Working from Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons on Well-Being, Work-Life Balance, and Health

Yıl 2023, Sayı: 84, 1 - 14, 19.07.2023

Valentina Franca Polona Domadenik Muren

https://doi.org/10.26650/jspc.2023.84.1207474

Öz

Increased levels of work from home, the most significant pandemic legacy, is here to stay, necessitating its examination from different perspectives. This paper focuses on the well-being, work-life balance and health challenges this paradigm shift brings. In our survey of 241 Slovenian companies, we found that the experience of forced work from home was better than expected, though it still poses risk to well-being, work-life balance and health, and that consensual work from home positively influences worker satisfaction, leading to increased productivity. However, the forced work from home resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is not comparable to consensual remote work because it provides a more controlled environment; it is, therefore, critical that workers and their representatives are involved in organizing work from home with management to develop strategies to better develop motivation and optimize productivity. Further research should focus on longitudinal studies to specifically examine the impact on workers in this context, which will also provide a more robust basis for formulating recommendations and policy.

Anahtar Kelimeler

COVID-19, work from home, work-life-balance, health and safety at work

Kaynakça

• Aczel, B., Kovacs, M., van der Lippe, T., & Szaszi, B. (2021). Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges. PLoS ONE, 16(3), e0249127. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249127 google scholar
• Atkinson, J., & Meager, N. (1986). Changing Working Patterns: How Companies Achieve Flexibility to Meet New Needs. London: National Economic Development Office. google scholar
• Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., & Davis, S. J. (2021). Why Working from Home Will Stick (Working Paper No. 28731). NBER.w28731.pdf google scholar
• Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2023). How Hybrid Working from Home Works Out (Working Paper No. 30292). NBER.w30292.pdf google scholar
• Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016). American Time Use Survey - 2015 Results (News release). Retrieved from atus_06242016.pdf google scholar
• Campbell, M., & Gavett, G. (2021). What COVID-19 has done to our well-being, in 12 charts. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2021/02/what-covid-19-has-done-to-our-weU-being-in-12-charts google scholar
• Criscuolo, C., Gal, P., Leidecker, T., Losma, F., & Nicoletti, G. (2021). The role of telework for productivity during and post-COVID-19: Results from an OECD survey among managers and workers (Work-ing Paper No. 31). OECD Productivity Working Papers. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/7fe47de2-en.pdf? expires=1683366185&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=D8A05FFC4789C70348CBCA7BB2C51233 google scholar
• Dahik, A., Lovich, D., Kreafle, C., Bailey A., Kilmann, J., Kennedy, D., Prateek, R.,... Wenstrup, J. (2020). What 12,000 employees have to say about the future of remote work, BCG. Retrieved from https://www.bcg.com/en-au/publications/2020/valuable-productivity-gains-covid-19 google scholar
• Davidescu, A. A., Apostu, S., Paul, A., & Casuneanu, I. (2020). Work Flexibility, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance among Romanian Employees—Implications for Sustainable Human Resource Management. Sustainability, 12(15), 6086. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156086 google scholar
• Davis, M. A., Ghent, A. C., & Gregory, J. M. (2021). The Work-from-Home Technology Boom and its Consequences (Working Paper No. 28461). NBER. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28461/w28461.pdf google scholar
• de Macedo, T. A. M., Cabral, E. L. D. S., Silva Castro, W. R., de Souza Junior, C. C., da Costa Junior, J. F., Pedrosa, F. M., da Silva, A. B., ... Masculo, F. S. (2020). Ergonomics and telework: a systematic review. Work, 66(4), 777-788. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203224 google scholar
• Deole, S. S., Deter, M., & Huang, Y. (2021). Home Sweet Home: Workingfrom home and employee performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Global Labor Organization (GLO). Retrieved from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/glodps/791.html google scholar
• Diener, E. (2009). The science ofwell-being: The collected works ofEd Diener. Social Indicators Research Series, Volume 37. The Netherlands: Springer. google scholar
• Economist. (2022). Why working from anywhere isn’t realistic. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/business/2022/05/07/why-working-from-anywhere-isnt-realistic google scholar
