A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: how do we optimise health?

Teleworking: does it make workers healthier and productive? A cross-sectional study on a Southern European population

BACKGROUND

Teleworking (TW) has recently shifted from a marginal into a common practice. Yet, concerns have been raised regarding potential work-health negative effects, related to the reduced socialization, and extended working hours with computers at home, possibly offset by reduced commuting time or better individual work-life balance. This paper aims at describing the influence of TW on health, well-being, and productivity perceptions, and how this is shaped by TW conditions.

METHODS

We collected data from workers of 25 companies that exert their activity in Portugal. Data were completed with a representative sample of workers who regularly participate in surveys (total N = 1,069). We applied an on-line questionnaire from September the 1st 2022 to December the 1st 2022. We performed a simple descriptive analysis of each variable. Then, we analyzed the relationship between TW conditions and self-reported health, and between TW conditions at home and productivity, using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

We observed a high prevalence of self-perceived health worsening (15.9%), mostly among those with poor TW conditions. Most teleworkers enjoyed favorable TW conditions, despite limited company support. Relevant changes were observed in lifestyle factors, towards more smoking (5.5%), alcohol drinking (4.5%), and worse diet (10.1%). Two thirds reported enhanced productivity. A statistically significant relationship was observed between inadequate TW conditions, health deterioration, and lower productivity. A 6.0% point (pp) increased risk of productivity worsening was observed when employees faced at least one inadequate condition at home (no private working place at home, inadequate heating, artificial light, or absence of well-being at home). The risk of health deterioration increased by 12.9 pp when facing at least one of these inadequate conditions, and by 6.3 under hybrid TW, compared to one or two days of TW.

CONCLUSIONS

Most teleworkers highlighted a positive perspective about teleworking. Yet, TW conditions are not favorable for all workers, with consequences on health, well-being, and productivity, suggesting that further support is needed for teleworkers to protect their health at home, and reach its maximum benefit.

Diversity of flexible working time arrangements and workers' health: An analysis of a workers' panel and linked employer-employee data for France

Flexible working time arrangements (FWTA) have increased over the last decades, favored by labor market deregulation, the decentralization of collective bargaining and the development of new technologies. The negative impact of some non-standard working hours on health (like night work, shift work) is quite well-known but other forms of FWTA have been studied less so far. This article aims to investigate the relationship between FWTA and workers' health. It focuses on employer-oriented FWTA and uses a job demands-control framework to identify different types of working time demands and control. The study uses individual data from the French working conditions survey, including panel data from 2013 to 2019 (64,981 observations) and cross-sectional employer-employee linked data from 2019 (5687 employees from 4672 workplaces). We identify empirically two main dimensions of employer-oriented FWTA, based on 14 working time variables. The first type involves "atypical working hours", such as working weekends, nights, early mornings, evenings, or doing shift work. The second type - "work overflow" - is characterized by long working hours, overtime, taking work home, and having variable working hours. Using a fixed-effects model based on panel data, we show that both types of FWTA have a negative impact on workers' self-rated general health and mental health, as measured by the WHO-5 index. The study also finds that workers who have more control - both individual and collective - to face these demands demonstrate better health. Workers with control over their working hours report better health and are less negatively affected by FWTA. Moreover, workplace-level practices have ambiguous relationships with workers' health. However, those involving social dialogue and workers' participation have more favorable effects: the positive effect of health and safety committees is especially clear. To improve workers' health in the context of increased flexible working time arrangements, public policies should promote the development of control over working time and participation of workers to social dialogue on working time related issues.

Can Occupational Safety and Health Preventive Measures Taken by the Employer Influence Sleep Disturbances in Teleworkers? Results from the Quantitative Study on Working Life with COVID-19 in Latvia

This research on sleep disturbances emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study investigated the association between self-reported sleep disturbances among teleworkers and the preventive measures employers took to improve their working environment. Answers obtained via a web survey gathered from 1086 teleworkers (517 in the spring of 2021 and 569 in the spring of 2022) were analysed. The odds of self-reported sleep disturbances were significantly higher for all preventive measures in the group of respondents reporting a lack of a particular measure. The highest odds ratios were observed for the statement "My employer identified conditions where I am teleworking" (adjusted OR = 2.98, 95% CI 2.10-4.23) and "Online team-building events were organised" (adjusted OR = 2.85, 95% CI 1.88-4.35). The results of our study have revealed that workplace interventions that serve as a mediator for sleep disorders, even if they are not directly targeted at managing sleep disturbances or stress, can reduce the number of teleworkers reporting sleep disturbances. According to our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the effectiveness of employer interventions that help teleworkers manage their sleep disturbances.

Understanding health literacy in men: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

Males have a shorter life expectancy than females. Men are less likely to seek the advice of a health professional or utilise preventive health services and programs. This study seeks to explore health literacy and the characteristics affecting this among Australian men.

METHODS

Four hundred and thirty-one adult males engaged with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, completed an online cross-sectional survey, undertaken from September - November 2022. The survey tool captured demographic data, health status and lifestyle risk characteristics. Health literacy was measured using the 44-item Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). Descriptive statistics, frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations, were used to describe the sample. Interferential statistics, including the Mann-Whitney U Test and the Kruskal-Wallis Test, were used to explore differences between demographics and HLQ scales.

RESULTS

For the first 5 scales (4-point Likert scale), the lowest score was seen for 'Appraisal of health information' (Mean 2.81; SD 0.52) and the highest score was seen for 'Feeling understood and supported by healthcare providers ' (Mean 3.08; SD 0.64). For the other 4 scales (5-point Likert scale), the lowest score was seen for 'Navigating the healthcare system' (Mean 3.74; SD 0.69). The highest score was seen for 'Understand health information well enough to know what to do' (Mean 4.10; SD 0.53). Age, income level and living in an urban/rural location were significantly related to health literacy scales.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides new insight into men's health literacy and the factors impacting it. This knowledge can inform future strategies to promote men's engagement with health services and preventive care.

Work from home: Facilitators for an effective ergonomic work system

Previous studies on Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) have primarily examined the impact of Work-From-Home (WFH) on worker health and well-being, yet little research has examined the optimal implementation process of WFH programs. Work systems perspective suggests that organizational policies, leadership, and psychological factors collectively influence the success of organizational change efforts. Our study explored the roles of managerial/supervisory, psychological, and organizational policy factors in facilitating the relationship between employees' HFE awareness and their acceptance and satisfaction with the WFH arrangement. Using data from 3195 knowledge workers in the US who use computers as their primary work tool and have worked from home at least one day in the past 30 days, we employed structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. Transformational HFE leadership and employees' general self-efficacy are pivotal in implementing ergonomic WFH arrangements. The combination of employees' HFE awareness, transformational HFE leadership, and adequate levels of self-efficacy may foster positive process outcomes (e.g., readiness for WFH arrangement, workspace design satisfaction) in WFH arrangements. Efforts that are coordinated across organizational levels determine the effectiveness of organizational change.

