Systematically reviewing remote e-workers’ well-being at work: a multidimensional approach

Telework, working conditions, health and wellbeing during the Covid crisis: A gendered analysis

OBJECTIVE

Telework was massively adopted during the COVID-19 crisis. Related changes in working conditions may have affected women's and men's health differently due to the gendered division of work. Our study aimed to assess the gendered association of telework with physical and mental health outcomes one year after the onset of the pandemic and to determine whether the pathways of working conditions underlying these associations are gender-related.

METHODS

We compared pre-pandemic and Covid-crisis work contexts using a large representative sample of French employees surveyed in early 2021. We identified potential work-related mediators of the relationship between telework and well-being, i.e., change in autonomy, low support, work overload, digital issues, atypical working time, meaning at work, and work-life balance, and used multiple-matching and adjusting for confounders.

RESULTS

All things being equal, the health and well-being of teleworkers were, on average, less favourable than that of on-site workers, with little gender differences. The selected working conditions mediated a substantial part of the relationship, indicating that important pathways were captured, such as meaning at work. These pathways partly differed between women and men. In particular, in new teleworkers, the largest contributions came from digital issues for women, and from low support at work and work overload for men.

CONCLUSION

People who teleworked during the pandemic were at higher odds of deterioration of health and well-being than onsite workers. Health patterns were similar among male and female teleworkers; however, the pathways differed. These negative effects may yet have been absorbed once the government pandemic response became less stringent.

"Always online": How and when task interdependence and dispositional workplace anxiety affect workplace telepressure after hours

Information and communication technology (ICT) provides employees with convenience in communication. However, it also creates a preoccupation with and urges to respond quickly to work-related ICT messages during nonworking time, which is defined as workplace telepressure after hours (WTA). Drawing on the job demand-resource model, conservation of resource theory, and workplace anxiety theory, this study explores how and when task interdependence and dispositional workplace anxiety affect WTA and how individuals cope with WTA. A total of 269 full-time workers from an online survey panel completed questionnaires at three time-points. We found that both task interdependence and dispositional workplace anxiety are positively related to WTA. The perception of pay-for-responsiveness moderates the relationship between task interdependence and WTA, such that the relationship is significant only for employees with a strong perception of pay-for-responsiveness. Others' approval contingency of self-worth moderates the relationship between dispositional workplace anxiety and WTA, and the relationship is significant only for employees with high degrees of others' approval contingency of self-worth. Finally, WTA arising from external work requirements or the internal pursuit of achieving work goals prompts employees to generate responsiveness coping strategies. Overall, these findings suggest that task interdependence and dispositional workplace anxiety are important factors affecting employees' WTA and highlight the importance of being responsive to WTA.

Study on Psychological Stress Perceived among Employees in an Italian University during Mandatory and Voluntary Remote Working during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This cross-sectional study examined the perceived psychological well-being of administrative/technical employees and researchers/lecturers at the University of L'Aquila (Italy) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was carried out in two different periods of 2022: April 2022, when remote working was still mandatory, and December 2022, when the pandemic emergency had ended and, in Italy, remote working had become voluntary for two days a week and exclusively for administrative staff.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Perceived psychological well-being was investigated using the GHQ-12 (Global Health Questionnaire, short-form with 12 items), a self-administered questionnaire created on Google Forms and sent via email to all the employees of the University of L'Aquila. Statistical analysis was conducted using means, standard deviations, and frequency tables for the descriptive analysis of socio-demographic data, while the t-test or Wilcoxon test and the Χ2 test were used to verify the statistical difference and association between categorical variables.

RESULTS

Overall, 365 employees, including 118 administrative/technical and 247 research/teaching staff, participated in the survey in April 2022 when remote working was mandatory. Among them, 219 (52.8%) were female and 196 (47.2%) were male. In December 2022, 266 employees engaged in voluntary remote working, including 184 (69.2%) women and 82 (30.8%) men, took part in the study. The most represented age group was 50-59 years old (36.3% of study participants). During mandatory remote working, 83.4% of lecturers reported a perceived level of psychological distress ranging from moderate to severe versus 69.5% of technicians. The percentage of self-reported psychological distress was higher among the technicians forced to work from home (n. 118-42.9%) vs. the technicians working from home on a voluntary basis (n. 157-57.1%), with GHQ score being >14 in 65.5% of enforced remote workers vs. 62.3% of voluntary remote workers. During mandatory remote working, there was a significant difference in the GHQ-12 score between administrative and research staff, particularly related to items such as loss of self-confidence, emotional pressures, and diminished productivity. Moreover, from the comparison between the group of administrative staff engaged in mandatory remote working and those in voluntary remote working for specific GHQ-12 items, a statistically significant difference emerged concerning the perception of not being able to overcome difficulties; the GHQ-12 score was higher in the first group. Significant differences in the overall GHQ-12 score were evident between male and female lecturers, as the latter reported higher levels of perceived stress during mandatory remote working.

DISCUSSION

The results confirm that remote working could be associated with a better psychological state of administrative university staff, especially in the case of voluntary remote working. During mandatory remote working, a difference was observed between teaching and administrative staff, with higher stress in the first group and among women. Therefore, our sample appears fragmented in the self-assessment of psychological well-being during remote working, possibly due to profound differences in the organization of work activities between lecturers and administrative employees. Additionally, the increased perception of stress by female lecturers compared to males may reflect gender disparities, as women working from home during the pandemic experienced an increased workload including domestic activities.

CONCLUSIONS

Remote working is a type of working that has both advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is undoubtedly a better work-life balance; however, the risks of technostress, workaholism, increased sedentary behaviour, and social isolation are negative aspects. This study provides an indicative overview of the psychological state related to remote working in a university setting during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study might therefore serve as a starting point for further research on the impact of remote working on self-reported psychological well-being, especially in the university environment.

How teleworking adoption is changing the labor market and workforce dynamics?

This article investigates how teleworking adoption influenced the labor market and workforce dynamic using bibliometric methods to overview 86 years of teleworking research [1936-2022]. By grouping the retrieved articles available on the Web of Science (WOS) core collection database, we revealed a holistic and topical view of teleworking literature using clustering and visualization techniques. Our results reflect the situation where the adoption of teleworking in the last three years was accelerated by the pandemic and facilitated by innovation in remote work technologies. We discussed the factors influencing one's decision to join the workforce or a specific company, besides the unintended consequences of the rapid adoption of teleworking. The study can aid organizations in developing adequate teleworking arrangements, enhancing employee outcomes, and improving retention rates. Furthermore, it can help policymakers design more effective policies to support employees, improve labor force participation rates, and improve societal well-being.

Boundary violations and university teachers' well-being during mandatory telework: Recovery's role and gender differences

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to explore the role of psychological detachment from work in the relationship of boundary violations and flourishing, as well as gender differences among university teachers during mandatory telework. We developed and tested a moderate mediation model where psychological detachment was the explanatory mechanism of the relationship between boundary violations with flourishing and using gender as the moderating variable.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 921 Brazilian university teachers (mean age 44 years, 681 women and 240 men) during mandatory telework. Multigroup analysis and moderate mediation were performed using Mplus 7.2.

RESULTS

Psychological detachment mediated the relationship between boundary violations (in both directions) and flourishing and work-to-family violations were more harmful to women' recovery instead family-to-work violations were more harmful to men' recovery, among university teachers during mandatory telework.

