Abstract

This study adds to the literature on the importance of telework experience in employee evaluation by leveraging the telework experience accumulated during the COVID-19 crisis. Both employees and employers gained experience with telework, and society’s view on telework changed as familiarity with the concept increased during the pandemic. We conducted a follow-up survey on the evaluation of telework exactly three years after an initial data collection in 2020. We find evidence of a learning curve regarding self-reported i) efficiency in performing tasks, ii) work-life balance, and iii) concentration during work, characterised by a more positive evaluation as telework experience increased. However, the feeling of employer connectedness risks being negatively impacted over time. Employee and job characteristics, such as migration background, feedback on the job, and compatibility of the job with telework, moderate the effect of telework experience on the evaluation of telework over time.