Review and exploration of relationships between domains impacted by telework: A glimpse into the energy and sustainability considerations, COVID-19 implications, and future research

Researchers have begun to realize first-hand that the causes and effects of telework are much more complex than immediately apparent. While reduced commuting to work is widely beneficial (environment, economy, health, etc.), the impacts of telework are widespread (e.g., long-term urban planning considerations, home and office utilization, demand on communication networks, etc.). This paper aims to review and structure a large body of literature and emerging research from COVID-19-induced teleworking to address the complex relationships and energy impacts of telework on the four domains of homes, transportation, offices, and information and communication technologies (ICT). A systematic search was conducted on databases and the results were categorized. At the centre, we identified many relationships between homes and transportation, as teleworking gives teleworkers to have more flexibility in terms of location. Furthermore, the relationships between offices and homes are important since the operating costs of offices are on the teleworkers' side. Accordingly, cause and effect relationships were mapped out between and within domains. The outcome demonstrates that researchers and policymakers need to consider widespread implications of telework. As a result, it is essential to study items in each domain, intrarelationships in each domain, and most importantly the relationships between domains to capture and quantify the impacts of teleworking comprehensively.