Work from home or office during the COVID-19 pandemic: The different chain mediation models of perceived organizational support to the job performance.

With the coronavirus pandemic in 2019 (COVID-19), work from home (WFH) has become a frequent way of responding to outbreaks. Across two studies, we examined how perceived organizational support influences job performance when employees work in office or work from home. In study 1, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 162 employees who work in office. In study 2, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 180 employees who work from home. We found that perceived organizational support directly affected job performance when employees work in office. When employees work from home, perceived organizational support could not affect job performance directly. However, it could influence job performance indirectly through the separate mediating effects of job satisfaction and work engagement. These findings extend our understanding of the association of perceived organizational support and job performance and enlighten enterprises on improving employees' job performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Negative Impact of Telework, Job Insecurity, and Work-Life Conflict on Employee Behaviour.

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a large-scale adoption of teleworking in various fields, accepted by many employers as the ideal solution to protect their employees against the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. Working from home generated substantial savings for organisations and also contributed to alleviating employee stress. In addition to the potential positive effects, telework during COVID-19 favoured counterproductive behaviour, job insecurity, and intention to retire because of the negative outcomes generated by the growing conflict between personal life and working from home and professional and social isolation. The purpose of this research is to define and analyse a conceptual model capable of highlighting the way in which telework, job insecurity, and work-life conflict led to professional isolation and turnover intention, and finally, to the counterproductive behaviour of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was implemented using employees in Romania, an emerging European economy severely affected by the recent pandemic. The results have been analysed with the help of structural equations in SmartPLS, thus reflecting a significant influence of teleworking on work-life conflict, professional isolation, intentions, and insecurity during the pandemic. The insecurity of employees trained in teleworking contributes significantly to enhancing work-life conflict and professional isolation.

Telework: A Social and Emotional Perspective of the Impact on Employees' Wellbeing in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic gives us the largest telework experiment ever conducted globally, that will most likely leave visible and lasting marks on the organization of the labor market in the future. The purpose of this approach is to investigate the wellbeing from the social and emotional perspective of the individual, considering relevant relational communication, emotional dimension, work intensity, organization, autonomy and work-life balance, customized in the context of teleworking. The information was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The wellbeing assessment was performed based on the correlation analysis and the regression analysis. The results of the studies reveal that the existence of adequate communication and work-life balance ensure the wellbeing of telework employees, while the increase in work intensity degrades it. Furthermore, good communication moderates the relationship between organizational skills and wellbeing. The comparative analysis of wellbeing in relation to the explanatory variables considered by including the gender and age perspective reveals the existence of different configurations, with specific signs and statistical meanings.

Prediction of Work from Home and Musculoskeletal Discomfort: An Investigation of Ergonomic Factors in Work Arrangements and Home Workstation Setups Using the COVID-19 Experience.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for office workers to experience work from home (WFH). The aims of this study are to investigate the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and the work conditions of homeworkers during WFH as well as to evaluate the association and predicted risk of ergonomic factors and MSD. A total of 232 homeworkers completed questionnaires. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze the association and prediction of work arrangements and home workstation setups and musculoskeletal outcomes. The result showed that 61.2% of homeworkers reported MSD while WFH. Because of the small living spaces in Hong Kong, 51% and 24.6% of homeworkers worked in living/dining areas and bedrooms, respectively, potentially affecting their work and personal life. Additionally, homeworkers adopted a flexible work style, but prolonged computer use while WFH. Homeworkers who used a chair without a backrest or a sofa could predict a significantly higher risk of MSD. The use of a laptop monitor posed about a 2 to 3 times higher risk of suffering from neck, upper back, and lower back discomfort than the use of a desktop monitor. These results provide valuable information to help regulators, employers, homeworkers, and designers create better WFH guidelines, work arrangements, and home settings.

