Working From Home Research Articles

Behind the screen: The perception–reality gap in cybersexual harassment between remote coworkers

This study examines the perception–reality gap regarding the influence of technological affordances on cybersexual harassment (CSH) between remote workers. While previous research has recognized the existence of gender stereotypes and discrimination in online spaces, little attention has been given to how technological affordances impact—or are perceived to impact—incidents of CSH. By employing a theoretical framework of technological affordances, this study reveals that users often perceive affordances differently from how they utilize them, indicating a misalignment between perception and behavior. Our analysis of interviews with 30 remote knowledge workers extends affordances theory by showing that affordances are not always applied in the ways they are perceived, and that power dynamics and structural inequalities outweigh technological affordances in shaping reporting behaviors. Addressing this perception–reality gap is crucial for developing interventions and policies that accurately reflect the realities of CSH experiences and promote a safe online work environment.

Navigating the New Normal: Psychological Capital's Mediating Role in the Work-From-Home Paradigm

Working from home (WFH) has become the expected trend as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. The impact of family conflict, social isolation, distracting environment, job autonomy, and self-leadership on employees' productivity, work engagement, and stress levels have been examined in this study with a mediating role of Psychological capital. There has been little study on the impact of Psychological capital as a mediator and its influence on remote work productivity, work engagement, and stress. The data was collected from employees of IT sector organizations. Through online and print surveys, a sample of 429 respondents was gathered using the convenience sampling method. The dependent variables were workers’ productivity, work engagement, and Stress, the mediating variable was Psychological Capital and the independent variables were family-work conflict, social isolation, distracting environment, job autonomy, and self-leadership under the framework of the Job Demand and Resource model. The PLS-SEM tool was used to investigate the association between research variables. The SPSS tool was used to run the descriptive statistics of respondents. Through this study, it was able to conclude that Job Demand and Job Resources significantly impact productivity, work engagement, and stress through psychological capital. Job Demand negatively impacts productivity, and work engagement and positively impacts stress while Job Resource positively impacts productivity, and work engagement and negatively impact stress.

Health Management of Remote Workers Using Tele-Exercise During The COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

Health management is increasingly recognized as a vital business resource aimed at enhancing employee well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced lifestyle habits, underscoring the need for effective health management strategies tailored to thechanging work environment. This study aims to explore the impact of tele-exercise interventions on remote workers group (G1). Itcompares the effects of tele-exercise with those of traditional face-to-face exercise group (G2). Over three months, G1 engaged in a 30-minute weekly exercise program tailored for remote execution, while G2 participated in traditional, in-person sessions. The analysis includedANOVA to assess the differences over time between G1 and G2, Correlation Analysis to examine the relationships among the measuredvariables within each group, and Correspondence Analysis to explore the association patterns between the groups' responses and thevariables of interest. The ANOVA revealed a significant difference in Daily Stress (DS) levels between G1 and G2, with G1 showing higherDS levels. Correlation analysis indicated a strong negative relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and Sleep Quality (SQ) in G1, and astrong positive relationship between DS and Satisfaction of Life (SL). Correspondence Analysis showed that that G1 was encompassed in ajob and life satisfaction area, and G2 was encompassed in a sleep and stress for weight control area. This study concluded that both groupsinitially experienced weight gains and increased sleep duration due to remote work. Daily Stress was found to be significantly higher in G1than in G2, possibly due to the isolation of tele-exercise. Correlation analyses highlighted the influence of time on relationship between BMIand SQ, and DS and SL. The study emphasizes stress management and good sleep quality in remote work, with exercise interventionspromoting well-being and productivity.