Transitioning to Working from Home Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Significantly Increased Sedentary Behavior and Decreased Physical Activity: A Meta-Analysis

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workplaces transitioned to remote work, which altered lifestyle behaviors. We conducted a meta-analysis to understand if the transition to working from home due to the pandemic affected workers' physical activity and sedentary behavior worldwide. We reviewed articles published between November 2019 and May 2022. Of an initial 3485 articles, a total of 17 were included, 15 of 17 were included for their physical activity (PA) comparisons (n = 36,650), and 12 of 17 (n = 57,254) were included for their sedentary behavior (SB) comparisons (10 studies have data for both PA and SB). This work is registered through PROSPERO (CRD42022356000). Working from home resulted in a significant decrease in PA (Hedge's g = -0.29, 95% CI [-0.41, -0.18]) and an increase in SB (Hedge's g = +0.36, 95% CI [0.20, 0.52]). Working from home impaired preventative activity behaviors, and these results are relevant to worker health as the future of work evolves beyond the pandemic.

The Digital Economy and Hybrid Work Call for a Review of Compensation Criteria for Musculoskeletal Disorders

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) pose a significant occupational health challenge in Europe. The digitization of the economy substantially reshaped the nature and organization of work. The proliferation of hybrid working, characterized by a combination of office-based and remote work, has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This review covers hybrid forms of work, their impact on WRMSDs, and the potential implications for WRMSD compensation. Approximately 30-40% of the European workforce could potentially transition to hybrid forms of work. Hybrid work arrangements can result in prolonged static postures of the trunk, neck, and upper limbs without adequate breaks, thereby increasing the risk of neck and lower back pain. As teleworking and hybrid working become more prevalent, an increase in non-specific WRMSDs is anticipated among the working population. In many countries, claims for WRMSDs necessitate a formal diagnosis by a healthcare professional. However, cases of non-specific WRMSDs, such as cervicalgia or chronic shoulder pain, - commonly observed in sedentary workers engaged in predominantly low-intensity, prolonged static work amid visually and cognitively demanding tasks - often do not meet the criteria for compensation as occupational diseases. The compensation system and/or the criteria for compensation must be adapted to accommodate the rise of telework, necessitating evolving criteria for compensation that address both medical and risk exposure considerations.

Telecommuting during the COVID-19: the role of job demand and control on health outcomes

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic drastically modified the occupational system wherein telecommuting has risen as the major form of work. Few studies have incorporated Karasek's job demand-control (JDC) model into explaining the health effects of telecommuting. This study aimed to investigate the health risk in South Korean telecommuters during the pandemic, and its distribution according to the job stress-related factors.

Methods

A nationwide population-based cross-sectional study of South Korean laborers was conducted, utilizing the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2020-2021). Following the previously described concept of telecommuting, 14,478 white-collar employees were eligible study participants. Telecommuting, job demand, job control, and various health indicators were measured by the responses to the survey. Participants were stratified into 4 job profiles classified by the JDC model. We conducted multiple logistic regression analyses between telecommuting and health-related outcomes to estimate the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

One hundred forty-six low-strain, 223 active, 69 passive, and 148 high-strain workers were screened as telecommuters. Compared to office workers, telecommuters had a higher proportion in high job control groups. Subgroup analysis demonstrated different relationships between telecommuting and health, where only active telecommuters showed a higher prevalence of depression (OR: 1.980, 95% CI: 1.126-3.481), and high-strain telecommuters were affected in most outcomes including insomnia (OR: 2.555, 95% CI: 1.473-4.433), musculoskeletal pain (OR: 2.786, 95% CI: 1.719-4.517), headache/eye strain (OR: 3.074, 95% CI: 1.992-4.745) and presenteeism (OR: 1.932, 95% CI: 1.193-3.131).

Conclusions

This study revealed significantly increased odds of multiple health outcomes among South Korean telecommuters during the COVID-19 pandemic era. High-strain job holders were prominently susceptible to the negative health impacts of telecommuting. Occupational health management towards telecommuters should approach mitigating high job demand and low job control.

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.

A Framework for Protecting and Promoting Employee Mental Health through Supervisor Supportive Behaviors

The attention to workplace mental health is timely given extreme levels of burnout, anxiety, depression and trauma experienced by workers due to serious extraorganizational stressors - the COVID-19 pandemic, threats to climate change, and extreme social and political unrest. Workplace-based risk factors, such as high stress and low support, are contributing factors to poor mental health and suicidality (Choi, 2018; Milner et al., 2013, 2018), just as low levels of social connectedness and belonging are established risk factors for poor mental health (Joiner et al., 2009), suggesting that social support at work (e.g., from supervisors) may be a key approach to protecting and promoting employee mental health. Social connections provide numerous benefits for health outcomes and are as, or more, important to mortality as other well-known health behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption (Holt-Lundstad et al., 2015), and can serve as a resource or buffer against the deleterious effects of stress or strain on psychological health (Cohen & Wills, 1985). This manuscript provides an evidence-based framework for understanding how supervisor supportive behaviors can serve to protect employees against psychosocial workplace risk factors and promote social connection and belongingness protective factors related to employee mental health. We identify six theoretically-based Mental Health Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (MHSSB; i.e., emotional support, practical support, role modeling, reducing stigma, warning sign recognition, warning sign response) that can be enacted and used by supervisors and managers to protect and promote the mental health of employees. A brief overview of mental health, mental disorders, and workplace mental health is provided. This is followed by the theoretical grounding and introduction of MHSSB. Suggestions for future research and practice follow, all with the focus of developing a better understanding of the role of supervisors in protecting and promoting employee mental health in the workplace.

Effect of Government Guidelines and Corporate Governance on Telework Adoption and Occupational Health Measures in Taiwanese-Listed Companies

Background

Telework adoption in Taiwan has surged because of government guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the disclosure practices of Taiwanese-listed companies, assessing their adherence to government telework guidelines and their correlation with corporate governance, focusing on occupational health measures.

Methods

We conducted a guideline-adherent cohort analysis of the 2020 and 2021 sustainability reports of 295 Taiwanese-listed companies. We assessed their disclosure of corporate measures for teleworking in alignment with two government guidelines, specifically occupational health measures. Using the McNemar test and general estimating equation analysis, we compared the 2020 and 2021 responses and examined their associations with corporate governance rankings.