CONCLUSION

By focusing on boundary violations in the context of mandatory telework, the study sheds light on the impact of blurred boundaries between work and personal life. This contributes both literature on work-life balance and literature recovery. Moreover, it helps to understand a crisis setting of remote work. Further, the study's findings regarding gender differences highlight how men and women may experience and cope with boundary violations differently during mandatory telework, supporting future specific interventions across genders.

A longitudinal person-centered investigation of the multidimensional nature of employees' perceptions of challenge and hindrance demands at work

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

This research relies on a combination of variable- and person-centered approaches to help improve our understanding of the dimensionality of job demands by jointly considering employees' global levels of job demands, exposure and their specific levels of exposure to challenge and hindrance demands.

DESIGN AND METHODS

We relied on a sample of 442 workers who completed a questionnaire twice over three months. Our analyses sought to identify the nature of the job demands profiles experienced by these workers, to document the stability of these profiles over time, and to assess their associations with theoretically-relevant outcomes (i.e., work engagement, job boredom, problem-solving pondering, work-related rumination, proactive health behaviors, and sleep quality and quantity). Furthermore, we examined whether these profiles and associations differed as a function of working remotely or onsite.

RESULTS

Five profiles were identified and found to be highly stable over time: Globally Exposed, Not Exposed, Not Exposed but Challenged, Exposed but Not Challenged, and Mixed. These profiles shared clear associations with all outcomes, with the most adaptive outcomes associated with the Exposed but Not Challenged profile, whereas the most detrimental ones were observed in the Mixed profile. However, none of these results differed across employees working onsite and those working remotely.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have theoretical and practical implications regarding the effects of work characteristics on employees' functioning.

A bibliometric analysis of remote working practices: Call for future research

BACKGROUND

According to Gallup survey report, 69% of U.S. workers moved to working remotely in April 2020. Due to COVID-19, work is changing rapidly, including where individuals work.

OBJECTIVE

Research in this field has drawn much attention, and in the last ten years, there is a constant augment in the number of publications on the same. Several works of literature on Remote Working (RW) culture have been reported. Nevertheless, only less research is present on bibliometric reviews of RW culture. Therefore, Bibliometric research is wielded in this work and a comprehensive review of relevant publications was taken from Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), together with the Social Science Citation Index Expanded.

METHODOLOGY

At first, meticulous bibliometric analyses of 430 published articles are done and descriptive information about a piece of work, namely (a) author, (b) title, (c) date of publication, et cetera, is provided.

RESULTS

Mapping the scope along with the structure of the discipline is enabled by these analyzes, which discovers the instituted collaboration patterns amongst countries and organizations, and identifies authoritative papers together with authors. Therefore, the publication's evolution over time is illustrated by these analyses, and the current research interests and potential directions for future study are identified.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper incorporates insights on remote working culture and enables mapping the scope and structure of the discipline, discovering the established collaboration patterns among countries and organizations. Thus, these analyses illustrate the publication's evolution over time and identified the current research interests and potential directions for the research.

The impact of remote work using mobile information and communication technologies on physical health: a systematic review

Remote e-working with information and communication technology (ICT) has long been on the rise, with its implementation accelerated by mandatory working from home regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic literature review summarises the influencing factors of ICT-based remote e-working (device types, duration of use, user interfaces, etc.) on the physical health (musculoskeletal system and eyes) of knowledge workers. A search in four electronic databases and a manual search in four German journals resulted in 21 articles being included in this review. A bias analysis was conducted for all articles. Unfavourable postures, inappropriate working devices and certain environmental factors may cause a range of physical complaints, even after comparably short periods of time. Mostly, these complaints are greater compared to those experienced when working on a fully equipped stationary computer. Therefore, remote e-working requires careful planning, awareness, and the willingness to embrace working situations that counteract these problems.

The Joint Role of Focused and Molar Climates and Eudaemonic Well-being as Mediators of the Relationship between Flexible Telework and Scientific Productivity in Spanish ERC-Granted Teams

Flexible work arrangements, such as teleworking, have gained massive and unprecedented usage for creating work environments that foster well-being and productivity. Yet empirical evidence is still scant and not much is known about the role of organizational climate(s) in this process. Accordingly, the present study was set out to investigate the mediating mechanisms linking flexible teleworking to scientific productivity by considering climate for well-being dimensions, the climates for excellence and for innovation, and eudaemonic well-being as mediating constructs. Data were collected from 358 members of 48 Spanish European Research Council (ERC) granted teams and analyses were conducted both at the individual and team level, after checking for the relevant aggregation indexes. Relevant and significant relations were found within the hypothesized statistical model both at the individual and team level of analysis. The climate dimension of team support and the climate for innovation, together with eudaimonic well-being, resulted to be linked by significant relationships suggesting a potential mediating path. Also, empirical evidence supported considering gender as a control variable for the relationship between flexible teleworking and the climate dimension of work-life balance. In conclusion, climate variables and eudaimonic well-being represent relevant variables for the explanation of the relationship between flexible teleworking and scientific productivity. Practical and theoretical implications, and limitations are further discussed in the article.

Cardiac autonomic profile, perceived stress and environmental comfort in healthy employees during remote and in-office work

Remote work (REMOTE) causes an overlap between working and domestic demands. The study of the cardiac autonomic profile (CAP) by means of heart rate variability (HRV) provides information about the impact of REMOTE on workers' health. The primary aim was to determine whether CAP, self-perceived stress, environmental and workstation comfort are modified during REMOTE. The secondary aim was to explore how these indices are influenced by individual and environmental work-related factors. Fifty healthy office employees alternating REMOTE and in-office (OFFICE) working were enrolled, rated self-perceived stress, environmental and workstation comfort using a visual analogue scale and performed a 24-h electrocardiogram during REMOTE and OFFICE. Stress was lower (5.6 ± 2.2 vs. 6.4 ± 1.8), environmental comfort higher (7.7 ± 1.9 vs. 7.0 ± 1.5), and the workstation comfort poorer (6.2 ± 1.8 vs. 7.5 ± 1.2) during REMOTE. CAP was similar during REMOTE and OFFICE. CAP was influenced by some work-related factors, including the presence of offspring, absence of a dedicated workspace during REMOTE and number of working hours. All these variables determined a decreased vagal modulation. The working setting seems to impact the levels of perceived stress and comfort, but not the CAP. However, individual and environmental work-related factors reduce cardiac vagal modulation during REMOTE, potentially increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

The new normal of remote work: exploring individual and organizational factors affecting work-related outcomes and well-being in academia

Background

Flexible work arrangements have become increasingly popular, driven by the widespread adoption of digital technologies in the workplace because of the pandemic. However, there is a scarcity of studies concerning remote work, especially related to technical-administrative staff (TAS) in academia. Therefore, the current study, adopting the Job Demands-Resources model, aimed to investigate the relationships between remote working self-efficacy, organizational support, techno-complexity, mental well-being, and job performance among TAS during remote working.

Methods

A total of 373 individuals from TAS of a large Italian university participated in this study by completing a self-report questionnaire.

Results

The findings showed positive and significant relationships between remote self-efficacy and job satisfaction as well as between such a perceived efficacy and mental well-being. Perceived support from supervisors acted as a protective factor against techno-complexity. In contrast, perceived support from colleagues emerged as able to promote well-being and job satisfaction. In addition, the latter was positively associated with well-being. Finally, individual job performance was positively affected by job satisfaction and negatively by techno-complexity.

Conclusion

This study highlights the need for interventions to support TAS in remote working environments by leveraging employees' self-efficacy as a key factor in reducing stress related to new technologies as well as enhancing well-being, job satisfaction, and, in turn, their performance.

