakeholder theory and migration studies, our understanding of how undocumented workers experience marginalization in noncooperative spaces remains very limited. In noncooperative spaces, uncooperative powerful actors deliberately thwart cooperation with local marginalized stakeholders and fail to develop supportive institutional frameworks, such as regulative and transparent governance principles. To address these issues, we conducted interviews with 47 undocumented workers and civil society workers in Italy. Our findings reveal that the marginalization experienced by undocumented workers encompasses socio-economic immobility, systemic incapability, and a sense of meaninglessness. Further, our research challenges the principles of stakeholder capitalism inherent in traditional stakeholder theory, revealing the inadequacy of conventional notions in noncooperative spaces where marginalized stakeholders deal with disempowerment and immobility. We delve into the silent and tacit collusion among uncooperative firms in these spaces, shedding light on the ways in which this problematic cooperation leads to the creation of normative harm. Moreover, we introduce the experience of meaninglessness as an internal barrier hindering migrant inclusion, underscoring the imperative need for widespread immigration reforms and normative changes to foster an environment conducive to meaningful transformations for migrants.

Exhaustion: Migrant mental health, gendered migration and workplace regime

AbstractThis article focuses on the mental health of female migrant workers in Italy. The multi‐method study involved a survey of 157 Moldovan migrant women employed in different jobs and 30 semi‐structured interviews with Moldovan female migrant domestic workers. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that Moldovan domestic workers are affected by poor mental health to a greater extent than Moldovan women employed in other jobs, and that the factors most associated with it were non‐standard working times and having migrated primarily for work reasons. Qualitative data showed how the strain resulting from demanding schedules was intertwined with being a single female labour migrant, whose experience was strongly marked by the gendered dimension of transnational motherhood and a loss of social status. The article concludes that the gendered migration regime and the gendered workplace regime constitute two intertwined and mutually reinforcing determinants of health.

Serosusceptibility and hesitancy for booster HBV vaccination among health care workers in Italy: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundHealth care workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV). The most effective prevention measure is vaccination, with a serum hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) titre > 10 mIU/ml considered protective. To date, the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics related to HBV serosusceptibility and factors associated with booster hesitancy remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to identify factors associated with maintaining a protective HBsAb titre in a large sample of HCWs and to evaluate factors potentially associated with hesitancy towards vaccine boosters. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs who underwent a health surveillance visit between 2017 and 2022. If the serum HBsAb titre was < 10 MIU/ml, a vaccine booster dose was offered. Based on their willingness to be vaccinated, employees were classified into three groups: acceptance, hesitation, and refusal. Uni- and multivariable analyses were performed to assess the association of demographic and occupational characteristics with serosusceptibility and attitudes towards vaccination. ResultsA total of 1632 (27%) employees were shown to be nonimmune. A lower median age and being a physician were significantly associated with a protective HBsAb titre. A total of 706 nonimmune employees (43.3%) accepted the vaccination, 865 (53%) hesitated, and 61 (3.7%) refused. The median age of those who refused vaccination was significantly higher than that of those who hesitated and those who were vaccinated. Acceptance of vaccination was significantly higher among nurses, while nurse aides hesitated more; among nonmedical graduate staff both hesitation and refusal were higher than expected. In the multivariable analysis, higher age, female sex, and employment as an allied health care professional were shown to be significantly associated with hesitation/refusal, while being born abroad turned out to be protective. ConclusionsOur study showed that approximately a quarter of HCWs were not immune to HBV infection, and of these, more than half were hesitant towards or refused the booster dose. The risk of hesitation/refusal was higher with age in women and among allied health care staff. Based on these findings, further studies are needed to prospectively evaluate HBV seroprevalence, vaccination adherence, factors associated with hesitancy, and the effectiveness of health surveillance strategies in a high-risk population susceptible to infection.

Is working enough to escape poverty? Evidence on low-paid workers in Italy

We investigate the dynamics of incidence, intensity and persistence of low pay in Italy from 1990 to 2018 by exploiting a large administrative sample of employees in the private sector. We refer to relative and absolute low pay thresholds and assess workers’ conditions according to annual earnings, weekly wages and full-time-equivalent (FTE) weekly wages, to depurate low pay dynamics from the influence of changes in worked weeks and hours. Regardless of the chosen threshold, we find that the incidence of low pay is high and steeply increased in the last decades when the focus is on annual earnings and weekly wages. A flat trend emerges instead when low pay is assessed according to FTE weekly wages, signalling that a major role in the low pay dynamics is played by the reduction in the number of hours worked by low-paid individuals because of the increasing spread of part-time contracts. Nevertheless, the share of low-paid workers is rather high even when the focus is on FTE weekly wages. Furthermore, low pay is a persistent status for a large and rising share of workers. These findings reveal a clear worsening of workers’ conditions at the bottom of the earnings distribution in Italy.