Results

Telework adoption increased significantly from 2020 to 2021, with 68% of companies reporting new work modes. The mentioning of government guidelines also increased to 67% by 2021. Companies with higher governance rankings were more likely to adopt online occupational health measures, including occupational health services (RR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.41-2.94; p < 0.001) and mental health promotion activities (RR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.06-3.82; p = 0.032), than those with low rankings. Although on-site and online occupational health services increased, home workspace assessments did not.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight significant upward trends in the disclosure of telework measures following the issuance of government guidelines. Corporate governance is significantly associated with the implementation of occupational health measures. Amid the evolution of teleworking, both government guidelines and corporate governance have become essential for shaping work arrangements and ensuring workforce well-being.

Work & life stress experienced by professional workers during the pandemic: a gender-based analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted work and home life exacerbating pre-existing stressors and introducing new ones. These impacts were notably gendered. In this paper, we explore the different work and home life related stressors of professional workers specifically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic through the gender-based analysis of two pan Canadian surveys: The Canadian Community Health Survey (2019, 2020, 2021) and the Healthy Professional Worker Survey (2021). Analyses revealed high rates of work stress among professional workers compared to other workers and this was particularly notable for women. Work overload emerged as the most frequently selected source of work stress, followed by digital stress, poor work relations, and uncertainty. Similar trends were noted in life stress among professional workers, particularly women. Time pressure consistently stood out as the primary source of non-work stress, caring for children and physical and mental health conditions. These findings can help to develop more targeted and appropriate workplace mental health promotion initiatives that are applicable to professional workers taking gender more fully into consideration.

Association between work from home and health-related productivity loss among Korean employees

Background

After the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the widespread adoption of working from home, or teleworking, has prompted extensive research regarding its effects on work productivity and the physical and mental health of employees. In this context, our study aimed to investigate the association between working from home and health-related productivity loss (HRPL).

Methods

An online survey was conducted with a sample of 1,078 workers. HRPL was estimated by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health version. Workers that have been working from home in the last 6 months were categorized into the "work from home" group. Generalized linear models were used to compare the mean difference of HRPL between "work from home" and "commuters" group. Stratified analyses were conducted based on various factors including gender, age, income level, occupation, education level, previous diagnosis of chronic disease, presence of preschool children, living in studio apartment, living alone, commuting time, working hours and regular exercise.

Results

The overall HRPL was higher in the "work from home" group than in the "commuters" group with a mean difference of 4.05 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09-8.01). In the stratified analyses, significant differences were observed in workers with chronic diseases (mean difference: 8.23, 95% CI: 0.38-16.09), who do not live alone (mean difference: 4.84, 95% CI: 0.35-9.33), and workers that do not exercise regularly (mean difference: 4.96, 95% CI: 0.12-9.80).

Conclusions

Working from home is associated with an increased HRPL in the Korean working population, especially among those with chronic diseases, those who do not live alone, and those who do not exercise regularly.

Effectiveness of workplace interventions with digital elements to reduce sedentary behaviours in office employees: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Digital interventions are potential tools for reducing and limiting occupational sedentary behaviour (SB) in sedentary desk-based jobs. Given the harmful effects of sitting too much and sitting for too long while working, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of workplace interventions, that incorporated digital elements, to reduce the time spent in SB in office workers.

METHODS

Randomised control trials that evaluated the implementation of workplace interventions that incorporated digital elements for breaking and limiting SB among desk-based jobs were identified by literature searches in six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PEDro) published up to 2023. Studies were included if total and/or occupational SB were assessed. Only studies that reported pre- and postintervention mean differences and standard deviations or standard errors for both intervention arms were used for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5 (RevMan 5; Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). Risk of bias was assessed using the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields QUALSYST tool.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review. The most employed digital elements were information delivery and mediated organisational support and social influences. Multicomponent, information, and counselling interventions measuring total and/or occupational/nonoccupational SB time by self-report or via device-based measures were reported. Multicomponent interventions were the most represented. Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis, which presented a reduction of 29.9 (95% CI: -45.2, -14.5) min/8 h workday in SB (overall effect: Z = 3.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Multicomponent interventions, using a wide range of digital features, have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing time spent in SB at the workplace among desk-based employees. However, due to hybrid work (i.e., work in the office and home) being a customary mode of work for many employees, it is important for future studies to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of these interventions in the evolving work landscape.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The review protocol was registered in the Prospero database (CRD42022377366).

Effects of working from home on lifestyle behaviors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey study

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to relevant changes in everyday life worldwide. One of these changes has been a rapid transition to and an increasing implementation of working from home (WH) modality. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mandatory WH during the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle behaviors, Mediterranean diet adherence, body weight, and depression. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in the early 2022 at the National Research Council of Italy using ad hoc questions and validated scales collecting information on physical activity, sedentary behavior, hobbies/pastimes, dietary habits including adherence to the Mediterranean diet, body weight, and depression during WH compared with before WH. 748 respondents were included in the study. An increased sedentary lifetime was reported by 48% of respondents; however, the subsample of workers who previously performed moderate physical activity intensified this activity. Body weight gain during WH was self-reported in 39.9% of respondents. Mediterranean diet adherence increased (p≪0.001) during WH compared with before WH. The average level of mental health did not record an overall variation; however, the proportion of subjects with mild and moderate depression increased (p = 0.006), while workers who reported values indicative of depression before the transition declared an improvement. These findings highlight health-related impact of WH during the COVID-19 pandemic that may inform future strategies and policies to improve employees' health and well-being.

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.

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

Teleworking has become an increasingly adopted modality in organizations. However, changes in working conditions have led to several challenges regarding its impacts on professionals' health. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of the literature about the impact of teleworking on workers' mental health. The PRISMA protocol and VOSviewer were used to identify the main trends from the set of 64 articles. The co-occurrence analyzes showed combined relationships between this new type of work and its effects on workers' health, which resulted in four different clusters and a robust knowledge structure. Furthermore, the findings indicate that working from home has a dualistic nature. This study offers a prominent and promising framework regarding the teleworking impact on workers' health research agenda.

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 paradoxes of telehealth platforms: what did we learn from the use of telehealth platforms?

This article is an overview and reflection of the findings of an evaluative study conducted on a program called "Techno-Covid Partnership" (TCP) implemented in April 2020 at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) in Montreal, Canada. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CHUM decided in April 2020 to implement telehealth, virtual care, and telemonitoring platforms and technologies to maintain access to care and reduce the risks of contamination and spread of COVID-19 as well as to protect users of health services and health professionals. Three technological platforms for telehealth and remote care and monitoring have been developed, implemented, and evaluated in real-time within the framework of the TCP program. A cross-sectional study was carried out in which a questionnaire was used and administered to users of telehealth platforms including patients and healthcare professionals. The methods and results of the study have been published previously published. In the completion of the two articles published in this context, in this paper, we briefly recall the context of the study and the method performed. The main focus of the paper is on presenting a critical overview and reflection on the major findings of our evaluation of the use of telehealth platforms from the point of view of patients and health professionals and discuss certain paradoxes i.e., the advantages, challenges, recommendations, and other perspectives that emerged in this study.

