Dataset Information

Home Sweet Home: Working from home and employee performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

ABSTRACT: In 2020, many governments responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by encouraging employees to work from home (WFH). Analyzing representative data from the UK, we find that the pandemic-led increases in WFH frequency are associated with a higher self-perceived hourly productivity among employed respondents. Interestingly, changes in WFH frequency are unrelated to the respondents' weekly working hours and weekly wages during the same period. While the WFH-productivity association is more substantial in non-lockdown months, it is inexistent during the months with strict lockdowns, indicating that lockdown measures inhibited the baseline association. The WFH-productivity association is weaker among parents with increased homeschooling needs due to school closures implemented during lockdowns. In addition, the effect heterogeneity analysis identifies the role of crucial job-related characteristics in the baseline association. Finally, looking at the future of WFH, we show that employees' recent WFH experiences and subsequent changes in hourly productivity are intimately associated with their desires to WFH in the future.

SUBMITTER: Deole SS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9678226 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Home sweet home: Working from home and employee performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Deole Sumit S SS Deter Max M Huang Yue Y

Labour economics 20221121

In 2020, many governments responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by encouraging employees to work from home (WFH). Analyzing representative data from the UK, we find that the pandemic-led increases in WFH frequency are associated with a higher self-perceived hourly productivity among employed respondents. Interestingly, changes in WFH frequency are unrelated to the respondents' weekly working hours and weekly wages during the same period. While the WFH-productivity association is more substantial in ...[more]

PMID: 36440260

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Project description:ObjectivesTo investigate the impacts, on mental and physical health, of a mandatory shift to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignCross sectional, online survey.SettingOnline survey was conducted from September 2020 to November 2020 in the general population.ParticipantsAustralian residents working from home for at least 2 days a week at some time in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.Main outcome measuresDemographics, caring responsibilities, working from home arrangements, work-related technology, work-family interface, psychosocial and physical working conditions, and reported stress and musculoskeletal pain.Results924 Australians responded to the online questionnaire. Respondents were mostly women (75.5%) based in Victoria (83.7%) and employed in the education and training and healthcare sectors. Approximately 70% of respondents worked five or more days from home, with only 60% having a dedicated workstation in an uninterrupted space. Over 70% of all respondents reported experiencing musculoskeletal pain or discomfort. Gendered differences were observed; men reported higher levels of family to work conflict (3.16±1.52 to 2.94±1.59, p=0.031), and lower levels of recognition for their work (3.75±1.03 to 3.96±1.06, p=0.004), compared with women. For women, stress (2.94±0.92 to 2.66±0.88, p<0.001) and neck/shoulder pain (4.50±2.90 to 3.51±2.84, p<0.001) were higher than men and they also reported more concerns about their job security than men (3.01±1.33 to 2.78±1.40, p=0.043).ConclusionsPreliminary evidence from the current study suggests that working from home may impact employees' physical and mental health, and that this impact is likely to be gendered. Although further analysis is required, these data provide insights into further research opportunities needed to assist employers in optimising working from home conditions and reduce the potential negative physical and mental health impacts on their employees.

Dataset Information

Home Sweet Home: Working from home and employee performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Publications

Home sweet home: Working from home and employee performance during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Similar Datasets

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