Association between physical and mental health variables among software professionals working at home: a secondary analysis

Decision made, good feelings fade? How noise and multitasking affect decision confidence and well-being

Objectives. This study aimed to examine the influence of office noise and multitasking on decision confidence, overconfidence, satisfaction, calibration and affective well-being. Detrimental effects of noise and multitasking on perceived annoyance and concentration are well documented. Little is known about whether decision confidence and well-being during decisions are also affected. Methods. The study was a between-subjects laboratory experiment (n = 109) involving a noise condition with office noise presented through headphones (A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level of LAeq = 60 dB), a multitasking condition with an email-sorting task as the primary task and a control condition. Results. Compared to the control condition, subjects in the noise and multitasking conditions exhibited overestimation of confidence. There was also a significant decrease in well-being for people in the noise condition. Calibration was not affected. Conclusion. In the case of noise, well-being is affected even before the thresholds of workplace legislation are reached. Undue overconfidence can have detrimental effects upon subsequent decisions and risk-taking. Findings suggest that there should be greater consideration of environmental influences during decision-making in work environments.

Remote workers' perceived health during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory study of influencing factors in the IT and communications sector in Malta

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sudden switch to remote working that many organisations and workers were unprepared for. The study investigates the perceived impact of remote working on workers' health and influencing factors. The topic has received limited attention within published studies. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to IT and communication remote workers in Malta (N=459). Closed-ended questions were analysed quantitatively in order to identify perceived changes in health. Open-ended questions were analysed qualitatively to determine the perceived reasons for such changes. More workers reported that their health had deteriorated than improved during the first 12 months of the pandemic. Greater proportions of remote work were associated with improved levels of health. Several factors were perceived to have influenced levels of health, including: health behaviours, such as physical activity, nutrition, and sleep; the development of disease, particularly mental health issues; work related factors, such as social support, work demands, and the blurring of work-life boundaries; and personal factors, including family life and leisure. The study concludes that remote working can be beneficial for health when workers engage in the correct health-promoting behaviours and are provided with the necessary support, both during their working and private life.

The mediator role of well-being in the effect of COVID-19 anxiety on occupational commitment: research in the aviation sector

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which emerged in China in December 2019, has severely affected many industries across the world and created substantial psychological, social and economic impact on individuals. With the coronavirus outbreak labelled as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the first measures have been taken for the aviation industry. The crisis environment created by the pandemic had a negative impact on aviation personnel. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the mediator role of employee well-being in the effect of COVID-19 anxiety on occupational commitment. The data were collected through a survey of cabin and cockpit staff (n = 3862). After the analyses, it was found that the effect of COVID-19 anxiety on well-being, and occupational affective and normative commitment was significant. Moreover, it is among the findings that well-being has a partial mediator role in the effect of COVID-19 anxiety on occupational affective and normative commitment.

Investigating The Impacts of Working at Home Among Offıce Workers With Neck Pain on Health Status, Depression and Sleep Quality During COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the effect of workplace and ergonomic features on neck pain intensity, sleep problems, depression and health status at office workers during COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

One-hundred and thirty-nine office workers with neck pain who are 18-55 years of age were enrolled in the study. Sociodemographic features including ergonomic features of workplace were evaluated. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS) were administered to all patients.

RESULTS

All participants was grouped based on workplace into Group 1 (working in office n = 84) and Group 2(working at home n = 55). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups according to rate of absence of back support, flexible back (respectively p = 0.020 and p = 0.029). The scores of the Neck Pain and Disability Index scores of the participants who work with a computer more than 3 hours without break was higher in Group 2 than ın Group 1, and the differences between groups were found statistically significant (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The health related quality of life was worse and neck pain intensity was severe in working at home group than working in office group.Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05074407..