Daily routine disruptions and psychiatric symptoms amid COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 0.9 million individuals in 32 countries

BACKGROUND

There is currently a deficit of knowledge about how to define, quantify, and measure different aspects of daily routine disruptions amid large-scale disasters like COVID-19, and which psychiatric symptoms were more related to the disruptions. This study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the probable positive associations between daily routine disruptions and mental disorders amid the COVID-19 pandemic and factors that moderated the associations.

METHODS

PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, and MEDLINE were systematically searched up to April 2023 (PROSPERO: CRD42023356846). Independent variables included regularity, change in frequency, and change in capability of different daily routines (i.e., physical activity, diet, sleep, social activities, leisure activities, work and studies, home activities, smoking, alcohol, combined multiple routines, unspecified generic routines). Dependent variables included symptoms and/or diagnoses of mental disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and general psychological distress).

RESULTS

Fifty-three eligible studies (51 independent samples, 910,503 respondents) were conducted in five continents. Daily routine disruptions were positively associated with depressive symptoms (r = 0.13, 95% CI = [0.06; 0.20], p < 0.001), anxiety symptoms (r = 0.12, 95% CI = [0.06; 0.17], p < 0.001), and general psychological distress (r = 0.09, 95% CI = [0.02; 0.16], p = 0.02). The routine-symptom associations were significant for physical activity, eating, sleep, and smoking (i.e., type), routines that were defined and assessed on regularity and change in capability (i.e., definition and assessment), and routines that were not internet-based. While the positive associations remained consistent across different sociodemographics, they were stronger in geo-temporal contexts with greater pandemic severity, lower governmental economic support, and when the routine-symptom link was examined prospectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This is one of the first meta-analytic evidence to show the positive association between daily routine disruptions and symptoms of mental disorders among large populations as COVID-19 dynamically unfolded across different geo-temporal contexts. Our findings highlight the priority of behavioral adjustment for enhancing population mental health in future large-scale disasters like COVID-19.

Reviewing the influence of positive leadership on worker well-being: A comprehensive analysis

The study provides a review of existing empirical studies on the impact of positive leadership on worker well-being. The aim it to integrate current knowledge and provide directions for future research. The study analyses the content of 118 articles retrieved mainly from Google Scholar and Scopus database published between 2004 and 2022. Findings revealed that most of the studies are atheoretical with the dominant theory applied being conservation of resource theory. Furthermore, most of the studies were cross-sectionally designed, used convenient sampling and self-reported questionnaire. A conceptual framework is presented which synthesizes findings from prior works and shows the various dimensions of positive leadership practices and worker well-being. Additionally, a comprehensive future research agenda for theoretical and empirical advancement is suggested. The study offers a comprehensive framework that synthesizes and integrates the existing literature on positive leadership and worker well-being. The findings offer researchers in leadership a common platform for discourse.

Working from home, work/life conflict and mental wellbeing in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many employees away from their offices into their homes. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in early spring 2020, most countries recommended or required that employees work remotely from home to reduce the spread of infection at workplaces and during travel to and from these workplaces.

OBJECTIVE

The main aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between working from home, work/life conflict and mental wellbeing in Europe during the pandemic.

METHODS

The study was based on a large-scale, online survey that was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic three times, in 2020, 2021 and 2022, in 27 EU countries, and included 53 214 respondents that were employed at the time of the study.

RESULTS

The results showed that working from home, work-to-life conflict and life-to-work conflict has increased and that mental wellbeing has decreased during the pandemic. Our regression analyses showed that the number of hours worked from home was negatively associated with work-to-life conflict and positively associated with life-to-work conflict. These results indicate that working from home can have both positive and negative consequences for employees' work/life conflict. The regression results showed that hours worked from home, work-to-life conflict and life-to-work conflict were negatively associated with mental wellbeing.

CONCLUSION

It is important to consider different work situations for different working life groupings when implementing work-from-home measures. Organizations must consider how work is supervised and help managers understand how to support employees to achieve work-life balance when working remotely.

Techno-Stress Creators, Burnout and Psychological Health among Remote Workers during the Pandemic: The Moderating Role of E-Work Self-Efficacy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working was pervasively implemented, causing an increase in technology-related job demands. Concurrently, there was an increase in psychological problems in the occupational population. This study on remote workers tested a moderated mediation model positing burnout, conceptualized according to the Burnout Assessment Tool, as the mediator between techno-stressors and psychological health outcomes and e-work self-efficacy as a protective personal resource. A sample of 225 remote workers filled out anonymous questionnaires measuring techno-stressors, e-work self-efficacy, burnout, and psychological health symptoms (i.e., depressive mood and anxiety symptoms). The data were analyzed using structural equation mediation and moderated mediation models, adopting a parceling technique. The results showed that burnout totally mediated the relationship between techno-stressors and depressive mood, while partially mediating the association between techno-stressors and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, e-work self-efficacy buffered the positive effects of techno-stressors on depressive mood and anxiety symptoms through burnout. The present research attested to the relevance of techno-stressors for the psychological health of remote workers and supported burnout as a mediator of this process, although anxiety symptoms were also directly related to techno-stressors. Moreover, the protective role of domain-specific self-efficacy was confirmed in the realm of remote working. Limitations and practical implications are discussed.

Mismatch between actual and preferred extent of telework: cross-sectional and prospective associations with well-being and burnout

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine whether telework mismatch, i.e., lack of fit between actual and preferred extent of telework, is cross-sectionally and prospectively associated with well-being and burnout.

METHODS

A questionnaire was sent to employees in a Swedish manufacturing company in November 2020 (baseline) and September 2021 (follow-up). It contained questions about well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index) and burnout (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire III), as well as the preferred extent of telework and extent of telework performed. Telework mismatch was calculated as the difference between the actual and preferred extent of telework. Change in mismatch over time was categorized as 1) less mismatch at follow-up than at baseline, 2) more mismatch at follow-up, and 3) identical levels of mismatch at baseline and follow-up. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance were used to determine the effects of mismatch and change in mismatch over time on baseline ratings and changes in ratings of well-being and burnout. All analyses were performed with and without adjustment for age, sex, marital status, children, type of employment, commuting time and extent of telework performed.

RESULTS

The response rate was 39% at baseline (n = 928, 67% men, mean(SD) age: 45(11) years) and 60% at follow-up (n = 556, 64% men, mean(SD) age: 46(11) years). A cross-sectional association was found between telework mismatch and well-being, showing that employees who teleworked more than they would like reported worse well-being than those who teleworked less than they would like. No statistically significant association was found between telework mismatch and burnout. The ability of telework mismatch at baseline to predict changes in well-being or burnout over 10 months was small and non-significant. No association was found between change in telework mismatch over the 10-month period and corresponding changes in well-being or burnout.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that telework should be thoughtfully practiced in companies/organizations to avoid negative consequences for employees who already telework more than they prefer. Studies are needed to determine how long-term changes in match between preferred and actual extent of telework is associated with employee well-being, including how the association is modified by the nature of the job and the work environment.

At your service: supportiveness of servant leadership, communication frequency and communication channel fostering job satisfaction across generations

Introduction

The present study contributes to the conversations on the role of 'autonomy supportive' factors in employee wellbeing in remote work contexts by examining the relationships between servant leadership, communication frequency - overall and via synchronous (i.e., individual video-calls, individual telephone calls) and asynchronous communication channels (i.e., e-mail messages, and WhatsApp) - on the one hand, and job satisfaction, on the other, and the moderating role of generation (Baby Boomers and Gen X versus Gen Y) in these relationships.

