Work-Related Stress of Work from Home with Housemates Based on Residential Types.

Kokoro Natomi,Daisuke Matsushita,Haruka Kato

doi:10.3390/ijerph19053060

Kokoro Natomi, Daisuke Matsushita + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053060

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on work environments. Many workers have been requested or instructed to work from home (WFH). This study aimed to clarify the work-related stress of WFH regarding housemates based on residential types during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey of 500 workers living with housemates in Osaka Prefecture. The WFH environments were analyzed on the basis of high-stress workers (HSWs), which accounted for 17.4% of all subjects, according to three major types of residences in Japan. The main finding is that HSWs with housemates had problems related to noise regardless of the type of residence. This study of workers living with housemates in an urban area contrasts with the findings of preceding study, which found that satisfaction with noise in the environment was higher at home than in the office. HSWs in detached houses and condominium apartments had problems with the levels of noise created by their housemates. The residents living in these types of residences were found to be relatively older, thus potentially having older children who would require a certain level of privacy. WFH workers with insufficient privacy were unable to adapt to WFH environments and suffered from high stress.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on work environments
The main result of this paper is that, in the case of work from home (WFH) employees living in urban areas with housemates, high-stress workers (HSWs) in all types of residences had problems related to noise
WFH employees with housemates may be under high stress due to a lack of privacy regarding sound, mainly caused by teleconferencing

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has had a significant impact on work environments. In Japan, the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters decided on the “Basic Policy on Countermeasures against the COVID-19 Infections” on 25 February [1]. According to this policy, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) called for dynamic changes to work from home (WFH) arrangements as much as possible [2]. The Japan Business Federation ordered companies to consider diverse work styles, including WFH, staggered commuting, rotational work, variable working hours, and a 4-day workweek [3]. Japanese work styles and practices common in the past, such as commuting by crowded public transportation, gathering at the office, and having dinner and entertainment after work, often accompanied by drinking, were reconsidered regarding the aim of infection control. As the reality of repeated outbreaks of mutated species and their aftereffects become clearer, a “new lifestyle” is taking hold, where infectious disease control becomes the norm [4]

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