Home-based work and childbearing

We examine the timely yet greatly under-researched interplay between home-based work (HBW) and women's birth transitions. Past research has shown that HBW may facilitate and/or jeopardize work-family balance, depending on the worker's family and work circumstances. Following that research, we develop here a theoretical framework on how HBW can facilitate or hinder fertility. Using the UK Household Longitudinal Study 2009-19 and random-effects cloglog regression, we study the link between HBW and first- and second-birth risks. We find that HBW is negatively associated with the transition to motherhood and unrelated to the progression to a second child. We also show that HBW helps to enable women to have children if they would otherwise face a long commute. All in all, our findings do not support the idea that the spread of HBW will lead to an immediate increase in fertility.

Exploring the characteristics and health outcomes of working from home: Analysis of 2021 California Health Interview Survey data

BACKGROUND

Working from home (WFH) may affect health behaviors and mental health. The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic saw many US employees transition to WFH, which has persisted in various job sectors and significantly impacted employees. However, its effects on health outcomes have remained unclear. We aimed to explore the characteristics and health outcomes of, and health-related differences between, WFH and not-WFH groups.

METHODS

Using the 2021 California Health Interview Survey data, we analyzed health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and fruit-related nutrition) and the mental health status of 12,438 individuals using descriptive statistics, Pearson's χ2 test, and regressions.

RESULTS

A total of 39% were WFH and 61% were not-WFH. Overall, the WFH group had worse health behaviors and mental health than the not-WFH group. Age was associated with smoking in both groups (WFH: b = 0.37; not-WFH: b = 0.35), but with fruit-related nutrition only in the WFH group. Household income and occupation were associated with alcohol consumption in both groups. Age (WFH: b = -1.58; not-WFH: b = -1.39), household income (WFH: b = -0.75; not-WFH: b = -0.34), and job duration (WFH: b = -0.34; not-WFH: b = -0.40) were associated with mental health in both groups; those who were younger and had lower household incomes and job durations had worse mental health.

CONCLUSION

Health management is a clear necessity for the WFH group. Irrespective of WFH status, young workers with shorter than 5 years' job duration reported mental distress, highlighting a need for distress assessment and management for the young workforce.

Organizational and occupational health issues with working remotely during the pandemic: a scoping review of remote work and health

BACKGROUND

Stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 global pandemic created unprecedented challenges for workers whose work was transferred to the home setting. Little is presently known about the benefits and the challenges associated with global remote work on well-being and mental health, work-life balance, job satisfaction, productivity, home office adaptability, and gender equality.

METHODS

A scoping review of PubMed/Medline was undertaken in October 2021 to better understand these broad dimensions associated with remote worker health, well-being, and the home office workspace. The review focused on white-collar workers who undertook remote work during each of the lockdown waves from March 2020 to 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 62 studies were included in the review, which spanned Asia, North America, South America, and Europe. Overall, workers seemed to enjoy remote work, but productivity varied. The main setbacks associated with remote work included feelings of isolation and loneliness, which negatively influenced well-being. Social support from management and contact with colleagues mitigated this. Leadership style also influenced remote worker well-being. Overall, women suffered from lower levels of remote work well-being and productivity, especially if they had children. The home office and its adaptability were integral for successful remote work. Work-life balance was affected in some workers who struggled with heavier workloads or family duties.

CONCLUSIONS

To promote well-being and successful remote work, isolation and loneliness should be reduced through greater contact with colleagues and managers. Managers should promote family friendly policies that may support work-life balance and reduce gender inequities in remote work.

Experiences of working from home: umbrella review

INTRODUCTION

The concept of "working from home" is extremely topical following the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, it is unsurprising that there has been an increased interest in collating research related to homeworking. This has been carried out by multiple reviews, all with slightly different research aims and methodologies. Collating the findings from the available reviews is therefore highly beneficial to establish the experience of homeworking to create recommendations for the future of home-based work.

METHODS

An umbrella review was carried out. In June 2022, literature searches were conducted across 4 electronic databases. Published reviews of literature that used a systematic process, were focused on working from home populations, and detailed factors that could be related to the personal experience of homeworking (eg, barriers, facilitators, advantages, disadvantages) were included.

RESULTS

A total of 1930 records were screened and 6 review articles were included. Results report on the following sections: working environment (eg, workplace design, space conditions), personal impact (eg, satisfaction, career impact), and health (eg, physical health, well-being) including a total of 19 themes. Mixed findings were apparent for nearly all included themes, highlighting the need to consider individual and contextual circumstances when researching working from home.

CONCLUSIONS

This review establishes the importance of retaining flexibility while homeworking for employees, managers, and organizations. Essentially, a one-size-fits-all approach to working from home is impractical as individual circumstances limit application. Eight recommendations for the future of working from home are suggested.

The impact of coworking spaces on workers' performance, mental and physical health: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Utilisation of coworking spaces (CWS) was rising sharply prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition to new work arrangements which involve a hybrid, work and home model, is likely to involve the use of alternative workspaces. Understanding the impacts of CWS on employees is timely to examine the benefits of utilisation and how these might be incorporated into new ways of working. This scoping review aims to explore the relationship between CWS, mental and physical health, and workers' performance, and provide insights into future considerations for design.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective was to map the current literature on CWS, focusing on identification of relevant modifiable factors to improve worker's mental and physical health, and performance.

METHOD

Three databases, Embase, PsycInfo, and Proquest, were systematically reviewed, to identify studies from 2005 onwards. Data was extracted and analysed using diagrammatic mapping. Only studies published in English were included.

RESULTS

Eleven relevant papers were included which covered the three outcomes of interest: worker's performance (5), mental health (4) and physical health (2). Environmental factors influencing the three outcomes were categorised into physical environment (12 factors) and the psychosocial environment (6 factors). Overall, CWS environmental factors had a positive influence on workers (23 positive relationships and 11 negative relationships).

CONCLUSION

Coworking spaces offer potential benefits for tele-workers, including opportunities for collaboration/networking and productivity gains. However, attention to the CWS physical design is important to optimise the experience for workers and mitigate risk of adverse mental and physical health effects.

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.

Impact of employment status and work setting on body weight and health behaviors among people with obesity

BACKGROUND

The impact of employment and the work-from-home (WFH) setting on body weight among people with obesity is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the relationship between employment status, WFH setting, and change in body weight among adults with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Patients from an obesity medicine clinic completed an online survey in 2022 to assess health, work, and lifestyle behaviors. Multiple regression models examined the association between WFH status and change in body weight.