The Role of Workplace Communication on Employees’ Performance in Tanzania: A Case of Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO)

Effective workplace communication is pivotal in enhancing employee performance, particularly in today's global business environment characterized by diversity and remote work dynamics. This study aimed to examine the role of workplace communication on employee performance within Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO), focusing on how communication influences job correctness, decision-making, planning, and overall employee productivity. The study utilized a descriptive research design to collect data. A total of 36 participants were sampled using simple random. Data were gathered through questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS for quantitative data insights. The findings indicate a significant correlation between effective communication and enhanced employee performance. Specifically, open communication with supervisors was strongly linked to increased job correctness and performance (mean = 4.81). Communication was also found to facilitate decision-making and planning (mean = 3.53), and there was a recognized relationship between effective communication and overall employee performance (mean = 3.97). However, the traditional top-down communication approach was noted, with a mean score of 3.65, suggesting areas for improvement in adopting more inclusive communication practices. The study confirms the critical role of effective workplace communication in enhancing employee performance at TANESCO. Open and transparent communication, particularly with supervisors, significantly contributes to job accuracy and employee productivity. The study recommends that TANESCO implements structured programs to foster open dialogue, develops comprehensive communication strategies that balance hierarchical and inclusive approaches, and invests in regular training and assessment of communication practices. Additionally, adopting an 'open door' policy and engaging in active listening are suggested to enhance the communication framework within the organization.

Implementation of Labor Law in the Era of Industrial Revolution 4.0 - Challenges and Solutions

The Industrial Revolution 4.0 has drastically transformed global industries, introducing advanced technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, and digitalization into the workplace. This rapid technological shift has presented significant challenges for labor laws, which are often designed for traditional work environments. This study explores the implementation of labor law in the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, analyzing the challenges faced by both employers and employees in adapting to these new technological advancements. Using a qualitative methodology, this research employs a juridical review of existing labor laws, supported by an in-depth case study examining how these laws are applied in technology-driven industries. The findings indicate that labor laws often lag behind the technological advances, leading to gaps in legal protections for workers and ambiguities in employer obligations. The case study highlights specific instances where current labor regulations fail to address issues related to remote work, job displacement due to automation, and workers' rights in the gig economy. Solutions are proposed to modernize labor laws, ensuring they are adaptable to future technological developments while safeguarding workers' rights. The study concludes that there is an urgent need for legal reforms to balance innovation with fair labor practices in the era of Industry 4.0.

Reallocation of time after an exogenous reduction in mandatory travel: transport, work, and leisure in Chilean two-worker two-gender households

A two-step model framework is proposed and applied to analyze empirically the impact of a travel time reduction on labor supply in two-worker two-gender households, using a nationwide data set for time use collected in 2015 in Chile. First, a system of structural equations (SSE) is estimated to reveal which activities can be considered as committed, and to unveil the hierarchy of activities by gender undertaken by the household workers to help defining the labor supply model. Then a quadratic formulation including committed time for each individual and committed expenses for the family is applied to the time-use data to estimate a labor supply model, considering the findings with the SSE (hierarchy and committed activities). Results were obtained controlling for household size, region, and age, showing systematically that labor supply diminishes with the wage rates of either working member of the household (a forward falling shape), that committed expenses induces more work, and that diminishing mandatory travel time induces an increase in working hours that varies between 27 and 64 percent of the liberated time, in line with 2023 reports on the reallocation of liberated travel time due to remote working and confirming the theoretical findings by Jara-Diaz and Contreras (2024).

Security Evaluation Framework for Virtualised Environments

With the expansion of cloud computing, virtual environments remain susceptible to sophisticated security threats, such as hypervisor vulnerabilities, VM escapes, inter-VM attacks, DoS attacks, and malware injections. Hence, ensuring that virtualised environments are secure, has become increasingly crucial. These threats are particularly affecting as many enterprises which have shifted to online services and remote work. This paper examines the existing frameworks which have been designed to address the existing challenges, their gaps and strengths; and proposes an enhanced security framework that can help to mitigate these threats. The framework was developed following an iterative process encompassing several stages. It has the hypervisor layer, virtual machine layer, network layer, management layer, and monitoring and response layer components. The framework aims to enhance detection capabilities, reduce response times, minimise system performance impact, and lower false positive rates while optimising resource utilisation by providing a practical and effective approach to securing virtualised infrastructures, thereby ensuring the resilience and reliability of cloud-based services.

