Characterizing the types of meta-work performed by digital nomads: a preliminary step into the identification of competencies required
Mobile work can not simply be done "anywhere, anytime," since it also involves « meta-work » to mobilize the resources needed to fulfill it and to cope with the environmental constraints of the temporal and social context in which it takes place. Although previous literature from the fields of sociology of work, communication, and computer-supported cooperative work has already documented some forms of meta-work, such as articulation work, no paper has addressed the specifics associated with digital nomadism, which is an extreme form of mobile work allowing professionals to combine their interest in traveling with the possibility of working remotely. In this article, we present five forms of meta-work that we have categorized according to three purposes, namely: 1) to make the site and the mode of nomadic work effective, 2) to coordinate with others and ensure the continuity of work to through different places, times and projects and 3) to operate in a foreign land and travel. For each form of meta-work, we detail the individual and interactional activities involved. Although meta-work is not exclusive to these types of workers, it is "cumulative" for digital nomads, which increases its intensity and raises questions about the invisibility and responsibility of the activities it requires.