Work Home Research Articles

Evaluating the interactive impact of acculturative stress and anxiety sensitivity on behavioral health outcomes among Latinx during a period of high COVID-19 impact

ABSTRACT As a multi-systemic disease, COVID-19 infection engendered a rise in co-occurring mental and physical health symptoms, particularly affecting the Latinx population. The current work sought to evaluate the main and interactive influence of acculturative stress and anxiety sensitivity in terms of mental and physical health symptoms among 181 Latinx persons (30.4% female, M age = 34.1 years, SD = 8.20). Data were collected during a period of high COVID-19 impact (2020–2021) and analyses included five separate, two-step hierarchical regressions that were conducted for each of the criterion variables: (1) fear of coronavirus; (2) somatic symptoms; (3) fatigue severity; (4) anxiety symptoms; and (5) depression symptoms. For all analyses, step 1 covariates included years living in the U.S. COVID-19 impact, gender identity, education, and work life distress and home life distress. Results revealed an interactive effect of anxiety sensitivity and acculturative stress on COVID-19 fear, unique main effects for both anxiety sensitivity and acculturative stress on COVID-19 related fear and somatic symptoms, and main effects for anxiety sensitivity alone in relation to fatigue severity, anxiety, and depression. Overall, this study represents an initial investigation of the associations between acculturative stress, anxiety sensitivity, and a range of salient COVID-19 related outcomes among Latinx persons.

How resilient employees can prevent family ostracism from escalating into diminished work engagement and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior

Drawing from conservation of resources theory and the work–home resources model, this research examines the hitherto overlooked but highly relevant link between employees’ experience of resource-draining family ostracism and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior, with a specific focus on the mediating role of their work engagement and moderating role of their resilience. Tests of the research hypotheses, using survey data collected among employees who work in the construction retail industry, reveal that a core channel through which social exclusion by family members translates into diminished voluntary change efforts is that employees become less engaged with work. This intermediate role of lower work engagement is less prominent, however, among employees who have a greater ability to bounce back from challenging situations. For human resource (HR) management scholars, this study accordingly helps explain why a sense of being ignored at home may lead employees to become complacent in their change efforts: Employees exhibit less enthusiasm about work. But HR management practitioners can subdue this process to the extent that they enhance and leverage employees’ resilience levels.

The satisfaction between work life balance and work stress of employees working from home during and after the pandemic

Every sector and organization in the world has been significantly impacted by the early 2020 corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak, which has also changed how people live and work. All these transformations are dealt with in a new way: like works from home and through teleworking. By examining a wide range of potential markers of job satisfaction when working from home when affected by COVID-19, including work-life balance and work stress, this study seeks to close any gaps. A total of 343 home workers in the IT industry from all over India participated in a quantitative study, and SPSS was used to analyze the results. The study discovered significant direct and indirect effects of work stress, work-life balance, and working from home on job happiness. Indian workers benefit from working from home as a new pace of work that keeps them happy in their current setting. Working from home might be advantageous; something the corporation should take into account given the collectivist environment.

Virtual reality and augmented reality smartphone applications for upskilling care home workers in hand hygiene: a realist multi-site feasibility, usability, acceptability, and efficacy study.

To assess the feasibility and implementation, usability, acceptability and efficacy of virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) smartphone applications for upskilling care home workers in hand hygiene and to explore underlying learning mechanisms. Care homes in Northwest England were recruited. We took a mixed-methods and pre-test and post-test approach by analyzing uptake and completion rates of AR, immersive VR or non-immersive VR training, validated and bespoke questionnaires, observations, videos, and interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. Qualitative data were analyzed using a combined inductive and deductive approach. Forty-eight care staff completed AR training (n = 19), immersive VR training (n = 21), or non-immersive VR training (n = 8). The immersive VR and AR training had good usability with System Usability Scale scores of 84.40 and 77.89 (of 100), respectively. They had high acceptability, with 95% of staff supporting further use. The non-immersive VR training had borderline poor usability, scoring 67.19 and only 63% would support further use. There was minimal improved knowledge, with an average of 6% increase to the knowledge questionnaire. Average hand hygiene technique scores increased from 4.77 (of 11) to 7.23 after the training. Repeated practice, task realism, feedback and reminding, and interactivity were important learning mechanisms triggered by AR/VR. Feasibility and implementation considerations included managerial support, physical space, providing support, screen size, lagging Internet, and fitting the headset. AR and immersive VR apps are feasible, usable, and acceptable for delivering training. Future work should explore whether they are more effective than previous training and ensure equity in training opportunities.

