Citation: de Andrés-Sánchez, J. A Configurational Evaluation of Spanish Teleworkers’ Perception and Nonperception of Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Societies 2023, 13, 178. https://doi.org/10.3390/ soc13080178 Academic Editors: Rodica Milena Zaharia, Tudor Edu and Razvan Zaharia Received: 21 May 2023 Revised: 24 July 2023 Accepted: 25 July 2023 Published: 28 July 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). societies Article A Configurational Evaluation of Spanish Teleworkers’ Perception and Nonperception of Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic Jorge de Andrés-Sánchez Social and Business Research Lab, Business Management Department, University Rovira i Virgili, Campus de Bellissens, 43204 Reus, Spain; jorge.deandres@urv.cat Abstract: This paper assesses the explanatory power of individual, environmental, and job factors on Spanish telecommuters’ presence and absence of stress in a home telework setting during the COVID-19 crisis. It uses a survey of the Spanish agency “Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas” on the perceptions of the Spanish population about several aspects of information communication technologies (ICTs) that was carried out in March 2021. We use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to capture how factors combine to enable and inhibit stress feeling. The perception of stress is less covered by fsQCA configurations than the nonperception. However, fsQCA provides profiles that cause stress feelings and nonstress feelings with great consistency. We have checked that overload is the most important variable to explain stress. Likewise, fsQCA has also shown that while some variables, such as overload, isolation, non-adequacy, or organizational support, impact symmetrically on the presence and absence of stress perception, other factors, such as attaining a satisfactory work-home balance or gender, impact them asymmetrically. From a practical point of view, we can outline that clearer regulation of teleworking is needed to prevent imbalances in rights and obligations between companies and employees. However, there are also several challenges at the organization and worker level. Keywords: teleworking; home-based telework; COVID-19 pandemic; fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis; configurational analysis; stress 1. Introduction Telework involves carrying out work tasks outside of a traditional workplace, often relying on information communication technologies (ICTs) [1]. While much of our analysis can be applied to all forms of telework, it specifically focuses on home-based telework (HTW). Its advantages have been extensively discussed from various perspectives, includ- ing those of workers, firms, and society [2,3]. These positive outcomes, along with the energy crisis in the 1970s, led many scholars to predict its widespread adoption by the end of the 20th century [4]. However, until March 2020, the adoption of telecommuting varied across different regions due to diverse labor cultures, as well as the varying degrees of ICT infrastructure development [5]. In Europe, while Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries had made significant advancements in remote work, teleworking had limited expansion in Mediterranean states, such as Spain and Italy [6]. In March 2020, most countries worldwide implemented movement restrictions to contain the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Entrepreneurs and public agencies were strongly encouraged to conduct their activities remotely [7], and telecommuting allowed many companies to continue their economic operations [8]. Both organizations and employees were compelled to adopt HTW, often lacking prior experience or training in this work arrangement [7]. Consequently, throughout 2020, the majority of the Spanish workforce experienced telecommuting if their jobs were adaptable. Even in nonadaptable jobs, bureau- cratic interactions with firms’ administrative departments were likely conducted remotely. Societies 2023, 13, 178. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13080178 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/societies