“Is there anybody out there?” Using a telepresence robot to engage in face time at the office

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of mobile robotic telepresence systems on face time – which refers to people “seeing and being seen” – and analyse whether they allow overcoming the challenges associated with telecommuting. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a qualitative methodology in two French high-tech companies using interviews to better understand how the use of a telepresence robot is experienced by teleworkers, co-workers and their managers. Findings The results demonstrate that telepresence robots do offset the absence of teleworkers by allowing them to engage in face time, even remotely. It shows how the telepresence robot's affordances impact the different dimensions of face time and examine the processes through which teleworkers and co-workers anthropomorphize the robot and manage their privacy needs. Originality/value This article further elaborates the concept of face time and offers six dimensions to study in a digitally driven environment, including two newly identified dimensions. It also discusses the surveillance and privacy needs issues raised by the use of mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) systems.