Method

Building on self-determination theory, incorporating insights from servant leadership, telework, and media richness and synchronicity literatures, we developed hypotheses that were tested via multilevel analysis (273 employees nested in 89 managers).

Results

In line with expectations, servant leadership had a positive relationship with job satisfaction. Total communication frequency, however, was not related to job satisfaction. Further analyses per communication channel showed that only level 2 e-mail communication frequency was positively related to job satisfaction. In contrast to expectations, the relationships studied were not moderated by generation.

Discussion

We concluded that, for all generations, both servant leadership and frequent (e-mail) communication can be regarded as 'autonomy supportive' factors in employee wellbeing. Paradoxically, whereas servant leadership, considered as a human-centric leadership style, suggests close trust-based employment relationships, employees valued frequent asynchronous communication (via e-mail). Having access to information and knowledge when needed may satisfy employees' need for autonomy (and perhaps for flexibility to engage in work and non-work activities). The insights gained in our study can inform organizations, managers, and employees, particularly in future remote work contexts.

Impact of COVID-19 on Mothers Raising Children with Special Needs: Insights from a Survey Study

Home confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak had psychological effects that continue to be explored by researchers. This study investigated factors influencing the mental health of mothers caring for special needs children in Italy's first lockdown. Specifically, we investigated the relationships between emotional states of depression, anxiety, stress, perceived distress related to home confinement, coping strategies, and other contextual variables (such as opportunities for distance learning and remote working) in a group of 68 mothers of children with special needs and 68 matched mothers of typically developing children. Data from an online survey showed no significant difference between the two groups. However, the research revealed that being a remote worker was a significant predictor of reduced stress in mothers of children with special needs, while distance learning was a significant predictor of reduced stress in mothers of typically developing children. In addition, the study found that hyperarousal symptoms were predictive of stress in mothers of children with special needs, while intrusive thoughts and avoidance coping were predictive of stress in mothers of typically developing children. In conclusion, further research is needed to develop effective support and intervention strategies for families with children with special needs and to deeply investigate the impact of flexible work arrangements and social aid on the mental health of mothers in non-emergency settings.

Psychosocial and organisational work factors as predictors of sickness absence among professionally active adults with common mental disorders

BACKGROUND

The incidence of sickness absence (SA) due to common mental disorders (CMDs) has increased in recent decades. It is hence important to elucidate how individuals with CMDs can maintain work. The aim was to analyse the relationship between psychosocial and organisational workplace factors and a spell of > 14 days of SA among persons with CMDs.

METHODS

Included were respondents of the Swedish Work Environment Survey (SWES) 1993-2013, diagnosed with a CMD up to five years before the interview in the SWES (n = 3,795). Relative Risk (RR) regression models with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) analysed associations between psychosocial-, and organisational workplace factors and a subsequent spell of SA > 14 days.

RESULTS

Low control over work (RR:1.16; CI:1.01-1.35), job strain (RR:1.25; CI:1.04-1.49), no flexible working hours (RR:1.25; CI:1.08-1.45) or no possibility to work from home (RR:1.37; CI:1.13-1.66) were significantly related to an increased risk of SA. Persons diagnosed with depression experiencing job strain had the highest increased risk of SA (RR:1.55; CI: 1.07-2.25).

CONCLUSIONS

A sustainable work-life among working individuals with CMDs can be provided by reducing job strain, and if possible, by increasing flexibility regarding workplace and working hours. This may prevent spells of SA, and hereby increase productivity.

Technostress and academic motivation: direct and indirect effects on university students' psychological health

Introduction

Research has well demonstrated that the pandemic entailed several implications among university students worldwide in terms of increased use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), technostress, disruptions in academic goals and motivation processes, and growing psychological suffering. Responding to the new research need to go in-depth into the processes linking technostress and motivation dimensions to inform current research/interventions, the present study aimed to explore the direct effects of perceived Technostress dimensions (Techno-Overload, Work-Home Conflict, Pace of Change, Techno-Ease, Techno-Reliability, and Techno-Sociality) and Academic Motivation dimensions (Amotivation, Intrinsic, and Extrinsic Motivation dimensions) on students' perceived levels of Anxiety/Depression and test the potential indirect effect (mediating role) of Academic Motivation dimensions in the associations between Technostress and psychological health conditions.

Methods

Overall, 1,541 students from five European countries (Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Serbia, United Kingdom) completed a survey comprising a Background Information Form, the Technostress Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale-College, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Hayes' PROCESS tool was used to test direct and indirect (mediating) effects.

Results

Data revealed that Techno-Overload, Work-Home Conflict, Amotivation, and Extrinsic Motivation-Introjected had a direct negative effect, whereas Techno-Ease, Techno-Reliability, Techno-Sociality, all Intrinsic Motivation dimensions, and Extrinsic Motivation-Identified had a direct protective role for students' psychological health. The significant indirect role of motivation dimensions in the associations between Technostress dimensions and Anxiety/Depression was fully supported.

Discussion

Findings allow gaining further insight into the pathways of relationships between technostress, motivation, and psychological health, to be used in the current phase, featured by the complete restoration of face-to-face contacts, to inform the development of tailored research and interventions, which address lights and shadows of the technology use, and which take into account the necessity to enhance its potentials yet without impairing students' motivation and psychological health.

Is Smart Working Beneficial for Workers' Wellbeing? A Longitudinal Investigation of Smart Working, Workload, and Hair Cortisol/Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Building on the job demands-resources (JD-R) and allostatic load (AL) models, in the present study we examined the role of smart working (SW) in the longitudinal association between workload/job autonomy (JA) and a possible biomarker of work-related stress (WRS) in the hair-namely, the cortisol-dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA(S)) ratio-during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 124 workers completed a self-report questionnaire (i.e., psychological data) at Time 1 (T1) and provided a strand of hair (i.e., biological data) three months later (Time 2, T2). Results from moderated multiple regression analysis showed that SW at T1 was negatively associated with the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio at T2. Additionally, the interaction between workload and SW was significant, with workload at T1 being positively associated with the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio at T2 among smart workers. Overall, this study indicates that SW is a double-edged sword, with both positive and negative consequences on employee wellbeing. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio is a promising biomarker of WRS. Practical implications that organizations and practitioners can adopt to prevent WRS and promote organizational wellbeing are discussed.

The Effect of Transitioning to Remote Working in Patients Affected by Chronic Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of transitioning to remote working during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in a population of adults affected by chronic low back pain (cLBP).

METHODS

An online questionnaire was sent by email to teleworkers affected by cLBP. Demographic data, remote working features and tasks, and LBP burden were analyzed. The psychological burden of remote working was evaluated with the World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2. LBP severity was evaluated using a visual analogue scale. LBP-related disability was assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index. The effect of LBP on working capacity was examined with the Occupational Role Questionnaire. Independent risk factors related to LBP worsening were identified using a multivariate logistic regression model.

RESULTS

During remote working, LBP severity was significantly higher compared to previous in-person working (p < 0.0001), as well as average weekly work hours (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the risk of LBP worsening was associated with higher depression scores (odds ratio [OR], 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.91; p = 0.048), increased stress levels (OR: 3.00, 95% CI: 1.04-8.65; p = 0.042), and being divorced (OR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.27-14.47; p = 0.019). Conversely, living with others (OR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07-0.81; p = 0.021), and reporting unchanged stress levels (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.08-0.65; p = 0.006) were associated with a lower risk of LBP worsening.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight key factors to consider for improving remote workers' physical and mental wellbeing and decrease their LBP burden.