• Epstein, S. (2022). The sky-high cost of returning to the office. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220420-the-sky-high-cost-of-returning-to-the-office google scholar
• Eurofound. (2020a). Telework and ICT-based mobile work: Flexible working in the digital age. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. google scholar
• Eurofound. (2020b). Living, working and COVID-19, COVID-19 series. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. google scholar
• Eurofound. (2021a). Living and working in Europe 2020. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. google scholar Eurofound. (2021b). Right to disconnect: Exploring company practices. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. google scholar
• Eurofound & ILO (2017). Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. google scholar
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2018). Foresight on new and emerging occupational safety and google scholar
• health risks associated with digitalisation by 2025. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved from https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/foresight-new-and-emerging-occupational-safety-and-health-risks-associated google scholar
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2021b). Telework and health risks in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from the field and policy implications. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved from https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/telework-and-health-risks-context-covid-19- pandemic-evidence-field-and-policy-implications google scholar
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2021a). The future ofworking in a virtual environment and occupational safety and health. European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Retrieved from https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/future-working-virtual-environment-and-occupational-safety-and-health google scholar
• Felstead, A., & Henseke, G. (2017). Assessing the growth of remote working and its consequences for effort, well-being and work-life balance. New Technology, Work and Employment, 32(3),195-212. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12097 google scholar
• Galanti, T., Guidetti, G., Mazzei, E., Zappala, S., & Toscano, F. (2021). Work from home during the COVID-19 outbreak. The impact on employees’ remote work productivity, engagement, and stress. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63(7), 426-432. DOI:10.1097/JOM.0000000000002236 google scholar
• Gataveckaite, G. (2022). Work from home ‘and save up to C1,400 every year’. Independent.ie. Retrieved from https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/work-from-home-and-save-up-to-1400-every-year/41660782.html google scholar
• Goodstein, J. D. (1994). Institutional Pressures and Strategic Responsiveness: Employer Involvement in Work-Family Issues. Academy of Management Journal, 37(2), 350-382. https://doi.org/10.2307/256833 google scholar
• Grant, C. A., Wallace, L. M., & Spurgeon, P. C. (2013). An exploration of the psychological factors affecting remote e-worker’s job effectiveness, well-being and work-life balance. Employee Relations, 35(5), 527-546. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-08-2012-0059. google scholar
• Gratton, L. (2021). How to Do Hybrid Right. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-to-do-hybrid-right google scholar
• Heiden, M., Widar, L., Wiitavaara, B., & Boman, E. (2021). Telework in academia: associations with health and well-being among staff. Higher Education, 81(2), 707-722. DOI:10.1007/s10734-020-00569-4 google scholar
• Hill, E. J., Miller, B. C., Weiner, S. P., & Colihan, J. (1998). Influences of the virtual office on aspects of work and work/life balance. Personnel Psychology, 51(3), 667-683. DOI:10.1111/j.1744- 6570.1998.tb00256.x google scholar
• ILO. (2020). Managing work-related psychosocial risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Geneva: International Labour Office. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/resources-library/publications/WCMS_748638/lang-en/index.htm google scholar
• ILO. (2021). Working from home: From invisibility to decent work. Geneva: International Labour Office. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/digitalguides/en-gb/story/working-from-home#introduction google scholar ILO & WHO. (2021). Healthy and safe telework: technical brief. Geneva: World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240040977 google scholar
• Industriall. (2021). Industriall Guidelines: Institutional Regulation and Collective Bargaining on Telework. Retrieved from https://admin.industriall- union.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Telework/en_guidelines_collective_bargaining_telework_layout.pdf google scholar
