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The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 [PID2021-122575NB-I00]/ERDF "A way of making Europe".

Analysis of institutional authors

Andraszak, JoannaCorresponding AuthorPapaoikonomou, EleniAuthorAlarcon, AmadoAuthor
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Forced online-level bureaucrats during the pandemic. Analysing the telework experience of social service workers

Publicated to:Public Management Review. - 2025-04-05 (), DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2025.2487052

Authors: Andraszak J; Papaoikonomou E; Alarcón A

Affiliations

Univ Rovira & Virgili, Dept Business Management, Reus, Spain - Author

Abstract

In this study we explore the forced teleworking of social service workers during and shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine how these workers transformed from street-level bureaucrats to online-level bureaucrats and, using street-level bureaucracy theory and 32 semi-structured interviews, analyse their telework experiences by examining their tasks and procedures. Our findings reveal that this forced transition to telework and other crisis-related circumstances significantly altered bureaucratic processes while generating heavier workloads and extra administrative tasks and negatively impacting professional identity and job satisfaction. These workers' experiences varied considerably depending on the nature of their tasks during this teleworking period.

Keywords
Covid-19DiscretionE-governmentImplementationJob-satisfactionLessonPerformanceProfessional isolationPublic professionalsRemote assistanceSocial servicesStreet-levelStreet-level bureaucracStreet-level bureaucracyTechnologyTeleworkTurnover

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Public Management Review due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position 81/407, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Management.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-05-20:

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 1.5.
Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Andraszak, Joanna Izabela) and Last Author (Alarcón Alarcón, Amado).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Andraszak, Joanna Izabela.