Home working and social and mental wellbeing at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: Evidence from 7 longitudinal population surveys

BACKGROUND

Home working has increased since the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's onset with concerns that it may have adverse health implications. We assessed the association between home working and social and mental wellbeing among the employed population aged 16 to 66 through harmonised analyses of 7 UK longitudinal studies.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We estimated associations between home working and measures of psychological distress, low life satisfaction, poor self-rated health, low social contact, and loneliness across 3 different stages of the pandemic (T1 = April to June 2020 -first lockdown, T2 = July to October 2020 -eased restrictions, T3 = November 2020 to March 2021 -second lockdown) using modified Poisson regression and meta-analyses to pool results across studies. We successively adjusted the model for sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, sex), job characteristics (e.g., sector of activity, pre-pandemic home working propensities), and pre-pandemic health. Among respectively 10,367, 11,585, and 12,179 participants at T1, T2, and T3, we found higher rates of home working at T1 and T3 compared with T2, reflecting lockdown periods. Home working was not associated with psychological distress at T1 (RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.79 to 1.08) or T2 (RR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.88 to 1.11), but a detrimental association was found with psychological distress at T3 (RR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.30). Study limitations include the fact that pre-pandemic home working propensities were derived from external sources, no information was collected on home working dosage and possible reverse association between change in wellbeing and home working likelihood.

CONCLUSIONS

No clear evidence of an association between home working and mental wellbeing was found, apart from greater risk of psychological distress during the second lockdown, but differences across subgroups (e.g., by sex or level of education) may exist. Longer term shifts to home working might not have adverse impacts on population wellbeing in the absence of pandemic restrictions but further monitoring of health inequalities is required.

Working From Home: Experiences of Home-Working, Health Behavior and Well-Being During the 2020 UK COVID-19 Lockdown

OBJECTIVE

The Spring 2020 UK COVID-19 lockdown required normally office-based workers to modify their work-related practices to work at home. This study explored workers' experiences of adapting to home working, health behaviors and well-being.

METHODS

Twenty-seven home working employees (19 women; aged 23-57 years), from various industry sectors, gave individual semi-structured interviews. Topics focused on home working experiences, routine adaptations, and changes in health behaviors and well-being.

RESULTS

Four themes were extracted: changes to the work interface; adaptations to a new workspace; changes to work-life balance; and adjustments to a new social context. Notably, participants reported greater reliance on computer-based interactions, which they felt discouraged physical activity and increased sitting. Working in a domestic environment reportedly challenged work-home boundaries.

CONCLUSIONS

Work practices can incidentally detrimentally impact health-related behaviors and well-being. Organizations should develop policies and procedures to promote health-conducive home working.

Monitoring and apportioning sources of indoor air quality using low-cost particulate matter sensors

Air quality is one of the most important factors in public health. While outdoor air quality is widely studied, the indoor environment has been less scrutinised, even though time spent indoors is typically much greater than outdoors. The emergence of low-cost sensors can help assess indoor air quality. This study provides a new methodology, utilizing low-cost sensors and source apportionment techniques, to understand the relative importance of indoor and outdoor air pollution sources upon indoor air quality. The methodology is tested with three sensors placed in different rooms inside an exemplar house (bedroom, kitchen and office) and one outdoors. When the family was present, the bedroom had the highest average concentrations for PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ (3.9 ± 6.8 ug/m³ and 9.6 ± 12.7 μg/m³ respectively), due to the activities undertaken there and the presence of softer furniture and carpeting. The kitchen, while presenting the lowest PM concentrations for both size ranges (2.8 ± 5.9 ug/m³ and 4.2 ± 6.9 μg/m³ respectively), presented the highest PM spikes, especially during cooking times. Increased ventilation in the office resulted in the highest PM₁ concentration (1.6 ± 1.9 μg/m³), highlighting the strong effect of infiltration of outdoor air for the smallest particles. Source apportionment, via positive matrix factorisation (PMF), showed that up to 95 % of the PM₁ was found to be of outdoor sources in all the rooms. This effect was reduced as particle size increased, with outdoor sources contributing >65 % of the PM_2.5, and up to 50 % of the PM₁₀, depending on the room studied. The new approach to elucidate the contributions of different sources to total indoor air pollution exposure, described in this paper, is easily scalable and translatable to different indoor locations.

A two-wave study on the effects of cognitive demands of flexible work on cognitive flexibility, work engagement and fatigue

Cognitive demands of flexible work are the specific cognitive demands of planning of working times, planning of working places, structuring of work tasks and coordinating with others that arise from flexible work organisation. Although these demands have become increasingly widespread, their consequences are not well understood. We propose that cognitive demands of flexible work are challenge stressors that can benefit employees, by adding to their cognitive flexibility and work engagement, but also impair employees by causing fatigue. Hypotheses were tested using a two-wave study design in a sample that recently switched to a more flexible work organisation (N = 279). Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. We found that planning of working times and planning of working places were related to increases in cognitive flexibility, and coordinating with others was related to increases in work engagement. No significant relations with fatigue were found. Thus, the results suggest that cognitive demands of flexible work helped employees to personally develop and feel motivated at work. However, effects on work engagement were rather small. Future research should control potential confounding variables more thoroughly and examine effects on short-term strain outcomes.

Blurred border or safe harbor? Emotional well-being among sexual and gender minority adults working from home during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adults have experienced pronounced declines in well-being. However, less is known about how changes to daily routines and settings, such as the shift to remote work within many occupations, may be playing a role in well-being outcomes. Drawing on a unique time diary data source (N = 3515 respondents and 7650 episodes) collected between April 2020-July 2021 through online crowdsourcing platforms, we conducted random effects analyses to examine how working from home has been associated with experienced well-being among LGBTQ and cisgender heterosexual workers in the United States during the pandemic. Findings indicate LGBTQ adults felt significantly less stressed and tired while doing paid work at home than while working at a workplace. In addition, working at a workplace, rather than working from home, appeared to be more detrimental to LGBTQ adults' well-being compared to their non-LGBTQ counterparts. Adjusting for work characteristics explained some of the difference, whereas adjusting for family characteristics had little impact on the results. It is possible that for LGBTQ employees, working from home mitigates some of the minority stressors experienced during paid work.

An intervention to promote positive homeworker health and wellbeing through effective home-working practices: a feasibility and acceptability study

BACKGROUND

In the wake of Covid-19, the prevalence of working from home ('home-working') is expected to rise. Yet, working from home can have negative health and wellbeing impacts. Interventions are needed to promote effective ways of working that also protect workers' health and wellbeing. This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention intended to promote home-working practices that would protect and promote health behaviour and wellbeing.

METHODS

An uncontrolled, single-arm mixed-methods trial design was employed. Forty-two normally-office-based UK workers, working from home between January-February 2021 (during the Covid pandemic), consented to receive the intervention. The intervention: a digital document offering evidence-based recommendations for home-working in ways conducive to health behaviour and wellbeing. Feasibility and acceptability were quantitatively indexed by: expressions of interest within 1 week (target threshold ≥ 35); attrition across the one-week study period (threshold ≤ 20%); and the absence of any apparent detriments in self-reported physical activity, sedentary behaviour, snacking, and work-related wellbeing prior to and one week after receiving the intervention. Qualitative think-aloud data, obtained while participants read through the intervention, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, explored acceptability. Semi-structured interviews conducted one week after intervention exposure were content-analysed to identify whether and which behaviour changes were adopted.

