Work from home, time allocation, and well-being: the impact of lockdowns

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of working from home (WFH) skyrocketed as businesses closed and distancing standards were mandated, exposing many workers to a remote work arrangement. This paper studies how WFH relates to worker time allocation and enjoyment, considering gender differences and pandemic phases, using real-time data from the UK Click-and-Drag Diary covering pre-pandemic, lockdown, and post-pandemic periods. Findings show no statistically significant overall relationship to time allocation, but reveal gender disparities: pre-pandemic, WFH involved less paid work and more leisure among women, but during lockdowns, patterns converged. The results also indicate that there were no statistically significant differences in instantaneous enjoyment between WFH and non-WFH male employees. Female WFH employees enjoyed leisure time less than their counterparts pre-pandemic, however this negative correlation vanished during and after the pandemic. The economic implications span labor productivity, gender dynamics in employment, business model adaptation, and work-life balance. These findings could impact corporate policies, human resource strategies, and the design of governmental policies related to the labor market and gender equality.