Beware of side effects on quality! Investigating the implications of home working on work-life balance in educational services

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.

Work from home practices as corporate strategy- an integrative review

The Covid 19 pandemic led to major changes at the individual, organisational and institutional levels of policy, productive functions, and organising. During Covid 19 morbidity, public institutions enforced social isolation, mandatory self-isolation, quarantines, and administrative regulatory lockdowns, which led to a movement away from the physical, material world and into an all-consuming digital universe. With growing interest in work-from-home (WFH) opportunities, this article provides an integrative review of 107 papers. It comprises the bibliometric analysis and manual review of the articles, on the basis of which we present an elaborative discussion and agenda for future research. According to the analysis, WFH looks a tad of a double-edged sword in that it may have major but unintended repercussions for institutions, and organizations as well as hidden, positive as well as negative consequences for individuals/employees. One of the significant insight from our analysis was the absence of HR function's strategic or operational input or oversight during corporate WFH strategies. We suggest several theoretical frameworks for further developing, theorizing, and empirically testing various aspects of WFH. Further, we recognise that WFH is becoming increasingly visible as a result of the pandemic scenario and significant technical advancements, which must be reflected in the research. Finally, because WFH represents a significant disruption in how organizations produce work and manage it, we propose employee and managerial consequences as future research agendas.

Analysis of Changes in Time Use and Activity Participation in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: Implications for Well-Being

This research aims to investigate the well-being implications of changes in activity-travel and time-use patterns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study uses American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data from 2019 and 2020 to assess changes in activity-travel and time-use patterns. It applies two methods—a well-being scoring method and a time-poverty analysis method—to evaluate the impacts of these changes on society. The results show that individuals experienced diminished well-being during the pandemic even when their time-poverty statistics showed an improvement; this is because the pandemic did not allow individuals to pursue activities in a way that would enhance well-being. In general, well-being is positively associated with the pursuit of discretionary activities in the company of others in favored out-of-home locations. This explains why people have rapidly embraced traveling again in a post-pandemic era. At the same time, people desire more discretionary time (less time poverty); because the elimination of the commute contributes to this, workers are reluctant to return fully to the workplace. Planning processes need to account for a new normal in which activity-travel patterns will be increasingly shaped by the human desire to accumulate positive life experiences.

Recognizing the legacy of the TQM Journal: a bibliometric analysis of Scopus indexed publications (2008 - 2021)

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the trends in research published by the TQM Journal since its indexing in the Scopus database in 2008. The paper intends to offer a bibliometric analysis of the TQM Journal by highlighting the contributions made by the journal through citations, prominent authors, most frequent keywords and publications across geographical regions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved the use of descriptive and visual methods to examine the quantitative and qualitative features of the bibliometric data. The authors made use of Biblioshiny using R-Studio and VoS viewer user interfaces to perform various types of bibliometric analysis on the bibliomteric data of the journal extracted from Scopus database (the largest inter-disciplinary database in social sciences).

Findings

With 85% of cited documents having a total 12,079 citations, the TQM Journal is one of the most reputed and impactful journals in the field of performance, integrated management system total quality management and allied concepts. The publications in the TQM Journal have cited many top-rated journals relevant to the domain. Maximum contributions in TQM Journal are submitted by authors from Italy, India and UK. Major submissions made to TQM Journal have focused on the quality concepts relevant to production and manufacturing sector in particular. In this regard, the TQM Journal has a very bright scope in covering the diverse and latest trends across industries especially during pandemic and changes happening thereof. The contributions of the editorial team along with authors and reviewers are unmatchable in making the reputation of the TQM Journal.

Originality/value

To the best of knowledge of the authors, this is going to be first bibliometric study ever conducted on the TQM Journal on documents published in Scopus database. The work carried out is unique, as it is an attempt by authors to comprehend the legacy of the TQM Journal through bibliometric data and showcase the past trends and explore future directions for the TQM Journal.

