WORK IS WHERE HOME IS, OR VICE VERSA? A MULTI‐STAKEHOLDER LENS ON NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS FOR THRIVING

Since the beginning of the pandemic, working from home has become the prevalent way of working for many employees around the world. Consequently, the nature of daily interactions that previously were taken for granted has changed profoundly, affecting the quality of the work experience. Pursuing connections rather than disconnecting oneself from others can be a purposeful act leading to a positive work experience and thriving. However, there is limited research available about how to thrive while working remotely. Drawing on the micro‐organizational literature, this paper presents a framework for individual thriving while working from a home office by nurturing relationships with various stakeholders. Guided by theory on relationships, thriving, and individual accounts of relationship challenges while working from home during the pandemic, we propose strategies for maintaining fruitful relationships in circumstances characterized by uncertainty, anxiety, and loneliness. We argue that employees can be the designers of the following high‐quality relationships, which may transform their remote work experience: the relationship with self, with colleagues, with leaders, and with one’s partner and family. In this way we make theoretical contributions to Spreitzer et al.’s model of employee thriving.