The economic and fiscal impact of incremental use of cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine for the prevention of seasonal influenza among healthcare workers in Italy

BackgroundSeasonal influenza has a significant impact on public health, generating substantial direct healthcare costs, production losses and fiscal effects. Understanding these consequences is crucial to effective decision-making and the development of preventive strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the economic and the fiscal impact of implementing an incremental strategy for seasonal influenza prevention using the cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Italy.MethodsTo estimate the economic impact of implementing this strategy, we performed a cost analysis that considered direct healthcare costs, productivity losses and fiscal impact. The analysis considered a 3-year time horizon. A deterministic sensitivity analysis was also conducted.ResultsAssuming a vaccination coverage rate of 30% among HCWs, the analysis considered a total of 203 018 vaccinated subjects. On analysing the overall differential impact (including direct costs, indirect costs and fiscal impact), implementing QIVc vaccination as a preventative measure against influenza among HCWs in Italy would yield societal resource savings of €23 638.78 in the first year, €47 277.56 in the second year, and €70 916.35 in the third year, resulting in total resource savings of €141 832.69.ConclusionsThe study demonstrated that implementing the incremental use of QIVc as part of a preventive strategy for seasonal influenza among HCWs in Italy could yield positive economic outcomes, especially in terms of indirect costs and fiscal impact. The resources saved could be utilized to fund further public health interventions. Policy-makers should consider these findings when making decisions regarding influenza prevention strategies targeting HCWs.

Coping with personhood limbo: Personhood anchoring work among undocumented workers in Italy

Prevailing socio-legal structures create a state of personhood limbo for undocumented workers, where broader society undermines various aspects of their personhood in a way that prevents them from fully representing and embracing all dimensions of their selves in and around the workplace. But how do undocumented workers cope with personhood limbo? Drawing on interviews with undocumented workers and civil society workers in Italy, we identify specific forms of what we call “personhood anchoring work” that undocumented workers engage in to claim aspects of personhood that are meaningful to them. Our theorization suggests that workers’ experiences of personhood are influenced not only by socio-legal structures, but also by their own agentic acts in response to external conditions, as well as their aspirations, past experiences, and future plans. A key finding of our study is that these practices do not aim to create or disrupt social orders, even in subtle or hidden forms of resistance. Instead, they enable undocumented workers to temporarily position themselves within the social order. In doing so, we also introduce a new way of conceptualizing the integration of undocumented workers that can account for the possibilities and limits of retaining rather than redefining personhood in the face of prevailing constraints.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on behavioral changes in healthcare workers in Italy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to wearing face mask and washing hands procedures and achieving high COVID-19 vaccine coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs) were essential to minimize morbidity and possible death and limit the transmission of the virus. The objectives of the cross-sectional survey were to explore the influence of COVID-19 on the use of preventive measures and vaccination willingness among HCWs in the southern part of Italy and the associated factors. The survey was carried out from 15 June 2023 to 15 July 2023 among 521 HCWs who worked in three randomly selected public hospitals. All data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. HCWs had a positive change in the use of preventive measures if they did not often/always use them before the pandemic, but they are using in the current epidemiologic context and they were willing to use in a future epidemic situation. A positive change in the adherence to face mask-wearing (24.6%) was more likely among those with at least 5 years of university degree, nurses/midwives, and who had worked in COVID-19 wards. A positive change in alcohol-based hand rubbing (3.1%) was more likely in HCWs in Emergency/Critical/Infectious Diseases wards compared with medical wards. HCWs who were more likely to believe that the COVID-19 vaccine should be mandatory for them (58.1%) had at least 5 years of university degree, in Emergency/Critical/Infectious Diseases wards compared with surgical and medical wards, had received more than three doses of this vaccine, were more concerned to get infected during their activity, and had received information from scientific journals. HCWs more willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine every year (39.8%) were males, physicians, those in Emergency/Critical/Infectious Diseases wards compared with medical wards, who had received more than three doses of this vaccine, who believed that this vaccine should be mandatory for HCWs, and who needed additional information. The survey showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the use of preventive measures among HCWs, not necessarily for the improvement or increase. Educational messages on the importance of these measures regarding the promotion and recommendation of the vaccine need to be investigated and applied among HCWs in order to reduce vaccination gaps and the spread of the infection.