Effect of Covid-19 lockdown/ compulsory work from home (WFH) situation on musculoskeletal disorders in India.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate self-reported musculoskeletal disorders among Indian population in work from home COVID-19 lockdown and its association on various socio-demographic and occupational factors among them. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on working Indian professionals, through an online self-reported survey during the COVID-19 work from the home situation. Details about the perceived musculoskeletal discomforts, weight gain or loss, physical activity profile, number of working hours, total sedentary time, and satisfaction perceived with working from home were recorded from the participant responses and thereafter analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 281 responses were analyzed. 47.6% of respondents reported musculoskeletal disorders before lockdown, whereas 53.6% reported them during the lockdown period. 10% of respondents reported declination in physical activity. Finding of the chi-square for association and Spearman's rho correlation analysis suggested that gender, pre-existing musculoskeletal discomforts, current sedentary time, and long working hours are significantly associated with musculoskeletal discomforts during work from home COVID-19 lockdown. CONCLUSION: This study concluded the increment in the self-reported musculoskeletal disorders among working Indian professionals during work from home COVID-19 lockdown. The study also found the significant association between MSD and gender, working hours, sedentary time and pre-existing musculoskeletal discomforts.

Work from home and the association with sedentary behaviors, leisure-time and domestic physical activity in the ELSA-Brasil study.

BACKGROUND: Work from home (WFH) can impact workers´ sedentary behaviors and levels of physical activity. The aim of this study was to estimate the association between WFH and workers´ sedentary behaviors, leisure-time and domestic physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and verify whether age and sex may act as effect modifiers. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 2544 participants in the supplementary study on COVID-19 in the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) from July 2020 to February 2021. We assessed screen time (≤ 8 h/day versus > 8 h/day), accumulated sitting time (≤ 8 h/day versus > 8 h/day) as sedentary behaviors on a typical day, and leisure-time (active versus inactive, according to World Health Organization recommendations) and domestic (low versus high, according to median) physical activity, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), before and during social distancing. Logistic regression models were used. RESULTS: Participants that were working from home during social distancing showed increased odds of screen time and sitting time greater than 8 h/day (OR = 3.12; 95%CI: 2.32-4.20 and OR = 2.68; 95%CI: 2.02-3.56, respectively) and higher odds of high domestic physical activity (OR = 1.29; 95%CI: 0.99-1.67) when compared to those not working from home. There was no association between WFH and leisure-time physical activity (OR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.75,1.31). Age was an effect modifier in the association between WFH and leisure-time physical activity and domestic activity. Older people working from home showed higher odds of physical inactivity (OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.07,3.16) and high domestic physical activity (OR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.12,3.27) compared to older people not working from home. CONCLUSION: WFH was associated with sedentary behavior > 8 h/day and high domestic physical activity. In the older people, WFH was associated with physical inactivity and high domestic physical activity. As sedentary behavior and physical inactivity are consistently negatively associated with health, it is important to discuss policies to manage WFH that allow pauses from physical activities and performance of hours of work within preestablished limits to reduce sedentary behavior. In addition, individuals working from home, especially the older people, should be encouraged to engage in leisure-time physical activity as a form of health promotion.

The effects of telecommuting and family cohabiting situation on psychological distress in Japanese workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether telecommuting's impact on psychological distress differed depending on the status of workers' cohabiting family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We collected data from 33 302 workers in Japan through an Internet survey, and included 27 036 valid responses in the analysis. The survey included items on family cohabitation and telecommuting status during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed workers' psychological distress using the Kessler 6. RESULTS: The psychological distress odds ratios (ORs) were higher for participants who lived with family members requiring care (OR = 1.38, P < .001), and lower for participants living with preschool children (OR = 0.77, P < .001) or a spouse (OR = 0.80, P < .001). Furthermore, odds ratios were higher for participants who worked from home and lived with family members requiring care or preschool children (OR = 1.52, P = .002; OR = 1.28, P = .028). Stratified by the presence or absence of family members living with them, psychological distress was higher for telecommuters with family members requiring care, preschool children, or elementary school children. CONCLUSION: The association between telecommuting and psychological distress varies, depending on workers' living situation with family members.

Psychological Distress, Japanese Teleworkers, and Supervisor Support During COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking became the new workplace norm, creating a new challenge for workplace communication. This study investigated the association between source-specific workplace social support and psychological distress among Japanese teleworkers and nonteleworkers. METHODS: A total of 15,045 workers were extracted from a cross-sectional web-based survey that assessed psychological distress, workplace social support from supervisors and coworkers. After grouping participants into four groups based on their positions (managers, staff members) and teleworking arrangements (teleworking, nonteleworking), multiple logistic regression analyses were performed separately. RESULTS: Teleworkers with less supervisor support demonstrated the highest risk of psychological distress (adjusted odds ratio = 2.55, P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient supervisor support for teleworking staff members may be a key occupational risk factor for psychological distress in the postpandemic future.