Family Relationships Under Work From Home: Exploring the Role of Adaptive Processes

Work-from-home (WFH) influences both work and life, and further impacts family relationships. The current study explored the impacts of WFH on family relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified effective adaptive processes for maintaining family relationships under WFH. Using the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model, the study examined the roles of adaptive processes (spending time with family members and balancing work and life) and demographic differences (gender, age, marital status, and education level) in the relation between WFH and family relationships. Path analysis results based on an online survey (N = 150) suggested that, overall, WFH improved family relationships through proper adaptive processes. WFH had a positive relation to time spent with family members, and this relation was especially salient for workers with lower education levels. While there was no statistically significant overall relation between WFH and work-life balance, older workers tended to engage in increased work-life balance during WFH. Both adaptive processes were positively related to family relationship quality. The findings advance the understanding of family relationships and WFH and provide practical recommendations to enhance family relationships under WFH.

To work at home or in the office? Well-being, information flow and relationships between office workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

This paper aims to compare employee well-being, information flow and relationships with co-workers and supervisors for people working at home and working in different office types before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A nationwide study of 2,845 Estonian office workers in autumn 2019 and 2,972 in spring 2020 was carried out.

Findings

It was discovered that in normal circumstances, people at home had similar results to those in a cell office or activity-based office. Open-plan offices were found to be the worst in respect to the facets of work studied. However, in the context of the pandemic, the playing field became more level in some respects and worse in the case of activity-based offices.

Practical implications

When telework is well arranged both in terms of facilities and organising the necessary communication and information flow, then it is a viable alternative to working in an office. What is more, employers need to pay more attention to the physical and social work conditions in open-plan offices and also activity-based offices in the context of a pandemic.

Originality/value

Previous studies have only compared telework with working in an office in general. Comparing working at home with different kinds of offices gives valuable insights.

Impact of institutional support on educators' subjective well-being during the transition to virtual work due to COVID-19 lockdown

The coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic changed regular life and work around the world. Educational institutions moved to a virtual environment, in many cases without any experience and preparation. This paper explores the impact of institutional support on educators' subjective well-being during the pandemic lockdown. A quantitative study was conducted in Lithuania with 1,851 educators in April 2020. Institutional support was found to have a positive impact on work–life balance and well-being, as well as reducing work-related, client-related and personal burnout. This study begins a dialog on institutional support and its impact on employee well-being in unexpected work and life conditions.

Working from home, quality of life, and perceived productivity during the first 50-day COVID-19 mitigation measures in Austria: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To explore changes in quality of life and perceived productivity, focusing on the effects of working from home during the first COVID-19 50-day mitigation period in Austria.

METHODS

We conducted an Austrian-representative online survey (N = 1010) of self-reported life- and work-related changes during the first COVID-19 50-day mitigation period (March 16 through May 1 2020) compared to the situation before. We used multinominal logistic regression models to identify correlates of improved/decreased quality of life in the entire sample, and of improved/decreased productivity in a subsample of the working population (N = 686). We also calculated age- and multivariable-adjusted ORs and 95% CIs of an improved/decreased quality of life and an improved/decreased productivity by work from home status.

RESULTS

During the COVID-19 mitigation period, quality of life improved in 17.5%, but decreased in 20.7% of the general Austrian population; perceived productivity at work increased in 12.7%, but decreased in 30.2% of the working population. Working from home during the mitigation period was associated with an increased quality of life (vs. none, partially: OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.09-3.91; all the time: 3.69, 1.86-7.29). In contrast, perceived productivity seemed to decrease when people worked from home (vs. none, partially: 1.42, 0.86-2.35; all the time: 1.48, 0.85-2.58). Working from home and related benefits were not equally distributed among gender, age, and educational attainment.

CONCLUSIONS

A transition to more flexibility of workplace and working hours for employees could have important positive consequences for family and professional life, for stakeholders, for public health, and ultimately for the environment.