Working in interventional cardiology laboratories: The perceived impact of radiation exposure as a health and gender hazard. A NEXT generation ANMCO initiative

BackgroundGender-related discrepancies in personal and professional life have been reported among radio-exposed workers. We assessed this topic among cardiac catheterization workers in Italy, with a focus on gender and working position. MethodsRadio-exposed workers affiliated with the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists were invited to answer an online survey, which included 41 questions formatted as multiple choice. Results: Overall, 237 workers responded. The proportion of males was significantly higher than that of females in the population aged >50 years. A greater portion of females than males perceived female-gender discrimination regarding career advancement (77.2% vs 30.9%, p < 0.001) and work compensation (49.1% vs. 17.1%, p < 0.001). There was no difference in perceived gender- discrimination in terms of career advancement opportunities between physician and non-physicians. A larger portion of females than males experienced workplace discrimination (51.8% of females vs. 8.1% of males, p < 0.0001). Non-physician responders made up 38.8% of all respondents and reported a lower yearly radiation exposure than physicians. Non-physicians were more aware of the laws regulating lab access during pregnancy than physicians (93.5% vs. 48.3%, p < 0.0001). A greater percentage of female nurses than physicians communicate without hesitation the pregnancy status to their employers (45.6% vs 20%, p < 0.001). ConclusionsGender-based career disparities were perceived among physicians and non-physician staff of cardiology interventional laboratories. Strategies should be implemented to ensure gender equality in career opportunities and to increase knowledge of radioprotection and the laws regulating access to laboratories during pregnancy.

Workplace Bullying in Italy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Within any work environment, employees may be affected by "workplace bullying", a form of violent and repeated social behavior towards subordinates and colleagues. This review aimed to investigate the prevalence of bullied workers in Italy, the causes of the phenomenon, and the consequences at physical, psychological, and organizational levels. We included observational studies and systematic reviews examining the prevalence of bullied workers and the causes and consequences in Italian workplaces. Data extraction and analysis were performed on all included studies. The research strategy included three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). A comprehensive search was done to retrieve articles based on a PRISMA-compliant protocol registered in PROSPERO: CRD 42023394635. One hundred eighty-four articles were retrieved, and once duplicates and irrelevant articles were removed, 42 useful articles were reviewed. The mean pooled prevalence, calculated based on workers complaining of mistreatment, was 6.7% (SD: 4,09) and increased significantly to 17.0% (SD: 12.88) when considering only healthcare workplaces. Causes include how impaired mental health and high workload reinforce the possibility of being bullied in the workplace, resulting in a worsening of the worker's quality of life (physical and psychological) and the work organization with increased absenteeism and job changes. Workplace bullying is a very present phenomenon within workplaces in Italy. In light of this, it is necessary to put prevention plans in place and find solutions to maintain optimal organizational well-being in the work environment.

Cause specific mortality in an Italian pool of asbestos workers cohorts.

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and is causally associated with malignant mesothelioma, lung, larynx and ovarian cancers. Cancer risk was studied among a pool of formerly asbestos-exposed workers in Italy. Fifty-two Italian asbestos cohorts (asbestos-cement, rolling-stock, shipbuilding, and other) were pooled and their mortality follow-up was updated to 2018. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed for major causes of death considering duration of exposure and time since first exposure (TSFE), using reference rates by region, age and calendar period. The study included 63,502 subjects (57,156 men and 6346 women): 40% who were alive, 58% who died (cause known for 92%), and 2% lost to follow-up. Mortality was increased for all causes (SMR: men = 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.05; women = 1.15, 95% CI 1.11-1.18), all malignancies (SMR: men = 1.21, 95% CI 1.18-1.23; women = 1.29, 95% CI 1.22-1.37), pleural and peritoneal malignancies (men: SMR = 10.46, 95% CI 9.86-11.09 and 4.29, 95% CI 3.66-5.00; women: SMR = 27.13, 95% CI 23.29-31.42 and 7.51, 95% CI 5.52-9.98), lung (SMR: men = 1.28, 95% CI 1.24-1.32; women = 1.26, 95% CI 1.02-1.53), and ovarian cancer (SMR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.08-1.84). Pleural cancer mortality increased during the first 40 years of TSFE (latency), reaching a plateau thereafter. Analyses by time-dependent variables showed that the risk for pleural neoplasms increased with latency and no longer increases at long TSFE, consistent with with asbestos clearance from the lungs. Peritoneal neoplasm risk increased over all observation time.