RESULTS

Two feasibility criteria were met: 85 expressions of interest indicated satisfactory intervention demand, and no detriments were observed in health behaviours or wellbeing. Forty-two participants (i.e., maximum capacity for the study; 26 females, 16 males, aged 22-63) consented to take part. 31% dropped out over the one-week study period leaving a final sample of 29 (18 females, 11 males, aged 22-63), exceeding identified attrition thresholds. Think-aloud data showed that participants concurred with intervention guidance, but felt it lacked novelty and practicality. Follow-up interviews produced 18 (62%) participant reports of intervention adherence, where nine recommendations reportedly prompted behaviour change in at least one participant.

CONCLUSIONS

Mixed evidence was found for intervention feasibility and acceptability. Whilst the information was deemed relevant and of value, further development is required to increase its novelty. It may also be more fruitful to provide this information via employers, to encourage and emphasise employer endorsement.

Do objectives and key results solve organizational performance measurement issues?

Purpose

This study aims to determine whether and how objectives and key results (OKRs) can be used to solve performance measurement issues encountered by organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 204 staff members from 26 Thai organizations that adopted OKRs were interviewed. Five senior executives and five operational staff members with experience using OKRs were selected from each organization. Content analysis was also performed.

Findings

OKRs facilitate the acceptance of performance indicators and help solve issues of alignment between indicators and organizational strategies as well as improper target setting.

Research limitations/implications

The results have limited generalizability because of the qualitative approach undertaken in the study. Further research can test whether the results hold true if OKRs are used for longer than six months.

Practical implications

The results of this study can be used to help managers and employees set challenging targets, utilize their competencies and find a sense of relatedness, which can lead to organizational success.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to thoroughly investigate the use of OKRs by adopting the self-determination theory (SDT) as the main theoretical framework.

Working from home during lockdown: the impact on performance and wellbeing

The experience of working from home changed drastically with the arrival of COVID-19. Compared to pre-pandemic experiences, key differences included the vast number of people involved, its involuntary nature, the suddenness of its implementation, its lengthy duration, and the presence of others at home. The demands of this form of remote work during lockdown have partly been mitigated by the resources employees have accessed. This study aimed to investigate the factors impacting employee performance and wellbeing while compulsorily working from home during New Zealand's first nationwide lockdown. We analyzed qualitative data gathered from employees in two organizations. The resulting aggregate dimensions across both demands and resources include organizational factors, furniture and technology factors, and individual factors. Given the ongoing nature of COVID-19 we identify new research directions for investigating remote work, and practical implications focusing on suitable home furniture and technology, plans for future remote work, and supporting employees.

Factors Driving the Workplace Well-Being of Individuals from Co-Located, Hybrid, and Virtual Teams: The Role of Team Type as an Environmental Factor in the Job Demand-Resources Model

(1) Background: An essential task for public health and industrial and organizational psychology specialists is maintaining employees' workplace well-being. This has become more difficult with pandemic-induced changes (i.e., the shift to remote work and the rise of hybrid teams). This research adopts a team perspective to explore the issue of workplace well-being drivers. It is hypothesized that the team type (co-located, hybrid, or virtual) should be recognized as a unique environmental factor, resulting in the need for different resources for members of these teams to maintain their well-being. (2) Methods: A correlational study was conducted to systematically compare the relationship (its significance and importance) of a wide range of demands and resources with the comprehensively measured workplace well-being of members of co-located, hybrid, and virtual teams. (3) Results: The results confirmed the hypothesis. The significant drivers of well-being in each team type were different, and the ranking of the most important drivers within each team type varied. (4) Conclusions: Team type should be considered a unique environmental factor, even for individuals from different job families and organizations. This factor should be considered in practice and research employing the Job Demand-Resources model.

Supporting Knowledge Workers’ Health and Well-Being in the Post-Lockdown Era

The specific problem is that knowledge workers experience high levels of stress and burnout in their professional lives, a trend that increased due to the transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This integrative literature review addresses this problem by answering the following research questions: (1) How can working in the post-lockdown era allow greater well-being, job satisfaction, and job security to abide?; and (2) How can mental capital be increased in the 21st century to ensure maximum health and positive well-being in the future employment arena and on a global scale? This review contributes to the literature on worker health and wellbeing, hybrid work arrangements, and knowledge workers’ professional experiences. The findings suggest that knowledge workers can only thrive in a hybrid work environment if organizations take an empathetic approach to manage these workers and give them sufficient autonomy and flexibility in determining their work conditions, in addition to ample opportunities for social interaction and professional advancement.

How new ways of working during COVID-19 affect employee well-being via technostress, need for recovery, and work engagement

COVID-19 led to a surge in employees experiencing New Ways of Working (NWW), as many had to work from home supported by ICT. This paper studies how experiencing NWW during COVID-19 affected job-related affective well-being (JAWS) for a sample of employees of the Dutch working population. Hypotheses are tested using Preacher and Hayes' (Behav Res Methods 40 (3):879-891, 2008) bootstrap method, including technostress, need for recovery and work engagement as serial mediators. The results show that higher levels of NWW relate to higher JAWS, to more feelings of positive well-being (PAWS), and less feelings of negative well-being (NAWS). Much of these relations is indirect, via reduced technostress and need for recovery, and increased work engagement. Distinguishing the separate facets of NWW and their relations to PAWS/NAWS, the results show that NWW facets management of output, access to colleagues and access to information directly relate to less negative well-being. However, as the NWW facet time- and location-independent work negatively relates to feelings of positive well-being, NWW as a bundle of facets is not a set-and-forget strategy. Therefore, this study recommends that NWW be supplemented with regular monitoring of employees' well-being, technostress, need for recovery and work engagement.

Why increase in telework may have affected employee well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? The role of work and non-work life domains

Given that millions of employees switched to mandatory telework during COVID-19, and as teleworking practices are likely to continue, it is essential to understand the potential impact of mandatory and non-flexible teleworking practices on employee well-being. Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory, we find support for resource gains as increase in job control mediates the link between increases in teleworking and improvements in well-being (increases in work engagement and decreases in burnout and job boredom). Conversely, the findings indicate resource losses as loss of social support and higher work-non-work interference explain the deterioration in well-being for those whose teleworking increased since the COVID-19 outbreak. By coupling role depletion and role enrichment theories, we find that employees who had children living at home experienced greater work-non-work interference due to increased teleworking. However, having children also buffered the negative impact of work-non-work interference on well-being. The findings are based on a Finnish population sample collected three months before and after the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 (N = 996 of matched respondents) and latent change score analyses of within-person changes. Our results provide new insights regarding the potential impact of teleworking on employee well-being in a context where teleworking is not flexible and self-selected by the employees. Notably, our results draw bridges (rather than burn them) between role depletion and enrichment frameworks as having children may simultaneously be "a burden" and "a gift".

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04250-8.

Digital Transformation: Inevitable Change or Sizable Opportunity? The Strategic Role of HR Management in Industry 4.0

Background: The impact of technologies on workers has been a recurring theme in occupational health psychology. In particular, the sudden digital transformation of the last two decades, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has stressed the urgency to investigate new ways of working that are characterized by flexibility and a constant increase of autonomy. In this perspective, this study aims to investigate the state of the art of the innovation process in Italian factories, explore whether and how digitalization can be seen as an opportunity, and imagine a new way of working characterized by adaptability, resilience, and openness to change. Methods: Thirty in-depth interviews of Italian experts in HR management were collected and analyzed using a mix-method approach. Results: The findings underline the Italian HR experts’ perceptions of the risks associated with rapid changes required by technological progress in terms of workers’ wellbeing and satisfaction and suggest how important it is that organizations rapidly set up learning and training programs to guide workers to the acquisition of new skills required by Industry 4.0. Conclusions: Future workplaces will be characterized by extreme versatility, which requires workers to increasingly have both technical and soft skills as well as the ability to collaborate and build functional relationships.

