Anomy in the bureaucracy: (post-)pandemic gaps in institutionalization and re-personalization of control in hybrid work

The article analyses changes in organizational norms and control practices that emerge through the increased use of hybrid work arrangements and the consequences of these changes for employees and organizations. The study is informed by cultural-interactionist approaches and labour process theory (LPT). Using the empirical case of a public administration in Germany, we argue that existing company-wide norms and routines in regard to working time, availability, and performance have eroded due to abrupt changes in colocation and cooperation patterns triggered by hybrid work, which allowed a multiplicity of new practices to emerge. The article analyses how bureaucratic forms of control have faded and are replaced by a re-personalization of control, characterized by increased dependence on personal interactions, informal negotiations, and, ultimately, the discretionary power of line managers. This underscores that control patterns in public administrations are not merely directed towards increasing efficiency. The resulting situation created uncertainty, stress, and discontent among employees; it was perceived as unfair because privileges and deprivations were unevenly and arbitrarily distributed. Our findings likely apply to other hybrid work arrangements since hybrid work changes communication patterns, which undermines the development of stable routines and shared norms.