Sustainable production and consumption in remote working conditions due to COVID-19 lockdown in Italy: An environmental and user acceptance investigation

In response to the disruptive changes brought upon our society by the COVID-19 pandemic, most work activities and service providers had to resort to remote working. This is credited to reduce emissions for transportation, however the role of forced confinement within dwellings, especially if not designed for hosting working stations, deserves to be properly evaluated in terms of both user acceptance and long-term environmental impact. In this work, a dedicated survey campaign is used for investigating the potential pros and cons of remote working. In more detail, logistic regression and generalized linear models are used for capturing the effect of several independent variables on user acceptance of remote working. At a later stage, the main greenhouse gas emissions produced by each participant before and during remote working are assessed. According to the obtained results, the greater the distance between their home and workplace, the higher the acceptance score declared by the survey participants about remote working. Additionally, higher incomes and better-quality lifestyles with larger devotion to leisure activities also provide higher acceptance. Finally, the existence of a comfortable room to be used for work activities plays a crucial role on the declared acceptance. From an environmental point of view, remote working is always sustainable in case of long commuting distances (above 10 km) are avoided on a daily routine. In conclusion, a sensible use of remote working could reduce the environmental impact of any organization employing desk-workers as well as improve their work satisfaction and lifestyle.

Looking for meanings at work: unraveling the implications of smart working on organizational meaningfulness

Purpose

This study aims to shed light on the ambiguous effects of smart working (SW) on work meaningfulness. On the one hand, SW enables people to benefit from greater work flexibility, advancing individual control over organizational activities. On the other hand, it may impair interpersonal exchanges at work, disrupting job meaningfulness. Hence, the implications of SW on work meaningfulness are investigated through the mediating role of interpersonal exchanges at work.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors investigate both the direct and indirect effects of SW on employees’ perceived meaningfulness at work. Secondary data come from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey. The study encompasses a sample of 30,932 employees. A mediation model based on ordinary least square regressions and bootstrap sampling is designed to obtain evidence of SW’s implications on meaningfulness at work through the mediating role of interpersonal relationships (IR).

Findings

The research findings suggest that SW triggers a positive sense of the significance of work. However, it negatively affects IR with peers and supervisors, entailing professional and spatial isolation. Impaired IR twists the positive implications of SW on organizational meaningfulness (OM), curtailing the employees’ sense of significance at work.

Practical implications

SW is a double-edged sword. It contributes to the enrichment of OM, enhancing the individual self-determination to shape the spatial context of work. However, its side effects on interpersonal exchanges generate a drift toward organizational meaninglessness. Tailored management interventions intended to sustain IR at work are needed to fit the design of SW arrangements to the employees’ evolving social needs.

Originality/value

The paper pushes forward what is currently known about the implications of SW on OM, examining them through the mediating role of IR at work.

Smart Workplaces for older adults: coping 'ethically' with technology pervasiveness

Pervasive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and the Internet of Things, despite their great potential for improved workability and well-being of older workers, entail wide ethical concerns. Aligned with these considerations we emphasize the need to present from the viewpoint of ethics the risks of personalized ICT solutions that aim to remedy health and support the well-being of the ageing population at workplaces. The ethical boundaries of digital technologies are opaque. The main motivation is to cope with the uncertainties of workplaces' digitization and develop an ethics framework, termed SmartFrameWorK, for personalized health support through ICT tools at workplace environments. SmartFrameWorK is built upon a five-dimensional approach of ethics norms: autonomy, privacy, transparency, trustworthiness and accountability to incite trust in digital workplace technologies. A typology underpins these principles and guides the ethical decision-making process with regard to older worker particular needs, context, data type-related risks and digital tools' use throughout their lifecycle. Risk analysis of pervasive technology use and multimodal data collection, highlighted the imperative for ethically aware practices for older workers' activity and behaviour monitoring. The SmartFrameWorK methodology has been applied in a case study to provide evidence that personalized digital services could elicit trust in users through a well-defined framework. Ethics compliance is a dynamic process from participants' engagement to data management. Defining ethical determinants is pivotal towards building trust and reinforcing better workability and well-being in older workers.