The expansion of teleworking and the digital transition movement have given companies and workers great flexibility, albeit with significant organisational consequences. The recent COVID-19 pandemic further reinforced the scale of this impact. Thus, the current research aims to understand whether the multiple dimensions of telework have impacted upon workers’ time management and work intensity through the unprecedented experiences during the pandemic and, in particular, to assess whether telework intensifies work, in what ways and the main reasons for this. The article analyses the literature on teleworking and work intensity and presents a documentary analysis on the subject, in addition to presenting the results of an exploratory study carried out in 2021 in Portugal which investigates the impact of teleworking on workers’ time management. The article underlines that although teleworking can increase a worker’s well-being by eliminating travel time, it presents several risks, namely it can intensify work through increased pressure to meet objectives and targets. Therefore, it is essential to develop research on the effects of telework, particularly assessing the relationship between telework and work intensification, as well as its effects on working conditions and workers’ well-being. This research will be an important resource for regulating labour laws and designing human resource management policies.

Working in the digital age requires a discussion on the right to disconnect. Although it has previously been studied in association with the digital transition movement, the “right to disconnect” has gained relevance in a context of mandatory teleworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation has led some countries to legislate on the subject, notably Portugal, where the right to disconnect has been enshrined in labour legislation since law no. 83/2021 of 6 December. This article presents a framework of the literature on the right to disconnect, as well as a documentary analysis and an exploratory study carried out in Portugal in November and December 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey sought to assess the working conditions of women in telework, particularly about working time. This study stresses that the right to disconnect is linked to the organisation of working time and analyses the negative impact of technology on work, in particular the permanence of the electronic connection to work. The results show that the majority of women value teleworking because they have more time for themselves and their families. However, the women who consider that they have less availability for teleworking indicate that the main reason for this is not being able to disconnect from work. In the context of the digital transition and the expansion of teleworking in organisations and the generalisation of hybrid work, the study of this new “right to disconnect” becomes crucial.

The aim of this study is to identify women’s perceptions of the main reasons for discrimination at work. Furthermore, the aim is to analyse the effects of public working time policies on gender equality and their impact on discrimination at work and on women’s career paths. This article presents a framework for the topic through an analysis of documents and literature, as well as an exploratory study carried out in Portugal. Working time policies since 2011 in Portugal are examined and through an empirical study, the impact of overtime on women’s work and careers is analysed. The documentary analysis carried out in Portugal shows the difficulties women face in reconciling work with family and personal life. While most studies focus on job satisfaction and women’s willingness to work long hours for better career progression, this paper examines gender discrimination at work associated with working time policies. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are among the goals set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study, based on a survey completed by female employees, concludes that women feel discriminated against in their careers due not only to the persistence of gender stereotypes but also to long working hours. Studying women’s perceptions of the reasons for discrimination at work, as well as the relationship between working time and equality at work, can be important for understanding the under-representation of women in leadership positions and can help enrich public policies in this area.

With the development of information and communication technologies, analysing new risks of moral harassment at work is becoming increasingly pertinent, especially with the expansion of teleworking and hybrid working (a mix of remote and face-to-face work per week) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to respond to the new issues of labour regulation, this study places special emphasis on new risks of moral harassment in hybrid work and teleworking contexts, considering both the international and European framework and the legal regime in Portugal, identifying its specificities. With the rise in teleworking in the post-pandemic period, the online monitoring of workers has accentuated the difficulty in drawing the line between managerial power and harassment. Moral harassment at work is a persistent challenge and organisations must recognise, prevent and respond to inappropriate behaviour in the organisation. The results of this study—based on the results of an online survey completed by employees (with employment contracts)—show that teleworking employees recognise that they have been pressured, above all, both to respond to messages quickly and pressure to work beyond hours and suggest possible gender differences in the way harassment in hybrid work and teleworking contexts is reported.

Purpose: The impact of technological change on work must be related to the objective of guaranteeing equal opportunities at work. Teleworking and hybrid work seem to offer workers unprecedented flexibility. The COVID-19 pandemic offered the opportunity to investigate this phenomenon. In post-pandemic period, with the massive emergence of hybrid work, it is therefore necessary to understand whether it can be valued as an instrument for strengthening equality at work between women and men, allowing women to guarantee equal career progression. Design/methodology/approach: The aim of this article is to identify, from the perspective of working women, which management measures are most important to ensure greater gender equality in career progression. In addition to a documentary analysis, this article presents an analysis of some of the results of an online survey carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, between 15 November and 16 December 2021, answered by women with an employment contract. Findings: The study reveals that the women surveyed consider flexible working hours and the implementation of a hybrid working model (mixed face-to-face/remote) to be priority measures to ensure equality between men and women in career progression. Furthermore, this study reveals that it is mainly women who are married or in a consensual union who consider these measures to be priorities. Originality/value: The findings provide a new perspective on the potential of the hybrid work model and flexible working hours, helping to strengthen gender equality in career progression.