This study aims to explore the lived experiences of teleworkers in South Africa, focusing on how teleworking influences work–life balance, motivation and well-being in a developing context.
This study uses semi-structured interviews conducted among professional teleworkers across diverse industries within Gauteng Province. Data was collected between March 2024 and February 2025, using purposive sampling to select 22 teleworkers. Thematic analysis, supported by NVivo software, was used to identify key patterns and themes shaped by infrastructural, organisational and personal factors.
The findings confirm known benefits of teleworking, such as autonomy, productivity and flexibility, while revealing new challenges unique to resource-constrained environments, including unreliable electricity, digital inequality and inconsistent organisational support. This study revisits Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, showing how these frameworks align with and diverge from the South African experience.
Practical implications include the need for context-sensitive policies, equitable digital access, mental health support and reimagined office spaces. These insights are particularly relevant for policymakers and organisations transitioning to hybrid work models in developing contexts.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the few to explore teleworking in a developing country context, offering original insights into challenges and proposing practical solutions for sustaining teleworking in such resource-constrained settings.