Algorithmic Discriminations and New Forms of Protections: An Analysis of the Italian Case

This research aims to investigate how to protect workers from discrimination dictated by an algorithm in the contractual conditions. Article 15 of the Italian Workers’ Statute declares invalid any agreement or act aimed at: dismissing a worker, discriminating him in the assignment of qualifications or tasks, transfers, disciplinary measures, or otherwise prejudicing him because of his affiliation or union activity, or his participation in a strike. These provisions shall also apply to pacts or acts for the purposes of political, religious, racial, language, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, or belief. Our work intends to explore the risk of gender or age discrimination in the contractual terms for platform workers in Italy. How can workers’ protections be preserved when decisions are made by an algorithm? The research is conducted with a multidisciplinary methodology. We first analyze both national and international literature and jurisprudence. Then, by means of probit models on INAPP PLUS 2021 survey data, we analyze contract characteristics, in particular the written form of the contract and the hourly minimum wage. Controlling for individual and job characteristics, we find evidence of discrimination according to gender and age of workers. We conclude with policy recommendations.

The Unequal Consequences of Job Loss across Countries

We document the consequences of losing a job across countries using a harmonized research design applied to seven matched employer-employee datasets. Workers in Denmark and Sweden experience the lowest earnings declines following job displacement, while workers in Italy, Spain, and Portugal experience losses three times as high. French and Austrian workers face earnings losses somewhere in between. Key to these differences is that southern European workers are less likely to find employment following displacement. Loss of employer-specific wage premiums explains a substantial portion of wage losses in all countries. (JEL J31, J63, J64)

Mental Health among Geriatric Healthcare Workers in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a National Survey

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers (HCWs) in geriatric settings.DesignOnline cross-sectional survey.Settings and Participants394 geriatric HCWs in Italy.MeasurementsThe survey was developed by a multidisciplinary team and disseminated in April 2022 to the members of two geriatric scientific societies (Italian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology and Italian Association of Psychogeriatrics). The survey examined the experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as psychological burden and support. Work-related anxiety and distress related to the pandemic were studied using the SAVE-9 scale (Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics).ResultsThree hundred sixty-four participants (92.4%) changed their job activity during the pandemic and about half (50.9%) failed to cope with this change, 58 (14.7%) had increased work-related anxiety, and 39 (9.9%) work-related stress levels. Three hundred forty (86.3%) participants reported acute stress reaction symptoms, including irritability, depressed mood, headache, anxiety, and insomnia, and 262 (66.5%) required psychological support, mainly from friends/relatives (57.9%) and/or colleagues (32.5%). Furthermore, 342 participants (86.8%) recognized they would benefit from informal and formal psychological support in case of future similar emergencies.ConclusionsThis study highlights the high psychological burden experienced by geriatric HCWs in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes the need for supportive interventions.

COVID-19 and (Im)migrant Carers in Italy: The Production of Carer Precarity.

This article explores the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on foreign health workers in Italy. Focusing on caregivers in Lombardia, we explore what we call carer precarity, an emergent form of precarity resulting from pandemic restrictions exacerbating existing socio-legal vulnerabilities. The duality of the carer role-complete household and societal reliance in addition to simultaneous socio-legal marginalization-shapes their precarity. Utilizing data from 44 qualitative interviews with migrant care workers in live-in and daycare facilities that were conducted prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, we demonstrate how the migrant populations working in the care sector were particularly adversely affected due to their migratory status and working conditions. Migrants are excluded from or have differential access to a range of benefits or entitlements and are employed in undervalued work. Workers with live-in employment experienced tiered access to benefits plus the spatiality of restrictions, resulting in their near-complete confinement. Drawing on Gardner (2022) and Butler's (2009) conceptualizations of precarity, we describe the emergence of a new form of pandemic-induced spatial precarity for migrant care workers at the nexus of gendered labor, limited mobility, and the spatiality of and a hierarchy of rights associated with migratory status. The findings have implications for healthcare policy and migration scholarship.

