“White collars” on self-reported well-being, health and work performance when teleworking from home

Abstract

In the wake of the pandemic, telework became relevant to more employees than before. Researchers suggest both positive and negative impact of telework on employees. The study examines office workers’ self-reports on the impact of teleworking on their subjective well-being, health, and productivity. Data (N = 475) were collected from teleworkers in Lithuania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that teleworking during the pandemic had a negative impact on the well-being (in work-life balance aspect) and health (mostly in terms of mental exhaustion) of office workers, while work performance suffered relatively less. Also, this study revealed three original observations. First, well-being evaluations of teleworkers were found to be most correlated with close relationships and age. Second, teleworkers who live with their parents have the most positive evaluations of teleworking in all three areas: well-being, health, and productivity. And third, the overlap between family and work when working from home increases the likelihood that women and young workers will be less concerned about healthy living habits. This study contributes to a better understanding of the factors teleworkers face when working at home and can help companies improve their hybrid working strategies.

Teleworking Effects on Mental Health—A Systematic Review and a Research Agenda

“…It is also important to highlight that the impacts of working from home vary according to gender [ 68 ]. The analyzes reveal that, especially in relation to women [ 22 ], there is an evident negative association between teleworking and mental health [ 55 , 58 , 69 , 72 , 78 , 81 ] due to different responsibilities and care for children [ 9 , 11 , 56 , 68 , 69 , 71 ], and the inequalities observed in the execution of domestic tasks [ 48 , 79 ]. Finally, individuals with lower levels of education showed lower tendencies towards psychological problems than those with higher educational levels [ 54 ].…”

“…In addition, a balanced diet and relief from the workplace pressures are also mentioned. On the other hand, regarding the negative effects, mental health and psychological disorders appear to be the most challenging consequences of remote work, with records of a considerable increase in headaches, irritability [ 61 ], impatience, anxiety, fear, discouragement [ 21 , 69 ], lack of motivation [ 23 ], irregular sleep, general tiredness, and feelings of ineptitude with the work due to essentially working conditions, work intensity, and a substantial increase in the number of hours worked [ 20 , 22 , 30 , 71 , 72 ].…”

“…The literature presents a wide variety of effects caused by the pandemic on the health and well-being of workers, which were manifested directly and indirectly [ 60 , 72 ]. Thus, cluster 2, in blue, is made up of the following set of keywords: COVID-19, epidemiology, lockdown, mental health, quality of life, teleworking, and well-being.…”

“…As an example, a study conducted in 2022 aimed to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the implementation and rise of teleworking [ 67 ], whose results highlight the fact that the pandemic significantly increased the adoption of teleworking around the world. This type of finding makes it clear that this work pattern had varied impacts on the well-being and mental health of workers [ 70 , 72 ], noting different effects.…”

“…The health problems potentially associated with remote work during the pandemic were highlighted [ 78 ]. Furthermore, it was also possible to assert that women were more affected when compared to men, both on a professional social and personal level [ 22 , 55 , 68 , 69 , 71 , 72 , 79 ]. The expectations of managers and the lack of flexibility were the triggers for the increase in stress and feelings of inadequacy at work.…”