The potential dark side of remote work transformation: a social vulnerability and relational perspective

The global COVID-19 pandemic led many organizations and employees to abruptly adopt remote work. This remote work transformation has broadly encompassed individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds (e.g. ethnicity, gender) and job roles. A multi-level, conceptual model is developed that explores its potential dark side, particularly for women and ethnic minorities. Drawing on social vulnerability theory and the relational framework of diversity, this manuscript explores how disproportionate exposure to remote work, surveillance and disciplinary mechanisms, along with adverse job and wage loss, job insecurity, and psychological health impacts for women and ethnic minorities may potentially permeate their workplace interactions and stimulate interpersonal conflict. Moreover, this model incorporates these relationships within their broader social context, shaped by the legislative framework and shared cultural beliefs such as social difference codes. Nevertheless, this model elucidates how certain organizational approaches to diversity management can potentially alleviate these disproportionate outcomes. Theoretical implications, future research directions, and recommendations for policy and practice are highlighted.

Online harassment in labor relations

The article notes that the integration of social media into our daily lives has led to the blurring of the boundaries between work and personal space and, as a result, the growth of harassment on social media. Based on various statistics and international studies, it can be argued that harassment at work, especially sexual harassment, is a complex, unresolved problem for many companies around the world, and the constant growth of remote work that began during the pandemic directly leads to an increase in complaints about aggressive actions on the Internet. The authors of the article point out that harassment on social media in the workplace does not have to be limited to traditional working hours, and the harasser can be not only a colleague, manager, or technical staff, but also a client, supplier, etc. To effectively combat harassment in the workplace, organizations must first develop a zero-tolerance policy against harassment or any other form of discrimination and cultivate a culture of empathy. However, a policy or training alone is not enough if there is no detailed and effective mechanism for reporting harassment to a manager or an authorized body at the enterprise. The article analyzes the foreign and national experience of the procedure for reporting harassment and protecting violated rights. The author concludes that since Ukrainian legislation does not define harassment and does not establish liability for such actions, employees have the opportunity to protect their rights only within the framework of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Men and Women” and the Law of Ukraine “On Principles of Prevention and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine”. Therefore, the issue of supplementing national legislation with such a term as harassment, defining its possible forms and establishing liability, as was done, for example, with regard to mobbing, is now an urgent one.

Impact of space utilization and work time flexibility on energy performance of office buildings

This study investigates the impact of different space utilization on energy use intensity, heating load, cooling load, and thermal comfort of occupants using a combination of empirical data gathering and simulation-based studies. The increasing worldwide preoccupation with energy consumption and environmental sustainability has led to increased attention on optimizing interior spaces to mitigate total energy demand. The considered case study for conducting this research was the Norwegian living lab namely Zero Emission Building (ZEB) Flexible Lab in Trondheim, Norway. In this study, 10 different scenarios of occupancy schedules based on flexible arrangements from standard workweeks to extensive remote work configurations were designed and analyzed using IDA ICE 5.0. The findings demonstrate significant reductions in energy use across scenarios with increased teleworking and compressed work weeks. The remote scenario achieved the most significant decrease in Energy Use Intensity (EUI), with a reduction of 46 % compared to the base case. Similarly, the implementation of flexible hours and remote working in scenarios resulted in a reduction of electric heating demand by up to 23 %, underscoring the potential of occupancy-based strategies in enhancing building energy efficiency. However, uncomfortable hours increased by 59 % in the 2-day remote working scenario compared to the base case, demonstrating the need to consider climate conditions when implementing remote work. The research offers valuable insights into the complex connections between flexible arrangements and energy efficiency, considering many elements such as occupancy schedule and use dynamics. This article offers a comprehensive analysis that may give architects, building managers, and policymakers valuable insights. This study contributes to the developing sustainable architecture by emphasizing the impact of dynamic occupancy on the energy performance of office buildings.