RESULTS

The analytical sample included 380 patients (81.9% female, mean age 52.5 years, mean body mass index 43.25, 50.0% non-Hispanic White, 25.7% non-Hispanic Black, 18.7% Hispanic, 5.7% other ethnicity). During the pandemic, 28.7% were employed in a WFH setting (73.4% of this subgroup were in a WFH setting only), 36.1% were employed but not in a WFH setting, 11.8% were unemployed, and 23.4% were retired. Mean body weight change for participants who partially WFH during the pandemic was +5.4 (±7.2) % compared to those completely WFH -0.3 (±9.8) % (P = 0.006). After adjusting for key demographics, participants who were partially WFH gained 7.8% more weight compared to those completely WFH (β= 7.28, SE = 1.91, p < 0.001). The most significant predictors for weight gain after adjusting for WFH frequency (partially vs. completely) included overeating (aOR 11.07, 95% CI 3.33-36.77), more consumption of fast food (aOR 7.59, 95% 2.41-23.91), and depression (aOR 6.07, 95% CI 1.97-18.68).

CONCLUSION

These results show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the WFH hybrid (combination of office and WFH) setting is associated with greater weight gain compared to those who completely WFH in people with obesity. Risk factors include overeating, higher fast food consumption, and depression.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Remote Working Referenced to the Concept of Work-Life Flow on Physical and Psychological Health

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of remote working in which employers' obligations for employees' health and well-being extended into the home. This paper reports on a systematic review of the health impacts of remote working within the context of COVID-19 and discusses the implications of these impacts for the future role of the occupational health nurse.

METHOD

The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021258517) and followed the PRISMA guidelines. The review covered 2020-2021 to capture empirical studies of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic, their physical and psychological impacts and mediating factors.

RESULTS

Eight hundred and thirty articles were identified. After applying the inclusion criteria, a total of 34 studies were reviewed. Most studies showed low to very low strength of evidence using the GRADE approach. A minority of studies had high strength of evidence. These focused on the reduced risk of infection and negative effects in terms of reduced physical activity, increased sedentary activity, and increased screen time.

CONCLUSION/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE

The synergy of work and personal well-being with the accelerated expansion of remote working suggests a more active role in the lives of workers within the home setting on the part of occupational health nurses. That role relates to how employees organize their relationship to work and home life, promoting positive lifestyles while mitigating adverse impacts of remote working on personal well-being.

Work as a social determinant of health in high-income countries: past, present, and future

This paper, the first in a three-part Series on work and health, provides a narrative review of research into work as a social determinant of health over the past 25 years, the key emerging challenges in this field, and the implications of these challenges for future research. By use of a conceptual framework for work as a social determinant of health, we identified six emerging challenges: (1) the influence of technology on the nature of work in high-income countries, culminating in the sudden shift to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) the intersectionality of work with gender, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, migrant status, and socioeconomic status as codeterminants of health disparities; (3) the arrival in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries of large migrant labour workforces, who are often subject to adverse working conditions and social exclusion; (4) the development of precarious employment as a feature of many national labour markets; (5) the phenomenon of working long and irregular hours with potential health consequences; and (6) the looming threat of climate change's effects on work. We conclude that profound changes in the nature and availability of work over the past few decades have led to widespread new psychosocial and physical exposures that are associated with adverse health outcomes and contribute to increasing disparities in health. These new exposures at work will require novel and creative methods of data collection for monitoring of their potential health impacts to protect the workforce, and for new research into better means of occupational health promotion and protection. There is also an urgent need for a better integration of occupational health within public health, medicine, the life sciences, and the social sciences, with the work environment explicitly conceptualised as a major social determinant of health.

Do I want to work from home today? Specific job crafting strategies of public service employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a qualitative study

Background

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees in Europe increasingly worked from home. In the German public sector, many employees experienced working from home for the first time. Concurrently, employees could use job crafting activities to alter job demands and resources while working from home. This exploratory case study aims to shed light on how public service employees craft their job demands and job resources, and how they perceive job satisfaction and productivity while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. A novel theoretical approach is applied to explore crafting activities that target specific job demands and resources when working from home, using a combined framework of resource-based job crafting based on the Job Demands-Resources model and time-spatial job crafting.

Methods

Qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with employees from different public sectors in Germany between December 2021 and February 2022. According to the COREQ guidelines, the 12 semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and content-analyzed using MAXQDA.

Results

The results suggest that employees, who were new to working from home, developed personal crafting strategies for their flexible work environment. These strategies supported them in coping with hindering job demands (e.g., measures regarding work-related availability or interruptions) by optimizing their working conditions. Additionally, employees used strategies to increase their social resources (e.g., initiating meetings with colleagues) and structural resources (e.g., installing additional work equipment, planning of office days and working-from-home days). The use of given job resources and optimization of job demands are closely linked to the time-spatial demands fit. Thereby, the time-spatial demands fit is used to combine workplaces, work hours, or work tasks with the provided resources and demands to achieve an optimal work environment, which also facilitates employees' productivity and satisfaction.

Conclusion

The results enrich the resource-based and time-spatial demand job crafting research by adding specific job crafting strategies utilized by public service employees. Furthermore, the results highlight job crafting strategies for enhancing job satisfaction and productivity when working from home in the post-pandemic world, thus offering valuable insights for researchers and practitioners.

The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms (ADS), persistent and chronic ADS among the adult general population and specific subgroups before and during the COVID-19 pandemic until December 2021

BACKGROUND

It is unclear to what extent the prevalence of moderate and severe anxiety and depression symptoms (ADS) is higher during the first 20 months after the COVID-19 outbreak than before the outbreak. The same holds for persistent and chronic ADS among the adult general population and subgroups (such as employed, minorities, young adults, work disabled).

METHODS

Data were extracted from six surveys conducted with the Dutch longitudinal LISS panel, based on a traditional probability sample (N = 3493). Biographic characteristics and ADS (MHI-5 scores) were assessed in March-April 2019, November-December 2019, March-April 2020, November-December 2020, March-April 2021, and November-December 2021. Generalized estimating equations were conducted to examine differences in the prevalence of post-outbreak ADS, persistent and chronic ADS compared to the pre-outbreak prevalence in similar periods. The Benjamini-Hochberg correction for multiple testing was applied.

RESULTS

Among the general population chronic moderate ADS increased significantly but slightly in the period March-April 2020 to March-April 2021 compared to a similar period before the pandemic (11.9 % versus 10.9 %, Odds Ratio = 1.11). In the same period a somewhat larger significant increase in chronic moderate ADS was observed among 19-24 years old respondents (21.4 % versus 16.7 %, Odds Ratio = 1.35). After the Benjamini-Hochberg correction several other differences were no longer significant.