Who cares for carers? Responsibilization and the discourse of self-care in health and social care literature during the COVID-19 pandemic. A critical review

COVID-19 outbreak produced an unprecedented crisis in care sectors. Nursing home workers, healthcare, social care, and clinical social workers (HSCW) often took the burden of managing the crisis in their facilities, risking increased stress, trauma, and burnout. As a response to this issue, increased interest in self-care in health and social work literature could be observed. Yet, the concept of self-care is problematic, as it focuses attention on the individual responsibility to care for oneself, regardless of organisational and structural factors and obstacles. The article provides a critical literature review, focused on risk factors and psychological consequences of the pandemic in health and social care and clinical social work, and on the proposed response, namely, self-care. The aim of the article is to systematise knowledge about approaches to self-care in these sectors and to critically review those approaches. Critiques of self-care are considered, including those informed by Foucauldian perspective of governmentality and responsibilization. The concept of community care is introduced as an implication and an answer to these critiques.

Work interrupted at home: examining the influence of supportive teleworking practices on work–family conflict

PurposeBy utilizing boundary theory and distraction–conflict theory, this study attempted to examine the influential process of supportive teleworking practices granting work scheduling autonomy on work-to-family conflict (WFC) via the mediating mechanism of work interruption initiated from home.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted two-wave online questionnaire survey to obtain a final sample of 277 remote knowledge workers in Taiwan during the peak period of COVID-19 pandemic. Hypotheses were tested with partial least squares-structural equation modelling using SmartPLS 3.0 software.FindingsThe results revealed that supportive teleworking practices did not directly decrease the level of WFC while home-sourced work interruptions fully mediated the negative relationship between supportive teleworking practices and WFC.Originality/valueThis provides a more nuanced explanation for how and why supportive teleworking practices are beneficial for employees to cope with the challenge of work–home interferences under the new ways of working. The findings simultaneously address evidence-based practices to better deal with mandatory teleworking during potential societal crisis beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aberrant driving behaviour among home healthcare workers

This study investigates how job demands, such as time and work pressure, as well as fatigue and safety climate are related to aberrant driving behaviour including inattention, speeding, and driving while tired among employees in the Norwegian home healthcare service. The analysis adjusted for demographics, such as age, gender, and years of employment. A questionnaire was devised using validated instruments and PLS-SEM was used to analyse the data which included 210 respondents from municipal home healthcare services throughout Norway. A multiple mediation analysis was developed and tested in a complex modelling framework. We conclude that (i) workers' job demands have a direct and indirect impact (via fatigue) on aberrant driving behaviour, (ii) taking measures to manage fatigue precursors may lead to less aberrant driving behaviour among employees in the home healthcare sector, (iii) work and time pressure are possible precursors of fatigue, and (iv) the importance of management's involvement in promoting a safe driving climate is emphasised.

Perceived income inadequacy is associated with Epstein-Barr Virus latency and mental health outcomes in informal caregivers who are also employed in the healthcare industry

Finances are a prevalent source of stress. In a sample of 799 nursing home workers measured multiple times over 18 months, we found that higher perceived income inadequacy, the perception that one's expenses exceeds one's incomes, was associated with poorer self-reported mental health indicators and Epstein-Barr Virus antibody titers (a marker of cell-mediated immune function). Perceived income inadequacy predicted outcomes over and above the role of other socioeconomic status variables (objective household income and education). Mental health variables were not related to Epstein-Barr Virus antibody titers. Additionally, we found an interaction between perceived income inadequacy and informal caregiver status on our mental health outcomes; informal caregivers with higher perceived income inadequacy had poorer mental health than non-caregivers with the same perceived income inadequacy. Our findings may add nuance to the reserve capacity model, which states that those at lower socioeconomic levels are at higher risk of adverse health outcomes partly because they have fewer resources to address demands and strain. Perceived income inadequacy may significantly predict mental and physical well-being beyond other socioeconomic status variables, especially among lower-income employees. Caregiving stress and perceived income inadequacy may have synergistic effects on mental health.

Re-configuring the jigsaw puzzle: Balancing time, pace, place and space of work in the Covid-19 era

Drawing on the principles of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and the Work–Home Resources (W-HR) model, this research captured the lived experiences of 19 parents from across Scotland during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The data were derived initially from two digital interviews per participant, with interview content in both cases informed by preceding questionnaires. A third phase of interviews was conducted post the pandemic. Findings revealed that while participants valued increased flexibility gained through enforced home working, this often led to feelings of guilt, working longer hours and perceived work intensification. Work–home conflict emerged as a source of tension, dependent upon social and relational interactions, and physical and shared spaces at home. The authors analyse these issues in the context of job crafting as a means of organising the jigsaw pieces of work–home conflict as participants transitioned to a ‘new normal’. In conclusion they examine the implications and suggest avenues for further research.