Effects of telework on anxiety and depression across the United States during the covid-19 crisis.

This study serves to provide evidence on how the increase in people working from home due to government induced social distancing measures is contributing to the frequency of individuals suffering from depression or anxiety. Using a compilation of datasets from the NHIS, Household Pulse Survey, and the Oxford Covid-19 Response Tracker, we find a general trend of increased rates of depression and anxiety in those who moved to a remote working format. However, while all regions have an increased frequency in anxiety for those who switched to telework, those in the Northeast and West (that also have implemented strict lockdown measures related to social distancing) have slightly higher rates of anxiety compared to those in the South and Midwest.

How to Alleviate Feelings of Crowding in a Working from Home Environment: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The sudden adoption of working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic has required the reconfiguration of home spaces to fit space for remote work into existing spaces already filled with other domestic functions. This resulted in blurring of home and work boundaries, the potential lack of space for telecommuting from home, and telecommuters' feelings of crowding. Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of crowding feelings on workers' responses. This study focused on the issue of crowding in the residential workspace. An online survey was conducted to investigate how features of the home workspace correlate with telecommuters' feelings of crowding and how these feelings affect satisfaction, health, and productivity. As a result, we found that various environmental features of home workspaces (e.g., house size, purpose of workspace, accessible balcony, lighting, noise, etc.), as well as psychological aspects (e.g., individual control over space use), had significant effects on telecommuters' feelings of crowdedness. It was also found that feelings of crowding in the WFH environment can directly and indirectly affect teleworkers' satisfaction with work environments, well-being, and work performance. Based on the results, we offered various potential ways to alleviate overcrowding issues in the WFH context.

Internal Structure of the Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (WFCQ) in Teacher Teleworking.

The interference between family and work roles has led to the development of scales for their measurement. However, instrumental studies of work-family conflict have not been conducted in the context of teacher teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the objectives of this study were set to obtain evidence of the internal structure and fairness of the Blanch and Aluja Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire, as well as its association with job satisfaction and other sociodemographic variables. A total of 235 Peruvian school teachers between the ages of 24 and 72 years (M = 43.79 and SD = 9.67) responded to the scale using the online form. The analysis employed the non-parametric item response theory modeling (Mokken scaling analysis). The structure of two correlated factors was confirmed: work conflict in the family (WCF) and family conflict in the work (FCW). Both dimensions were invariant with respect to sex group and educational level. The association of both dimensions with job satisfaction was theoretically convergent, and the gender of the teachers slightly moderated this relationship. The reliability was adequate for group research. Finally, the instrument can be useful in the organizational context of teachers who telework.

Teleworking Is Significantly Associated with Anxiety Symptoms and Sleep Disturbances among Paid Workers in the COVID-19 Era.

Due to social distancing during COVID-19, teleworking has spread in Korea. Accordingly, the effects of teleworking on physical and mental health have emerged. We aim to determine the association between teleworking and mental health, including anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance, in paid workers. The data of paid workers from the Sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey, collected between October 2020 and April 2021, were analyzed. Gender stratification analysis and propensity score matching were performed for variables relevant to sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each sex were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. Among 28,633 participants, analyses were performed for anxiety symptoms (teleworkers vs. non-teleworkers; men: 12.1% vs. 4.9%; women: 13.5% vs. 5.3%) and sleep disturbance (men: 33.6% vs. 21.3%; women: 39.7% vs. 25.3%). In male teleworkers, the AORs for anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance were 1.86 (95% CI: 1.14-3.04) and 1.52 (95% CI: 1.10-2.11), respectively. In female teleworkers, the AORs for anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance were 1.66 (95% CI: 1.13-2.43) and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.28-2.14), respectively. Our results emphasize the importance of mental health and the need for continuous education and care for teleworkers, given the rapid increase in teleworking.

Effects of telework on anxiety and depression across the United States during the covid-19 crisis.

This study serves to provide evidence on how the increase in people working from home due to government induced social distancing measures is contributing to the frequency of individuals suffering from depression or anxiety. Using a compilation of datasets from the NHIS, Household Pulse Survey, and the Oxford Covid-19 Response Tracker, we find a general trend of increased rates of depression and anxiety in those who moved to a remote working format. However, while all regions have an increased frequency in anxiety for those who switched to telework, those in the Northeast and West (that also have implemented strict lockdown measures related to social distancing) have slightly higher rates of anxiety compared to those in the South and Midwest.

