The effect of remote boundary management on access to equitable internships

The proliferation of remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic has reconfigured the lives of working professionals. It has also changed the lives of students hoping to gain professional experience and connections through internships. In an expansion of boundary management theory, we explore how students navigate remote internships and how these experiences vary by socioeconomic status (SES). Semi-structured interviews with 26 university students revealed that nearly all students appreciated enhanced schedule flexibility yet struggled with new work-life boundaries. However, low-SES students were less likely to advocate for their work boundaries with managers and were more likely to use the added schedule flexibility to maintain other jobs or family commitments compared to high-SES students. Findings suggest that boundary management theory should be expanded to include non-traditional workers, such as interns, as well as the socioeconomic differences that shape work experiences. More importantly, because internships are a prerequisite for full-time work following graduation, findings yield insights for the creation of policies that support the professional development of all students using contemporary technologies.