LIMITATIONS

No other mental health problems were assessed.

CONCLUSIONS

The Dutch general population and most of the assessed subgroups were relatively resilient given the limited increase or absence of increases in (persistent and chronic) ADS. However, young adults suffered from an increase of chronic ADS.

The effect of preference and actual days spent working from home on stress and musculoskeletal pain in older workers

OBJECTIVES

The rapid shift to working from home (WFH) due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the relationship between preferred and actual days spent working from home on employees musculoskeletal pain (MSP) and stress in older workers.

METHODS

This study uses three waves of data from the Employees Working from Home (EWFH) study collected in May 2021 (n = 451), November 2021 (n = 358) and May 2022 (n = 320) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A generalised mixed-effect model was used to model the relationships between preference and actual days spent WFH, stress and MSP. Exploratory mediation analysis was conducted to further explore significant relationships between actual days WFH and outcomes.

RESULTS

WFH was associated with increasing stress levels in older participants, when the actual number of days WFH increased (B: 0.051, 95% CI: 0.008, 0.094) and when the number of days WFH exceeded their preferences (B: 0.218, 95% CI: 0.087, 0.349). Actual number of days spent WFH and stress in older employees was mediated through their sense of community (Indirect effect: 0.014, 95% CI: 0.003, 0.03; p = 0.006). The relationship between WFH and MSP was variable. For older employees, WFH more than their preferred number of days was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting MSP (OR: 4.070, 95% CI: 1.204, 13.757).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study support the need for flexible policies to support WFH which take into account employees preferences. For older workers, a sense of community was found to be important and proactive attempts to restore this will be important for maintain their health and supporting sustainable employment.

Impacts of rising COVID-19 incidence and changed working conditions on forest visits in early 2020 of the pandemic: Evidence from Switzerland

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many nations to implement a certain degree of lockdown measures to contain the spread of the virus. It has been reported that recreational visits to forests and green spaces increased in response to the lockdown. In this study, we investigated the effect of the policy-induced changes in working conditions during the lockdown period, as well as the effect of COVID-19 infection rates, on forest visits throughout Switzerland early in the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from an online panel survey first conducted one week before the government imposed the lockdown in Switzerland and repeated two weeks after the lockdown began. We use a modeling approach to assess the impact of the home-office and short-time working situation on forest visitation frequency, as well as their effects on the length of visits to the forest. For those who visited the forest both before and during the lockdown, the frequency of forest visits increased during the early lockdown phase considered here, while the duration of visits decreased. According to our model, the opportunity to work from home was a significant driver of the increased frequency of forest visits by this visitor group, while COVID-19 infection rates had no effect on their forest visits.

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.

Working and learning from home during COVID-19: International experiences among social work educators and students

This research seeks to explore the experiences of social work educators and students working and learning from home. The findings, from an international survey sample of 166 educators and students, showed that the respondents faced issues with private and personal boundaries, felt the impact of working and learning from home on both physical and emotional levels, and experienced challenges to what was expected of them. The respondents primarily used two types of coping mechanisms to manage these challenges. These findings contribute to a broader discussion of the impact of working and learning from home and are relevant for education administrators responsible for their employees' and students' well-being.

Anxiety as a mediator in the relationship between the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 and quality of life: a cross-sectional study in Vietnam

Previous studies have investigated the effects of the pandemic on quality of life; both economical and psychosocial effects were explored. Some studies also mentioned mediating factors as mechanisms in this relationship; however, the mediating role of anxiety has not been examined. The present study examined the mediating effects of anxiety on the relationship between socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 and quality of life. An online survey of 280 Vietnamese residents was conducted in the context of the pandemic outbreak. Anxiety was found to be a completely mediating variable in the association between the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic and quality of life during the lockdown period. This finding contributes to a better understanding of how the pandemic affects people's quality of life and serves as the foundation for lessening the negative effects of the epidemic on people's lives.

The relationship between homeworking during COVID-19 and both, mental health, and productivity: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

As of March 2020, the UK public were instructed to work from home where possible and as a result, nearly half of those in employment did so during the following month. Pre-pandemic, around 5% of workers chose to work from home; it was often seen as advantageous, for example due to eliminating commuting time and increasing flexibility. However, homeworking also had negative connotations, for example, blurred boundaries between work and home life due to a sense of constant connectivity to the workplace. Understanding the psychological impact of working from home in an enforced and prolonged manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic is important. Therefore, this review sought to establish the relationship between working from home, mental health, and productivity.

METHODS

In January 2022, literature searches were conducted across four electronic databases: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo and Web of Science. In February 2022 grey literature searches were conducted using Google Advanced Search, NHS Evidence; Gov.uk Publications and the British Library directory of online doctoral theses. Published and unpublished literature which collected data after March 2020, included participants who experienced working from home for at least some of their working hours, and detailed the association in terms of mental health or productivity were included.

RESULTS

In total 6,906 citations were screened and 25 papers from electronic databases were included. Grey literature searching resulted in two additional papers. Therefore, 27 studies were included in this review. Findings suggest the association between homeworking and both, mental health and productivity varies considerably, suggesting a complex relationship, with many factors (e.g., demographics, occupation) having an influence on the relationship.

CONCLUSION

We found that there was no clear consensus as to the association between working from home and mental health or productivity. However, there are indications that those who start homeworking for the first time during a pandemic are at risk of poor productivity, as are those who experience poor mental health. Suggestions for future research are suggested.

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 Influence of Teleworking in a Pandemic Context on the Work Experience of Individuals with Physical Disabilities: A Quebec Qualitative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to numerous changes in work environments. Thousands of workers quickly found themselves having to telework without being prepared, which had consequences on their work experience and health. Authors proposed telework practices that promote the healthy work experience of workers in a pandemic context, but less attention has been paid to consider the realities and needs of individuals with physical disabilities. Purpose This study aimed to explore the influence of telework during the pandemic on the work experience of people with physical disabilities. Methods Following an interpretive descriptive research design, interviews were conducted with 16 workers with physical disabilities (i.e., motor, or sensory). The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis strategy. Results The results revealed 15 factors that influence the work experience of teleworkers with physical disabilities. These factors are related to interactions between three spheres of the worker's life: the individual, the organization, and the environment. Ten recommendations are proposed to consider the reality and needs of individuals with physical disabilities in the telework practices. Conclusion Given that telework has expanded since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and will likely continue to remain a widespread modality of work delivery, it becomes even more important to expand knowledge about it, to benefit the work experience of teleworkers with physical disabilities.