The Intermediary Role of Women Workers for the Inclusion of Women Migrants SOGIESC: Between Recognition and Reflexivity

AbstractThe intermediary role of women workers in NGOs is very important when lesbian, bisexual and queer migrant women apply for international protection in immigration countries. They are more exposed to multiple forms of discrimination when experiencing the intersection of multiple elements of vulnerability (gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, social class, etc.). Applying the technique of narrative interviewing to women NGO workers in Italy, on the one hand, we will try to understand the role of intermediaries that these women assume in taking care of migrant women who are distinguished by Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) and, on the other, to understand whether these women’s activities constitute an opportunity to construct new gendered and sexual imaginaries to the extent that they themselves live a web of experiences that are in some ways similar to those of migrant women. Intermediation enables women workers to acquire a critical capacity with respect to their personal investment in the cause of SOGIESC persons and with respect to the procedure itself for obtaining international protection. Achieving this awareness allows women workers to suggest actions that, inspired by an intersectional perspective, are more appropriate in responding to the multiple vulnerabilities experienced by SOGIESC migrant women in the immigration society.

To Get Vaccinated or Not? The Vaccination Decision-Making by Healthcare Professionals Working in Haematology: A Qualitative Study.

Haematological patients are more susceptible to infections. Vaccination has always been the most effective primary prevention strategy, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the efficacy of vaccines for some haematological patients is low. Although vaccination of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) could protect patients from vaccine-preventable diseases, there is evidence of a high level of hesitation among healthcare workers in Italy. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes towards vaccination of HCWs caring for haematology patients. Qualitative descriptive design was conducted. Twenty-one HCWs were interviewed. Content analysis was applied to the qualitative data. The following themes were generated from the analysis: "Trust", "Decision-making process focusing on individual health", "Decision-making process focusing on community health", "Changing opinion", and "Two sides of vaccination commitment". The most hesitant HCWs were oriented towards individual health. They perceived a lack of benefit from vaccines, feared side effects, or were influenced by negative experiences of others. In contrast, community-health-oriented HCWs showed more positive attitudes towards vaccination. Some hesitant HCWs changed their opinion on vaccination because they began to reflect on the importance of vaccination for the community. The change in opinion of some HCWs interviewed provided insight into the importance of focusing organisational efforts on collective responsibility.

Workplace Bullying among Healthcare Professionals: A Quanti-Qualitative Survey in a Sample of Women Working in an Italian Healthcare Setting.

The main objective of this study was to analyze, in a sample of female healthcare workers in Italy, the training needs to improve positive relationships in the healthcare organization. To better understand these needs, perceived workplace bullying and its consequences in terms of professional commitment and well-being were analyzed from a descriptive and quantitative perspective (or mixed-methods analysis). A questionnaire was completed online in a healthcare facility in northwestern Italy. The participants were 231 female employees. The quantitative data showed that, on average, the sampled population perceived a low burden of WPB. The majority of the sample expressed moderate engagement at work and moderate perception of psychological well-being. It is interesting to note that one element seemed to be overarching in the responses to the open-ended questions: communication, which emerged as a problematic element that affects the entire organization. The research data provide useful evidence for intervention in favor of an environment that helps to recognize the phenomenon and intervene in time, offering the possibility of accepting the discomfort and fatigue of healthcare workers and offering useful interventions to the individual and the team.

‘Another work routine is possible’: everyday experiences of (unexpected) remote work in Italy

ABSTRACT The article discusses the opinions and perceptions of knowledge workers in Italy concerning the shift to remote work during the first countrywide lockdown (March–May 2020) imposed to contain the Covid-19 outbreak. Prior to the pandemic, remote work arrangements in the Italian context were not common. Thanks to a set of 35 interviews to workers who experienced significant disruption to their usual working routine because of the health crisis, we show that a marked element of discovery of remote work characterizes their accounts, articulated across 3 dimensions: temporal organization of work and life, technology, and social relations. We argue that this experience was instrumental for many of them to learn that ‘another work routine is possible’, because of the opportunity to try out alternative arrangements in the management of tasks and responsibilities. Yet issues of work-life balance, together with managerial cultures anchored in pre-pandemic forms of organization, considerably affect this perception.