Abstract
This paper investigates the relationship between managerial control and employee autonomy in SMEs in hybrid and full telework settings. Qualitative interviews with 22 employees, managers and directors at two Spanish SMEs in the technology sector compare one operating hybrid working with the other operating full telework. We find high degrees of autonomy present in both SMEs, but significant differences in the nature of managerial control. Managerial control takes multiple forms, and we find that unobtrusive control proliferates, supporting the paradoxical relationship between managerial control and employee autonomy. However, we also find application of overt managerial control in the SME operating full teleworking is embraced in circumstances when applied alongside employee responsible autonomy and where it mitigates telework challenges including relational concerns around isolation and coordination. The findings have implications for SMEs and larger organisations, emphasising the non-linearity of the autonomy-control paradox and the importance of workplace context in realising positive outcomes from blending managerial control and employee autonomy.