• Ingram, P., & Simons, T. (1995). Institutional and Resource Dependence Determinants of Responsiveness to Work-Family Issues. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5):1466-1482. DOI:10.2307/256866 google scholar
• Ipsen, C., Kirchner, K., & Hansen, J. P. (2020). Experiences ofworkingfrom home in times of COVID-19 International survey conducted during the first months of the national lockdowns March-May, 2020. https://doi.org/10.11581/dtu:00000085 google scholar
• Judiesch, M. K., & Lyness, K. S. (1999). Left behind? The impact of leaves of absence on managers’ career success. Academy of Management Journal, 42(6), 641-651. https://doi.org/10.2307/256985 google scholar
• Kelliher, C., & Anderson, D. (2009). Doing more with less? Flexible working practices and the intensification of work. Human Relations, 63(1), 83-106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726709349199 google scholar
• Keune, M. (2021). Inequality between capital and labour and among wage-earners: the role of collective bargaining and trade unions. Transfer, 27(1), 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/10242589211000588 google scholar
• Kniffin, K. M., Narayanan, J., Anseel, F., Antonakis, J., Ashford, S. P., Bakker, A. B., ... Vugt, M. (2021). COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action. American Psychologist, 76(1), 63-77. DOI:10.1037/amp0000716 google scholar
• Kurland, N. B., & Bailey, D. E. (1999). Telework: The advantages and challenges of working here, there, anywhere and anytime. Organizational Dynamics, 28, 53-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-2616(00)80016-9 google scholar
• Lazauskaite-Zabielske, J., Urbanaviciute, I., & Ziedelis, A. (2022). Pressed to overwork to exhaustion? The role of psychological detachment and exhaustion in the context of teleworking. Economic and Industrial Democracy. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X221095111 google scholar
• Maestas, N., Mullen, K. J., Powell, D., von Wacher, T., & Wenger, J. B. (2018). The value ofworking conditions in the United States and implications for the structure ofwages (Working Paper No. 25204). NBER. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w25204/w25204.pdf google scholar
• Mas, A., & Pallais, A. (2017). Valuing alternative work arrangements. American Economic Review, 107(12), 3722-59. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20161500 google scholar
• Mas, A., & Pallais, A. (2020). Alternative Work Arrangements. Annual Review of Economics, 12(1), 631-658. google scholar
• Meardi, G., & Tassinari, A. (2022). Crisis corporatism 2.0? The role of social dialogue in the pandemic crisis in Europe. Transfer, 28(1), 83-100. https://doi.org/10.1177/10242589221089785 google scholar
• Messenger, J. C. (2019). Telework in the 21st Century: An Evolutionary Perspective. London and Geneva: Edward Elgar Publishing and ILO. google scholar
• Natali, D. (2022). COVID-19 and the opportunity to change the neoliberal agenda: evidence from socio-employment policy responses across google scholar
• Europe. Transfer, 28(1), 15-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/10242589221097231 google scholar
• Neeley, T. (2021). Remote work revolution: succeeding from anywhere. New York: Harper Business. google scholar
• OECD. (2020). Productivity Gains from Teleworking in the Post COVID-19 Era: How can Public Policies Make It Happen? Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy- responses/productivity-gains-from-teleworking-in-the-post-covid-19-era-how-can-public-policies-make-it-happen-a5d52e99/ google scholar
• OECD. (2021). Measuring telework in the COVID-19 pandemic. OECD Digital Economy Papers, No. 314. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/productivity-gains-from-teleworking-in-the-post-covid-19-era-how-can-public-policies-make-it-happen-a5d52e99/ google scholar
• Ozimek, A. (2021). Economist Report: Future Workforce. Upwork. Retrieved from https://www.upwork.com/press/releases/economist-report-future-workforce google scholar
• Parry, J., Young, Z., Bevan, S., Veliziotis, M., Baruch, Y., Beigi, M., ... Tochia, C. (2021). Working from Home under COVID-19 lockdown: Transitions and tensions. Economic and Social Research Council. Retrieved from https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/working-home-under-covid-19-lockdown google scholar
• Parry, J., Young, Z., Bevan, S., Veliziotis, M., Baruch, Y., Beigi, M., ... Tochia, C. (2022). Work After Lockdown: No Going Back. What we have learned working from home through the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic and Social Research Council. Retrieved from https://www.employment- studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/Lessons%20from%20Lockdown.pdf google scholar