THE IMPACT OF CLOUD-BASED MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS ON HRM EFFICIENCY: AN ANALYSIS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMEs)

Cloud-based management information systems (MIS) are becoming integral to the operational success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in enhancing the efficiency of human resource management (HRM) processes. This article, based on a comprehensive review of 75 peer-reviewed studies, investigates how the adoption of cloud-based MIS positively impacts critical HRM functions such as employee management, recruitment, training, and performance monitoring. The findings indicate that cloud-based systems significantly streamline these HR tasks by reducing time, costs, and the administrative burdens traditionally associated with manual or localized HR operations. Moreover, the integration of real-time data analytics through cloud-based platforms enhances decision-making capabilities, enabling HR professionals to make data-driven and timely decisions that improve overall workforce management. The reviewed studies also emphasize that cloud-based MIS are essential for improving strategic HR planning. These systems allow SMEs to access advanced tools for workforce analytics, employee engagement, and performance tracking, which were previously only accessible to larger corporations. The flexibility and scalability offered by cloud-based MIS enable SMEs to quickly adapt to changes in staffing needs, business growth, and external market conditions without the need for costly infrastructure. Furthermore, the review highlights the role of cloud technology in fostering innovation within HR departments by supporting predictive analytics and AI-driven decision-making, which can further enhance operational efficiency. In addition to operational benefits, cloud-based MIS facilitate a more seamless integration of HR functions across geographically dispersed teams, allowing for enhanced collaboration and communication. This capability is especially critical as SMEs continue to adopt remote and hybrid work models.

Perks or burdens? Being “nearly (Im)mobile” as IT foreign professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

ABSTRACT This paper investigates how Vietnamese IT professionals managed their daily work and family lives in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapting the concept of “nearly mobile”, this study suggests a concept of “nearly (im)mobile”, which focuses on the tensions and opportunities between mobility and immobility in skilled migrants’ work and family life. Workers from Vietnam comprise the third-largest group of foreign IT professionals in Japan. Many worked remotely during the pandemic, like others in the IT industry. However, amidst the unmitigated expansion of remote work during the pandemic including among Japanese nationals, how these workers experienced this work style has remained under-researched. The findings are based on semi-structured online and in-person interview data from Vietnamese IT professionals. Similar to Japanese national employees, many Vietnamese professionals could work remotely. Moreover, the workforce needs in the labour market allowed some to change jobs. However, junior workers were forced to be immobile (at the office) or stay in on-the-job training, and some skilled workers were expected to commit to longer hours for online communication with staff in Vietnam. Additionally, border restrictions exposed the immobility of foreign IT professionals and family members in Japan and Vietnam, which prevented these professionals from receiving childcare support from their families. This paper argues that while Vietnamese IT professionals could be physically “nearly (im)mobile” by staying at home to work, they were simultaneously pressured to undergo “nearly (im)mobile” work practices in Japanese firms while constrained by managing their work and family lives.

Psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of on-site and remote Brazilian workers during the COVID-19 pandemic – a longitudinal study

BackgroundAt the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some workers had the opportunity to work from home, while others remained in on-site work. The aim of the present study was to compare the psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of Brazilian workers in remote and on-site work through a longitudinal study with quarterly follow-up assessments over a 12-month period.MethodA convenience sample of 1,211 workers from different economic sectors participated in the study, 897 of whom (74.1%) worked from home and 314 (25.9%) remained in on-site work. Psychosocial work aspects were assessed using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI) and the Work Ability Score (WAS). Mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rate were recorded based on self-reported medical diagnoses. Online questionnaires were answered from June 2020 to September 2021, involving two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The groups were compared using chi-square tests, t-tests, and two-way ANOVA.ResultsIn the first wave of the pandemic, remote workers reported more quantitative demands and work-family conflicts, whereas on-site workers reported more emotional demands, low development of new skills, low commitment, low predictability, low recognition, and low satisfaction. They also reported greater occurrences of unwanted sexual attention, threats of violence, and physical violence. In the second wave, the remote group continued to report high work-family conflicts, whereas the on-site group reported – in addition to the results of the 1st wave – low influence at work, low quality of leadership, and burnout. No significant difference was found between groups with regards to the WAI in either wave. A significant difference was found for the WAS between the 3rd and 12th months (P < 0.01) in both groups. No significant differences were found between groups for the prevalence of anxiety, depression, burnout/stress, insomnia, panic syndrome, and eating disorders, except for the prevalence of insomnia at the 12-month follow-up, with higher rates in the remote group (P = 0.03). SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower in the remote group (11.3%) compared to the on- site (16.9%) group (P < 0.01).ConclusionsPsychosocial work aspects differed between remote and on-site workers. Work ability and mental health conditions were similar between groups. Remote work might have played a role in limiting the spread of the virus in Brazil had it been more widely available.

