Changing patterns of telework in spain: the growing gap between preference and practice among teleworkers

Drawing on nationally representative data from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE), this study examines changes in teleworking among teleworkers in Spain between 2021 and 2022; two key years marking the transition from pandemic-driven remote work to the consolidation of hybrid models. Using two waves of nationally representative cross-sectional data from 4,606 teleworkers, results reveal a significant decrease in teleworking frequency, accompanied by a simultaneous improvement in employees' overall evaluations of the experience, indicating growing maturity and acceptance of remote work. However, the widening gap between actual and desired teleworking days exposes a persistent mismatch between teleworkers' preferences for telework and organizational constraints. This incongruence, interpreted through the lens of the Job Demands-Resources model and Self-Determination Theory, suggests that while teleworking continues to be positively evaluated by many teleworkers, its limited availability may be experienced as misaligned with employees' preferences, with potential implications for motivation and well-being suggested by prior research. Sociodemographic patterns show that younger, more educated teleworkers express stronger preferences for telework, reflecting broader transformations in values surrounding flexibility and work-life integration. These findings provide comparative evidence of how teleworking in Spain is evolving from emergency adaptation toward a contested terrain of negotiation between employees' expectations and organizational control. The study offers insights for designing policies and practices that align flexibility demands with sustainable productivity and inclusion.