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Rysbekova, Gulzhan (2025) Ethical concerns of remote working: insights of UK academics' psychological contracts. In: 11th International Conference on CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance, 25-27 June 2025, Lisbon, Portugal.
The COVID-19 pandemic catalysed a rapid and widespread shift to remote working (RW) in higher education. While operationally necessary, this transformation brought with it profound ethical implications that have not been adequately examined. This paper investigates how crisis-prompted RW affected the psychological contracts (PCs) of academic staff in the UK, particularly in relation to ethical aspects. Drawing on thirty in-depth interviews conducted with academic staff across a range of UK universities, and grounded in Psychological Contract Theory, the research highlights a landscape of ambiguity regarding expectations, which are a central element of the PC. In addition to the prevalent confusion over institutional expectations, participants have also reported a perceived erosion of the mission-driven values that underpins academic labour, i.e. it is not the shift to remote working per se that leads to disengagement, but perceived abandonment of core ethical values during this transition. As hybrid and flexible work models become enduring features of academic life, universities must revisit their ethical commitments and clarify their responsibilities to staff, not just in formal terms, but in ways that restore and sustain high PC standards. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how ethical aspects operate within and shape the psychological contracts in knowledge-based institutions, particularly under conditions of change. It advances PC theory by positioning ethics as central to employment relations in digitally mediated work.
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