ANALISIS SENTIMEN APLIKASI MICROSOFT TEAMS BERDASARKAN ULASAN GOOGLE PLAY STORE MENGGUNAKAN MODEL NEURAL NETWORK DENGAN OPTIMASI ADAPTIVE MOMENT ESTIMATION (ADAM)

The Covid-19 virus pandemic with its rapid spread has made the government enact several policies that can reduce community activities that have the potential to cause crowds including social distancing, work from home (WFH) and online and hybrid learning. One of the platforms that was widely used during the WFH and online learning period was Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is an app that lets people and organizations collaborate and interact online. Microsoft Teams can be downloaded through the Google Play Store and users can leave reviews. Sentiment analysis is used to classify user sentiment towards Microsoft Teams into positive and negative sentiments. Review data obtained from January to November 2022. The classification is carried out using the Neural Network which is a computational system inspired by biological neural networks. Weight optimization is done using Adaptive Moment Estimation which is popular in the field of deep learning because it achieves good results quickly. The classification model in this paper was built with a training test ratio of 80:20. The best hyperparameter combination is node hidden layer 100, learning rate 0.0001, and batch size 32. The accuracy of the ANN classification model was obtained by 88.16%.Keywords: Microsoft Teams, Google Play Store, Sentiment Analysis, Neural Network, Adaptive Moment Estimation

Understanding the professional factors that impact the retention of pathology workers in regional, rural and remote Australia.

The objective of this study was to determine what professional factors impact the retention of pathology workers in regional, rural and remote Australia. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data regarding the professional factors that impact the retention of regional, rural and remote pathology workers in Australia (n = 95). The survey focused on pathology workers' satisfaction with specific professional factors and how long they intended to stay in their current position. Regional, rural and remote (MM2-7) pathology laboratories in Australia. There were a total of 95 participants, including 24 phlebotomists/laboratory assistants, 34 medical laboratory scientists and 29 supervisors/managers, with the majority of participants being from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. Significant positive associations were found between satisfaction with career advancement opportunities, workplace culture and maintaining professional skills with the retention of regional, rural and remote pathology workers. Open-ended responses indicated that personal factors also played an important role in pathology worker retention in regional, rural and remote communities. This study provides important insights into the professional factors that impact the retention of pathology workers in regional, rural and remote Australia. Personal factors were also found to play an important role in retention. These findings have highlighted the need for further research to be conducted to explore the relationship between professional and personal factors and how this impacts the retention of pathology workers in regional, rural and remote Australia.

Mental Health Risk Assessment and Safety Planning During UK Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown: Mixed Methods Survey and Interview Study

Risk assessment and safety planning are central to mental health nursing practice but were seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. In this study, we aimed to explore how the UK pandemic lockdowns affected risk assessment and safety planning from the perspective of mental health practitioners. A sequential, mixed methods study design was used. A link to an online survey questionnaire was distributed and semi-structured interviews with a subset of respondents were conducted. Survey data were analysed to describe perceived changes in the frequency and nature of risk assessment and safety planning during the pandemic lockdowns. This was supplemented by thematic analysis of qualitative interview data. In total, 106 practitioners were surveyed and 10 participated in semi-structured interviews. More respondents increased than decreased risk assessment frequency but there was no significant overall change. Remote contact was more common in community settings and largely involved telephone appointments. Participants did not wish to continue with remote working following the pandemic. Risk assessment practice changed in UK mental health services as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns.