Natural environments, psychosocial health, and health behaviors in a crisis - A scoping review of the literature in the COVID-19 context

The COVID-19 outbreak led to major restrictions globally, affecting people's psychosocial health and their health behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the available research regarding nature and health in the COVID-19 context. Keywords relating to natural environments and COVID-19 were combined to conduct a systematic online search in six major databases. Eligibility criteria were a) published since 2020 with data collected in the COVID-19 context b) peer-reviewed, c) original empirical data collected on human participants, d) investigated the association between natural environments and psychosocial health or health behaviors, and e) English, German, or Scandinavian languages. Out of 9126 articles being screened, we identified 188 relevant articles, representing 187 distinct studies. Most research focused on adults in the general population and was predominantly conducted in the USA, Europe, and China. Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. Through a systematic thematic analysis of the extracted data, three primary themes were identified: 1) type of nature assessed, 2) psychosocial health and health behaviors investigated, and 3) heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship. Research gaps in the COVID-19 context were identified regarding I) nature characteristics that promote psychosocial health and health behaviors, II) investigations of digital and virtual nature, III) psychological constructs relating to mental health promotion, IV) health-promoting behaviors other than physical activity, V) underlying mechanisms regarding heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship based on human, nature, and geographic characteristics, and VI) research focusing on vulnerable groups. Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health. However, future research is warranted to fill the mentioned research gaps and to examine the long-term effects of nature exposure during COVID-19.

Exploring the relationship between working from home, mental and physical health and wellbeing: a systematic review

Background

Understanding the impact of working from home on health and wellbeing is of great interest to employers and employees alike, with a strong need for up-to-date guidance. The aim of this systematic review was to identify, appraise and synthesise existing research evidence that explores the impact of home working on health and wellbeing outcomes for working people and health inequalities in the population.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of qualitative, quantitative and observational studies. We searched databases, reference lists and UK grey literature and completed citation searching of included papers. We extracted and tabulated key data from the included papers and synthesised narratively. Factors associated with the health and wellbeing of people working at home reported in the literature were displayed by constructing mind maps of each individual factor which had been identified. The findings were combined with an a priori model to develop a final model, which was validated in consultation with stakeholders.

Results

Of 96 studies which were found to meet the inclusion criteria for the review, 30 studies were published before the COVID-19 pandemic and a further 66 were published during the pandemic. The quality of evidence was limited by the study designs employed by the authors, with the majority of studies being cross-sectional surveys (n = 59). For the most part, for studies which collected quantitative data, measures were self-reported. The largest volume of evidence identified consisted of studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic which looked at factors which influence the relationship between working from home and measures relating to mental health and wellbeing. Fifteen studies which considered the potential for working at home to have different effects for different subgroups suggested that working at home may have more negative consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic for women and in particular, mothers. There was very little evidence on age (two studies), ethnicity (one study), education or income (two studies) in terms of moderating home working effects, and very limited evidence from before the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of enforced working from home and having 'no choice' was reported in only one paper prior to the pandemic and two papers reporting on working from home as a result of COVID-19. However, the concept of lack of choice around working from home was implicit in much of the literature - even though it was not directly measured. There were no clear patterns of wellbeing measures which changed from positive to negative association (or vice versa) during the pandemic.

Limitations

The quality of the evidence base was very much limited by study designs, particularly for studies published during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the majority of studies consisting of data collected by cross-sectional surveys (often online). Due to the rapidly expanding nature of the evidence on this topic, it is possible that new studies were published after the final citation searches were conducted.

Discussion

The evidence base for the factors which influence the relationship between home working and health-related outcomes has expanded significantly as a result of the need for those whose work could be done from home to work at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest that there are factors relating to the external context, the role of employers and the circumstances of the employee which contribute to determining whether someone works at home and what the associated impacts on health and wellbeing may be. Learning from the COVID-19 lockdown experience will be important to inform future policy on home and hybrid working.

Future work

There is a need for better-quality studies of the health impact of home working, in particularly studies which recruit a range of participants who are representative of the working population and which are designed to minimise sampling/recruitment biases and response biases.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (project reference 18/93 PHR Public Health Review Team) and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 11, No. 4. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Study registration

This study is registered as PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021253474.

Impacts of commute mode on body mass index: A longitudinal analysis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

COVID-19 has impacted millions of commuters by decreasing their mobility and transport patterns. While these changes in travel have been studied, less is known about how commute changes may have impacted individuals' body mass index (BMI). The present longitudinal study explores the relationship between commute mode and BMI of employed individuals in Montréal, Canada.

Methods

This study uses panel data drawn from two waves of the Montréal Mobility Survey (MMS) conducted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 458). BMI was modeled separately for women and men as a function of commuting mode, WalkScore©, sociodemographic, and behavioral covariates using a multilevel regression modeling approach.

Results

For women, BMI significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but telecommuting frequency, and more specifically telecommuting as a replacement of driving, led to a statistically significant decrease in BMI. For men, higher levels of residential local accessibility decreased BMI, while telecommuting did not have a statistically significant effect on BMI.

Conclusions

This study's findings confirm previously observed gendered differences in the relations between the built environment, transport behaviors, and BMI, while offering new insights regarding the impacts of the changes in commute patterns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since some of the COVID-19 impacts on commute are expected to be lasting, findings from this research can be of use by health and transport practitioners as they work towards generating policies that improve population health.

Digital Health Solutions for Weight Loss and Obesity: A Narrative Review

Personal exercise programmes have long been used and prescribed for weight loss and the improvement of quality of life in obese patients. While individualised programmes are usually the preferred option, they can be more costly and challenging to deliver in person. A move to digital programmes with a wider reach has commenced, and demand has increased due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In this review, we evaluate the current status of digital exercise programme delivery and its evolution over the past decade, with a focus on personalisation. We used specific keywords to search for articles that met our predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria in order to provide valuable evidence and insights for future research. We identified 55 studies in total in four key areas of focus, from the more recent development of apps and personal digital assistants to web-based programmes and text or phone call interventions. In summary, we observed that apps may be useful for a low-intensity approach and can improve adherence to programmes through self-monitoring, but they are not always developed in an evidence-based manner. Engagement and adherence are important determinants of weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance. Generally, professional support is required to achieve weight loss goals.

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.