Working from home during the COVID 19 pandemic: a longitudinal examination of employees' sense of community and social support and impacts on self-rated health

BACKGROUND

The COVID 19 pandemic resulted in the introduction of public health measures including mandated and recommended work from home orders to reduce transmission. This provided a unique opportunity to examine sense of community and social support within the workplace and self-rated general health. This paper examines employees' workplace sense of community and social support across one year of the COVID 19 pandemic and associated self-rated general health.

METHODS

Analysis of longitudinal data (October 2020, May 2021, and November 2021) from the Employees Working from Home study conducted in Victoria, Australia during the COVID 19 pandemic was undertaken. Trajectory analyses were used to describe workplace sense of community and social support over time. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the associations between demographics, gender, caring responsibilities, and group membership based on the Growth Mixture Modelling. Generalised Mixed Models were used to measure effects of sense of community and social support on self-rated health.

RESULTS

Increasing sense of community and social support in the workplace resulted in increased self-rated health. Trajectory analysis found two stable and distinct groups for sense of community. Social support varied with time; however, trajectory membership was not dependent on gender or caring responsibilities and had no relationship with return to the office.

CONCLUSION

Sense of community and social support in the workplace are important determinants of employees' health, and as such, workplace strategies to improve sense of community and social support are required not only for employees working from home, but also those who have returned to the office, particularly as hybrid work arrangements become more common.

Part-time or full-time teleworking? A systematic review of the psychosocial risk factors of telework from home

Introduction

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic thousands of people have experienced teleworking and this practice is becoming increasingly commonplace. This review aims to highlight the differences in exposure to psychosocial risk factors for health between part-time and full-time teleworking from home.

Methods

The protocol of the systematic review of the literature was registered on PROSPERO 2020 platform according to the PRISMA statement guidelines. The key words "telework" and "frequency" ("part-time" or "full-time"), together with their synonyms and variations, were searched. Independent researchers conducted the systematic search of 7 databases: Scopus, SciELO, PePSIC; PsycInfo, PubMed, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) and Web of Science. Of the 638 articles identified from 2010 to June 2021, 32 were selected for data extraction. The authors evaluated the risk of bias and quality of evidence of the studies included using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Main themes categorized include 7 dimensions of psychosocial risk factors: work intensity and working hours; emotional demands; autonomy; social relationships at work; conflict of values, work insecurity and home/work interface.

Results

The results revealed scant practice of full-time teleworking prior to the pandemic. Regarding the psychosocial risk factors found, differences were evident before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. For part-time and full-time telework prior to the pandemic, the dimensions of intensification of work and working hours, social relationships at work, and the home-work interface were the most prominent factors. However, studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic where teleworking was mostly performed full-time, there was an increase in focus on emotional demands and the home-work interface, and a reduction in the other dimensions.

Discussion

Full-time telework brings important changes in working conditions and has the potential to affect living and health conditions of teleworkers. Part-time teleworking may have positive impact on psychosocial risk factors, favoring work-home balance, communication, and social relationships.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=191455, PROSPERO 2020 CRD4202019 1455.

Development of well-being after moving to telework: A longitudinal latent class analysis

Introduction

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking suddenly became a reality for many individuals. Previous research shows that there are contradictory consequences of telework on well-being: while workers have the opportunity for self-directed work, intensified work behavior as well as longer hours being worked might occur at the same time. We expect that the effects of telework vary over time and may be able to explain these contradictions. Moreover, from the perspective of the job demands-resources model besides job resources, personal resources may be relevant. The aim of this study is to investigate how the mental well-being of workers unfolds over time after the onset of the pandemic and the role of telework in this process. Additionally we seek to identify the impact of available job resources and personal resources in this extraordinary situation.

Methods

Data were collected online from 642 participants in Germany beginning in March 2020, with 8 weekly followup surveys. Mental well-being was measured using the WHO-5 well-being index. For personal resources we looked at occupational self-efficacy; job resources were flexible working hours, job autonomy, and social support. Job demands were telework and work intensification. First we used a group-based trajectory analysis approach to identify different well-being trajectories. Second we applied multinomial regression analysis to identify T1 predictors of well-being trajectory group membership and their interactions.

Results

We found three groups of mental well-being trajectories: low, medium, and high. Their progress through the investigation period was rather stable: we observed only slight improvements of mental well-being for the high well-being group and a slight deterioration for the other two groups. Only the job demand work intensification and the personal resource occupational self-efficacy had a significant relationship to group assignment. Additionally we found interactions of telework with work intensification and occupational self-efficacy indicating a buffering mechanism of telework on the consequences of high work intensification; and low occupational self-efficacy.

Discussion

Telework appears to be a useful resource that buffered high work intensification and compensated for low personal resources during the pandemic. Since data were from self-reports of a convenience sample we can't assume generalization of our results nor absence of common-method bias.

Extending the use of the Belief Action Outcome model during COVID-19 pandemic: Technology access review on locational disparities and inequalities for knowledge workers

Remote working has played an increasingly important role in accelerating alternative workplaces. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency demands, this paper seek to demonstrate the resilience of knowledge workers and their ability to work remotely, despite the uneven distribution of enabling infrastructure during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. The Belief Action Outcome (BAO) model for information systems was used to support the study as this underexplored theory was found to be worthy of further testing in real-world situations. This qualitative study used a range of sources consisting largely of search data from major online journal databases. The findings highlight that knowledge workers can successfully work from alternative workplaces and still deliver the required outputs, despite socio-economic problems such as locational disparities and inequalities in access to technology. The same technologies that empowered knowledge workers to transform their work locations during the COVID-19 crisis, however, are the same to enable certain sectors of society whilst hindering other cohorts residing in under resourced locations. Therefore, the benefits of working remotely cannot favour everyone because of the existing inequalities and disparities. Applying the BAO model in this context implies environmental issues are likely to play a growing important role in future when decisions are made around alternative workplace and adoption of IS/IT systems. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted working patterns and accelerated the trend towards working in alternative workplaces than the traditional office/factory premises, there are notable implications around this shift. The study confirmed the related behaviours, opportunities, and barriers (social systems and organisations), as well as the structures (both societal and organisational) of the BAO model. In addition, certain aspects of both the remote workers’ and organisations’ adoption behaviour were changed to a greater extent and more rapidly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a contribution, this qualitative study reveals in more detail the yet uncharted remote workers' beliefs.

Enforced Remote Work During COVID-19 and The Importance of Technological Competency: A Job Demands-Resources Perspective

BACKGROUND

As we live in the era of technology, it is clear that employees' technical skills and savviness are important to their work performance. With the COVID-19 pandemic, these qualities have become a "necessity‿ for many employees as they have switched to remote working. Less attention, however, has been given to empirical evidence regarding how employees' technological competencies influence their work outcomes during a forced shift to remote work. Integrating the theories of Job Demands-Resources and Conservation of Resources, this study sought to provide evidence regarding the joint effect of job/personal resources and technological competency on levels of employees' remote work engagement and performance.

METHOD

A total of 131 teachers working in Turkey completed an online survey during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. SPSS Process Macro (Model 7) was used for hypotheses testing.

RESULTS

We found partial support for the proposed moderated mediation model. Specifically, psychological resilience (as a personal resource) increased the level of work performance through work engagement and this relationship was stronger among employees with high levels of technological competency. However, the results did not provide support for the hypothesized interaction effect of workplace support (as a job resource) and technological competency on work performance through work engagement.