• Piasna, A., Zwysen, W., & Drahokoupil, J. (2022). The platform economy in Europe. ETUI. Retrieved fromplatform-economy-europe google scholar
• Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 539-569. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100452 google scholar
• Raghavan, A., Demircioglu, M. A., & Orazgaliyev, S. (2021). COVID-19 and the New Normal of Organizations and Employees: An Overview. Sustainability, 13(21), 11942. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111942 google scholar
• Redek, T., Domadenik, P., Koman, M., & Zupan, N. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on Slovenian companies and the role of remote work. In Domadenik, P., Koman, M., & Redek, T. (eds.): The virus aftermath: a socio-economic twist? (pp. 251-270). Ljubljana: Casnik Finance. google scholar
• Risi, E., & Pronzato, R. (2021). Smart working is not so smart: Always-on lives and the dark side of platformisation. Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation, 15(1), 107-125. DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.15.1.0107 google scholar
• Rovi, S. (1997). But are they exploited? Industrial home workers in the 1990 New Jersey census. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 17(3-4), 63-101. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb013301 google scholar
• Rudolph, C. W., Allan, B., Clark, M., Hertel, G., Hirschi, A., Kunze, F.,... Zacher, H. (2021). Pandemics: Implications for research andpractice in industrial and organizational psychology. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 14(1-2), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2020.48 google scholar
• Schwellnus, C., Sinclair, T., Losma, F., Nicoletti, G., Koelle, M., Leidecker, T., Judes, A., ... Ardjan, P. (2022). Teleworking is here to stay and may raise productivity if implemented appropriately. CEPR. Retrieved from https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/teleworking-here-stay-and-may-raise-productivity-if-implemented-appropriately google scholar
• Song, Y., & Gao, J. (2020). Does telework stress employees out? A study on working at home and subjective well-being for wage/salary workers. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(3), 2649-2668. DOI:10.1007/s10902-019-00196-6 google scholar
• Teodorovicz, T., Sadun, R., Kun, A. L., & Shaer, O. (2021). How does working from home during COVID-19 affect what managers do? Evidence from time-use studies. Human-Computer Interaction, 37(6), 532-557. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370024.2021.1987908 google scholar
• TUC. (2016). Home-working Up by a Fifth on the Last Decade, TUC Analysis reveals. Retrieved from https://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace-issues/home-working-fifth-over-last-decade-tuc-analysis-reveals google scholar
• Van Wjhe, C. I., Schaufeli, W. B., & Peeters, M. C. W. (2010). Understanding and treating workaholism: Setting the stage for successful interventions. In R. J. Burke & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Risky Business: Psychological, Physical and Financial Costs ofHigh Risk Behavior in Organizations (pp. 107-134). Farnham: Gower Publishing. google scholar
• Vilhelmson, B., & Thulin, E. (2016). Who and where are the flexible workers? Exploring the current diffusion of telework in Sweden. New technology, work and employment, 31(1), 77-96. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12060 google scholar
• Wang, B., Liu, Y., Qian J., & Parker, S. K. (2021). Achieving effective remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic: a workdesign perspective. Applied Psychology, 70(1), 16-59. DOI:10.1111/apps.12290 google scholar
• Warzel, C., & Petersen, A. H. (2021). Out ofoffice: The big problem and bigger promise of working from home. New York: Knopf. google scholar
• Washington, S., Karlaftis, M. G., Mannering, F., & Anastasopoulos, P. (2020). Statistical and econometric methods for transportation data analysis. New York: Chapman and CRC. google scholar
• Wilson, R. A., Sofroniou, N., Beaven, R., May-Gillings, M., Perkins, S., & Lee, M., Glover, P.,... Pirie, J. (2016). Working futures 2014-2024. Evidence Report 100. Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for Employment and Skills. google scholar
• Wood, A. J. (2021). Algorithmic management: Consequences for work organisation and working conditions. Seville: European Commission. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/algorithmic-management-consequences-work-organisation-and-working-conditions google scholar
• Yu, J., & Wu, Y. (2021). The Impact of Enforced Working from Home on Employee Job Satisfaction during COVID-19: An Event System Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 13207. https://doi.org/10.3390/jerph182413207 google scholar