Frontline experiences of delivering remote mental health supports during the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland: innovations, insights and lessons learned from mental health workers

COVID-19 restrictions drove rapid adaptations to service delivery and new ways of working within Scotland's mental health sector. This study explores mental health workers' (MHWs') experiences of delivering their services remotely. Twenty participants, who had worked in mental health professions in the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, took part in online semi-structured interviews. Data was transcribed then analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Two major themes are reported: (1) 'Improved Flexibility for both MHWs and Service Users' and (2) 'Teletherapies Challenge Therapeutic Boundaries'. In relation to (1) virtual platforms were seen as vital in maintaining patient care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and a valuable resource for service users (SUs) who had previously struggled with mobility or social anxieties when accessing face-to-face services. Some MHWs' also noted benefits for their productivity and comfort. Regarding (2) MHWs highlighted that whilst conducting teletherapies from home, work-life boundaries became blurred and, in some instances, typically comforting spaces became associated with the traumatic content discussed by SUs. These stressors seemed to be compounded by MHWs' isolation, as they were less able to draw upon their colleagues for support. Further, confidentiality could not be assured, as MHWs and SUs alike had to accommodate their family members. These findings highlight important insights from MHWs in adapting to rapid changes in mental health working practices, particularly in relation to the challenges of delivering quality, safe and equitable services and the increased use of teletherapies. Such insights are vital in informing service developments and supporting future pandemic preparedness across a range of healthcare contexts and countries seeking to adopt hybrid models of mental health service delivery.

Telecommuting-related health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a national population-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Telecommuting has expanded greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the advent of remote working from home, there has been an ongoing controversy about the positive or negative health-related impact of telecommuting. This study aimed to investigate change in the occupational health risk in South Korean workers involved in telecommuting during the pandemic period compared to daily commuters.

METHODS

A population-based cross-sectional study of South Korean workers using the secondary data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2020-2021) was designed. A total of 12,354 white-collar wage employees were selected as the study sample. Telecommuting, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, headache-eye strain, absenteeism, and presenteeism were measured by self-reported data. Multiple logistic regression models, including gender stratification analysis, were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the health outcomes of telecommuters.

RESULTS

Among the study population, 338 males and 318 females were reported to be telecommuters. The entirely adjusted regression model showed a positive association between telecommuting and anxiety (AOR = 2.82; 95% CI, 1.93-4.10), insomnia (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27-2.92), fatigue (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.30-2.37), musculoskeletal pain (AOR = 1,76; 95% CI, 1.33-2.32), headache-eye strain (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI, 1.48-2.54), presenteeism (AOR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.20-2.28) respectively. Gender difference was identified in that only female telecommuters had a higher risk of depression (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI, 1.04-2.53) and insomnia (AOR = 2.07; 95% CI, 1.26-3.41) than daily commuters in the adjusted model.

CONCLUSION

Telecommuting was significantly associated with an increased risk of various health problems among South Korean workers and females were identified as a more vulnerable group. Although further research is required to ascertain the causal relationship, public health intervention should be considered to prevent the negative effects of telecommuting.

How the mental health of working parents in Australia changed during COVID-19: A pre- to during pandemic longitudinal comparison

BACKGROUND

Cross-sectional studies indicate that mental health has deteriorated in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for parents. However, robust longitudinal studies interrogating change from before to during the pandemic remain rare. The current study analysed data from Australian parents surveyed in 2016 and August 2020. We investigate whether distress was higher in the COVID-19 period compared to pre-pandemic levels, and whether any increases in distress were greatest for parents living in Victoria (who had entered their second prolonged lockdown).

METHODS

A community cohort of Australian working parents (n = 5197) was recruited online in 2016. In August 2020, 25.9 % (n = 1348) completed a follow-up survey. Analyses were restricted to those employed at both time-points (n = 1311). Random effects longitudinal models examined the association between time (i.e. pre vs. during-pandemic) and distress (K6 scale). Fixed effects models specifically tested change between time periods in association with change in distress.

LIMITATIONS

The initial sample were recruited online with highly educate parents over-represented. Attrition between survey time-points may also limit generalisability.

RESULTS

All models consistently showed that the pandemic period was associated with greater distress. Overall, serious mental illness (i.e. K6 score ≥ 18) increased by 5.3 percentage points (from 8.0 to 13.3). This increase was greater (by 4.7 percentage points) for those parents in Victoria.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is one of few to longitudinally assess mental health pre- to during the pandemic. Psychological distress and serious mental illness increased for Australian working parents, and this effect was greatest for those experiencing a prolonged lockdown in Victoria.

Teleworking and Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review

Teleworking has spread drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its effect on musculo-skeletal disorders (MSD) remains unclear. We aimed to make a qualitative systematic review on the effect of teleworking on MSD. Following the PRISMA guidelines, several databases were searched using strings based on MSD and teleworking keywords. A two-step selection process was used to select relevant studies and a risk of bias assessment was made. Relevant variables were extracted from the articles included, with a focus on study design, population, definition of MSD, confounding factors, and main results. Of 205 studies identified, 25 were included in the final selection. Most studies used validated questionnaires to assess MSD, six considered confounders extensively, and seven had a control group. The most reported MSD were lower back and neck pain. Some studies found increased prevalence or pain intensity, while others did not. Risk of bias was high, with only 5 studies with low/probably low risk of bias. Conflicting results on the effect of teleworking on MSD were found, though an increase in MSD related to organizational and ergonomic factors seems to emerge. Future studies should focus on longitudinal approaches and consider ergonomic and work organization factors as well as socio-economic status.

Employees Working from Home: Do Leadership Factors Influence Work-Related Stress and Musculoskeletal Pain?

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid public health response, which included mandatory working from home (WFH) for many employees. However, given the rapid change from traditional ways of working, evidence is limited on the role of leaders, managers, and supervisors in supporting their employees' physical and mental health whilst WFH. The study aimed to examine the impact of leaders through their management of psychosocial working conditions on employees' stress and musculoskeletal pain (MSP) levels whilst WFH.

METHODS

Data from 965 participants (230 males, 729 females, 6 other) involved in the Employees Working from Home (EWFH) study, collected in October 2020, and April and November 2021, were analysed. Generalised mixed-effect models were used to test relationships between psychosocial leadership factors and employees' stress and MSP levels.

RESULTS

Higher quantitative demands are associated with increased stress (B: 0.289, 95%CI 0.245, 0.333), presence of MSP (OR: 2.397, 95%CI 1.809, 3.177), and increased MSP levels (RR: 1.09, 95%CI 1.04, 1.14). Higher levels of vertical trust decreased stress (B: -0.094, 95%CI -0.135, -0.052) and presence of MSP (OR: 0.729, 95%CI 0.557, 0.954). Role clarity decreased stress (B: -0.055, 95%CI -0.104, -0.007) and levels of MSP (RR: 0.93, 95%CI 0.89, 0.96). Working with interruptions was associated with increased stress (B: 0.199, 95%CI 0.119, 0.280) and MSP (OR: 1.834, 95%CI 1.094, 3.072).

CONCLUSION

Leaders will need to take a broad view of job design, taking into account physical and psychosocial aspects of work, to effectively support employees WFH and manage stress and MSP.