DESEMPENHO E PRODUTIVIDADE DOS COLABORADORES EM HOME OFFICE

The Coronavirus pandemic has driven a technological revolution that has radically transformed work activities, solidifying telecommuting as a predominant and challenging practice. In this context, the restructuring of monitoring, performance evaluation, and motivation practices has emerged in response to the need for social distancing. The objective is to understand the interconnection between digital work and physical needs, and their influence on performance monitoring and worker motivation, as well as to identify strategies and tools adopted during this period to analyze their effectiveness. This is a qualitative, exploratory research using bibliographic and documentary methods, gathering data from scientific articles and relevant websites, as well as from databases like Google Scholar, Scielo, and Virtual Libraries such as Google Books. The results indicate that adapting to remote work requires a multifaceted approach, where effective communication, valuing employees, and balancing control and trust are essential for the success of remote work and the sustainability of organizational performance.

Organization of remote work: Ukrainian legislation and standards of the European Union

The article explores remote work in Ukraine and its alignment with European Union (EU) standards. It analyses the Ukrainian Labour Code and the 2002 EU Framework Agreement on Telework. It is emphasized reveals both similarities and differences between the two documents. Both emphasize the voluntary nature of telework, ensuring equal rights and protections for remote workers as those on-site. They prioritize health, safety, privacy, and confidentiality, mandating employers to provide necessary equipment and maintain safe working conditions. The author emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the concepts of “remote work” and “home-based work”. It is established that the term “remote work” differs from “telework” in its international understanding and encompasses a broader scope than home-based work. However, a comparison between the definitions of telework provided in the European Framework Agreement on Telework of 2002 and remote work as outlined in the Ukrainian Labour Code concludes their synonymity. Other differences have also been scrutinized in the article: Ukraine allows employees combine remote work with office work (hybrid work), while the EU doesn’t address this yet. Ukraine also guarantees the right to disconnect, allowing remote workers to switch off after work. The EU is working on updates to cover these areas and create a more consistent approach across member States: This might include the right to disconnect, equal treatment for remote workers, and clearer rules for hybrid work. It was concluded that both regions need further development: Ukraine needs to address remote work abroad and data security, while the EU needs to modernize its framework.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Best Practices for Fostering an Inclusive Workplace Culture in the Digital Age

This research paper focuses on the implementation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to promote workplace inclusion, especially in the new world order of technology. Conducted through a secondary research analysis method, the thematic and comparative approaches in the paper underscore how DEI initiatives, when aligned with leadership responsibility and technology adoption, contribute to the success of organizations. Apparently, it has emerged that by bringing both women to the board and mentoring for all, the corporate entities serving under the inclusiveness agenda are likely to financially perform significantly better compared to their less inclusive counterparts, to attract and retain the best talent within the market and treat their employees well. Furthermore, they underline that organizations need to ensure that employees in remote and hybrid work environments do not become digitally excluded. Other issues like algorithmic bias within the use of AI for recruitment and the discordance between diversity and inclusion rhetoric are also tackled. The argumentation of the paper wraps up with a conclusion regarding the effects of DEI initiatives on organizational outcomes and the possible future research on the synergy between DEI approaches and advanced technologies.

Breastfeeding During COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders: Implications for Future Maternal Work Policies and Health Equity.

This study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders on the breastfeeding experiences of U.S. people a identify facilitators and barriers to breastfeeding during this period, and to assess the effects of maternal stress and misinformation on breastfeeding practices. U.S. women with infants were selected through purposive and convenience sampling. An online survey, distributed during summer 2020, measured changes in infant feeding practices, maternal stress levels, use of lactation support resources, and the influence of misinformation on feeding decisions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis. Our sample (n = 1,861) revealed that 34% of U.S. women realized the pandemic affected their feeding practices, 544 women provided qualitative data. Major themes from qualitative analysis included ease of breastfeeding at home, bonding, increased breastfeeding duration, and challenges like limited access to lactation support. Logistic regressions highlighted demographic influences on breastfeeding practices, with no significant effects found related to the child's age or women's income on changes in feeding practices. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially impacted breastfeeding experiences of U.S. women, yielding insights for future policy and healthcare practices. The findings underscore the potential benefits of telehealth lactation support services and flexible remote work environments for breastfeeding people. Clear and scientifically-grounded communication regarding breastfeeding, mental health support, and policy development, are essential to promote equitable and flexible work and maternity leave options for breastfeeding people especially during global health crises.