Internal Structure of the Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (WFCQ) in Teacher Teleworking.

The interference between family and work roles has led to the development of scales for their measurement. However, instrumental studies of work-family conflict have not been conducted in the context of teacher teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the objectives of this study were set to obtain evidence of the internal structure and fairness of the Blanch and Aluja Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire, as well as its association with job satisfaction and other sociodemographic variables. A total of 235 Peruvian school teachers between the ages of 24 and 72 years (M = 43.79 and SD = 9.67) responded to the scale using the online form. The analysis employed the non-parametric item response theory modeling (Mokken scaling analysis). The structure of two correlated factors was confirmed: work conflict in the family (WCF) and family conflict in the work (FCW). Both dimensions were invariant with respect to sex group and educational level. The association of both dimensions with job satisfaction was theoretically convergent, and the gender of the teachers slightly moderated this relationship. The reliability was adequate for group research. Finally, the instrument can be useful in the organizational context of teachers who telework.

How to Alleviate Feelings of Crowding in a Working from Home Environment: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The sudden adoption of working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic has required the reconfiguration of home spaces to fit space for remote work into existing spaces already filled with other domestic functions. This resulted in blurring of home and work boundaries, the potential lack of space for telecommuting from home, and telecommuters' feelings of crowding. Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of crowding feelings on workers' responses. This study focused on the issue of crowding in the residential workspace. An online survey was conducted to investigate how features of the home workspace correlate with telecommuters' feelings of crowding and how these feelings affect satisfaction, health, and productivity. As a result, we found that various environmental features of home workspaces (e.g., house size, purpose of workspace, accessible balcony, lighting, noise, etc.), as well as psychological aspects (e.g., individual control over space use), had significant effects on telecommuters' feelings of crowdedness. It was also found that feelings of crowding in the WFH environment can directly and indirectly affect teleworkers' satisfaction with work environments, well-being, and work performance. Based on the results, we offered various potential ways to alleviate overcrowding issues in the WFH context.

Teleworking Is Significantly Associated with Anxiety Symptoms and Sleep Disturbances among Paid Workers in the COVID-19 Era.

Due to social distancing during COVID-19, teleworking has spread in Korea. Accordingly, the effects of teleworking on physical and mental health have emerged. We aim to determine the association between teleworking and mental health, including anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance, in paid workers. The data of paid workers from the Sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey, collected between October 2020 and April 2021, were analyzed. Gender stratification analysis and propensity score matching were performed for variables relevant to sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each sex were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. Among 28,633 participants, analyses were performed for anxiety symptoms (teleworkers vs. non-teleworkers; men: 12.1% vs. 4.9%; women: 13.5% vs. 5.3%) and sleep disturbance (men: 33.6% vs. 21.3%; women: 39.7% vs. 25.3%). In male teleworkers, the AORs for anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance were 1.86 (95% CI: 1.14-3.04) and 1.52 (95% CI: 1.10-2.11), respectively. In female teleworkers, the AORs for anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance were 1.66 (95% CI: 1.13-2.43) and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.28-2.14), respectively. Our results emphasize the importance of mental health and the need for continuous education and care for teleworkers, given the rapid increase in teleworking.

A Cross-Sectional Study of the Association Between Telecommuting Environments and Shoulder Pain Among Japanese Telecommuting Workers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between telecommuting environments and shoulder pain in Japanese telecommuters. METHODS: We conducted an Internet-monitored, cross-sectional study and analyzed 2537 participants who mainly telecommuted at least 4 days per week. We assessed the presence of shoulder pain using a numerical rating scale and the characteristics of the telecommuting environment by asking eight questions. We used multilevel logistic regression analysis with the city of residence as a random effect. RESULTS: Inadequate desk brightness (odds ratio [OR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-1.78), inadequate foot space (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.02-1.58), and uncomfortable temperature and humidity (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.16-1.72) were associated with shoulder pain in multilevel logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Inappropriate telecommuting environments were associated with an increase in the prevalence of shoulder pain in Japanese telecommuters.

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

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