CONCLUSION

This research advances the theoretical and empirical understanding of the role of technological competency in the motivational process of the Job Demands-Resources model. Our findings suggest that providing training activities aimed at promoting employee learning in the domain of online work tools can accelerate the effect of personal resources on work outcomes, especially during enforced remote working, as in the case of COVID-19.

Exploring Managerial Job Demands and Resources in Transition to Distance Management: A Qualitative Danish Case Study

Organizations worldwide have shifted to working from home, requiring managers to engage in distance management using information and communication technologies (ICT). Studies show that managers experience high job demands and inadequate guidance during COVID-19; therefore, the transition to distance management raises questions about the increase in managerial job demands and the impact on managers' well-being. This study aims to explore first-line managers' perceptions of job demands and available resources during the first year of the pandemic and understand the implications for first-line managers' well-being. First-line managers face complex and conflicting demands, making them more challenged in their management task than other management levels. We used the job demands-resources model in this qualitative, longitudinal empirical study. The study draws on 49 semi-structured interviews with seven first-line managers from a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, whom we followed throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, from May 2020 to May 2021. Our findings suggest that the first-line managers perceived increased emotional and practical demands. While the managers appreciated the initial guidance provided by the organization, they perceived the organizational support as outdated and superficial. As a result, to cope with the uncertainty caused by the pandemic and the shift to distance management, the managers relied on work engagement enablers such as social support. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic portrays unique circumstances in transitioning to distance management that require further exploration outside the COVID-19 context, the insights from this study can assist organizations in developing awareness about transitions to better support first-line management to embrace changes in the future.

Understanding the impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on teleworkers' experiences of perceived threat and professional isolation: The moderating role of friendship

Drawing from conservation of resource theory and the social support resource theory, this study examines how the severity of an exogenous disruptive event - the COVID-19 pandemic - in one's community influences teleworkers' well-being outcomes indirectly through their perceptions of pandemic-related threat and experience of professional isolation, as well as the buffering effect of friendship on these relationships. Utilizing time-lagged data from participants of a two-wave survey panel (N = 351) and objective data of COVID-19 severity from counties around the United States, we found that perceived threat, but not professional isolation, mediated the negative effect of proportion of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the community on teleworkers' well-being outcomes. Further, consistent with our predictions, support from friends significantly weakened the negative effects of threat and professional isolation on well-being. Key theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

How Conditions and Resources Connected to Digital Management Systems and Remote Work Are Associated with Sustainable Work

The current state of work-life transformation will see more white-collar work being performed remotely using digital management systems. There is, however, a lack of research on factors and resources contributing to sustainable work when working remotely using digital management systems. The aim of this study was to study the conditions and resources connected to digital management systems and remote work, and their associations with sustainable work, in terms of process quality, trust, and sense of coherence, when working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analytical cross-sectional study was performed. Questionnaire data from white-collar employees (n = 484) in two private companies were analyzed with regression models, focusing on the importance of the conditions and resources connected to digital management systems and remote work, stratified by working from home or at the office. The results showed digital conditions and resources being associated with indicators of sustainable work. Furthermore, the results showed that social work relations were additional important explanatory factors for sustainable remote work. This study contributes to the development of a new post-pandemic work-life balance by concluding that sustainable remote work needs to be ensured by functional digital management systems and adequate leadership supporting the development of a positive team and learning climate.

The impact of leadership on employee well-being: on-site compared to working from home

BACKGROUND

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to the way people work and there are several reasons to believe that working from home will become more common in the future. Yet more knowledge is needed on whether the effectiveness of leadership differs if the work is performed remotely compared to on-site work.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to examine the place of work as a moderator for the effectiveness of leadership on employee well-being.

METHOD

A survey was answered by 364 white-collar workers, employed by a larger Swedish municipality, who because of the covid-19-pandemic were offered to work from home.

RESULTS

The employees working in their regular office perceived having more sufficient work equipment. No other differences were found in the investigated variables. Supportive leadership was associated with all investigated well-being variables in the hypothesised directions. Place of work did not moderate the relationship between Support leadership and the investigated well-being outcomes (Job satisfaction, Stress, General well-being).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that there are few differences between employees working from home or working on-site during the Covid-19 pandemic. The supportive leadership of the closest manager seem to be important for well-being regardless of the worksite.

An analysis of teleworking management practices

BACKGROUND: Organizational changes in the traditional work models demand studies on the management of the so called “Teleworking”. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to analyse the teleworking management practices to subside organizations and leaders to improve their performance and enhance workers quality of life. METHODS: A survey was carried out with teleworkers to obtain their perception of the analyzed factors, using the survey monkey tool. The collected data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). RESULTS: The validated model for the practices analysis is composed of the constructs: business management, physical and people infrastructure, leadership, self-esteem, and job satisfaction. Based on the analysis carried out, it is suggested that organizations establish organizational telework policies, follow government policies and provide communication and competence plans. Moreover, it is crucial providing technologies and support to them and develop people management practices in teleworking. Leaders must provide confidence, a teleworking culture, professional advancement, integration, well-being, negotiation of goals and a training plan. The teleworker’s satisfaction is due to the sustainability related to the work model and its choice defined by personal motivation, balance between personal and professional life and a sense of belonging. CONCLUSIONS: All variables observed, linked to the constructs and validated, can be considered by managers to improve human resource management and obtain better productivity results.

Benefits and Risks of Teleworking from Home: The Teleworkers’ Point of View

Using a qualitative research-based approach, this study aimed to understand (i) the way home-based teleworkers in France perceive and organize their professional activities and workspaces, (ii) their teleworking conditions, (iii) the way they characterize the modalities and the nature of their interactions with their professional circle, and more broadly (iv) their quality of life ‘at work’. We performed a lexical and morphosyntactic analysis of interviews conducted with 28 teleworkers (working part-time or full-time from home) before the COVID-19 crisis and the associated establishment of emergency telework. Our results confirm and complement findings in the literature. Participant discourses underlined the beneficial effects of teleworking in terms of professional autonomy, flexibility, concentration, efficiency, performance, productivity, and being able to balance their professional and private lives. Nevertheless, they also highlighted the deleterious effects of teleworking on temporal workload, setting boundaries for work, work-based relationships and socio-professional integration. Despite the study limitations, our findings highlight the need for specific research-based and practical strategies to support the implementation of a sustainable telework organization in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

Satisfaction with one's job and working at home in the COVID-19 pandemic: A two-wave study

As greater numbers of people have worked at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, workers, organisations and policy makers have begun considering the benefits of a sustained move towards homeworking, with workers' satisfaction with homeworking often cited as a key driver. But is satisfaction with homeworking that relevant to workers' overall job satisfaction? In this study, we examine whether job and homeworking satisfaction are predicted by different demands and resources, namely, those well established in the job design literature (workload, job autonomy and social support) for the former and those specific to the context of homeworking (loneliness, work-nonwork interference, work-nonwork interference and adequacy of homeworking environment) for the latter. We also explore whether homeworking satisfaction mediates the relationship between homeworking demands and resources and job satisfaction. Findings of a study of university workers during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 753 in Phase 1, 471 in Phase 2) support our expectations about the domain-specific nature of the predictors of job and homeworking satisfaction, autonomy is positively related to job satisfaction, while loneliness, nonwork-to-work interference and inadequate homeworking environment are negatively related to homeworking satisfaction. Results also support the argument that satisfaction with homeworking mediates the relationship between homeworking factors and job satisfaction, reinforcing the value of differentiating the two concepts.