Listening and learning: a qualitative study of Scottish care home staff experiences of managing COVID-19 between March 2020-August 2022

BackgroundThe serious outcomes of outbreaks of COVID-19 in care homes have been described internationally. The experiences of professionals working through outbreaks has received less attention, missing opportunities to acknowledge and learn lessons. Our aim was to explore the experiences of care home staff in Scotland of managing COVID-19 within their homes to help inform understanding and future practice.MethodsFrom April to August 2022, 34 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with care home staff working in homes which experienced an outbreak(s) of COVID-19. Reflexive thematic methods were used to analyse verbatim deidentified transcripts.FindingsThere was no singular experience of COVID-19 outbreaks within care homes. We identified four broad groupings of homes with outbreaks (significant outbreaks, managed outbreaks, outbreaks in remote/rural homes & outbreaks in homes supporting younger adults), with overlaps in timing and severity and variation in the support received and impact. The national response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in fundamental change to care home relationships. Staff responded by adaptation in uncertainty. However, they were challenged by emerging inequalities influencing residents’ care. There were tensions between staff experience and evolving external approaches to regulation and oversight. All this change resulted in psychological impacts on staff. However, there was also widespread evidence of compassionate leadership and teamwork in their responses. Effective sources of support were underpinned by respectful relationships and continuity, tailored to individual contexts.ConclusionsThe lived experiences of care home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic provide valuable insights applicable beyond the pandemic context. This includes: recognition of the specialism, complexity and diversity of care home practice; the value afforded by embedding genuine representation and involvement in planning, policy-making and research; the need for individualising to people in their contexts and the value of fostering respectful relationships across professional groups to support residents.

Stress and burnout in nursing home and égida workers during COVID-19.

Finding out whether there are differences in the levels of stress and burnout between workers providing care to dependent adults and those caring for independent older adults would provide comparative information about two different models of care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, workers caring for older adults were subjected to maladaptive situations that produced stress and burnout. A cross-sectional survey design using the STROBE checklist. A total of 900 nursing home and égidas workers were assessed for stress and burnout. Data were collected online from October 2020 to February 2021, when Puerto Rico was experiencing the peak of the third wave of COVID-19. MANOVAs were performed to study the interactions between the workplace and having had COVID, the workplace and the size of institution and the workplace and position held. October 2020 to February 2021. All interactions were significant. Nursing homes showed higher levels of stress and burnout when workers had undergone COVID, when the size of the institution was larger and for technical staff other services; in égidas, having undergone COVID did not influence stress or burnout, which increased when the institution was smaller and for executive staff. This study showed that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic affected nursing home workers more significantly than those working in other types of residential models with independent older adults. Applying preventive interventions aimed at reducing stress and burnout would facilitate the adaptation of workers caring for older adults and help to improve the quality of care. This study analysed the impact of COVID-19 on the stress and burnout of workers providing services to older adults. Nursing home workers who have had COVID-19 have higher stress and burnout. The size of the institution has a different effect depending on whether older adults are dependent or independent. Workers in institutions dedicated to the care of the older adults. This study has adhered to the relevant EQUATOR guidelines: STROBE. During the different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult to establish direct contact with workers providing care to older adults; this reason made it necessary to apply online systems to obtain information. The workers appreciated the fact that the implications for stress and burnout of the situation experienced during this difficult process were investigated.

Understanding community level influences on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in England: new insights from comparison over time and space.

Understanding and monitoring the major influences on SARS-CoV-2 prevalence is essential to inform policy making and devise appropriate packages of non-pharmaceutical interventions. Through evaluating community level influences on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and their spatio-temporal variations in England, this study aims to provide some insights into the most important risk parameters. We used spatial clusters developed in Jahanshahi and Jin (2021 Transportation 48, 1329-1359 (doi:10.1007/s11116-020-10098-9)) as geographical areas with distinct land use and travel patterns. We also segmented our data by time periods to control for changes in policies or development of the disease over the course of the pandemic. We then used multivariate linear regression to identify influences driving infections within the clusters and to compare the variations of those between the clusters. Our findings demonstrate the key roles that workplace and commuting modes have had on some of the sections of the working population after accounting for several interrelated influences including mobility and vaccination. We found communities of workers in care homes and warehouses and to a lesser extent textile and ready meal industries and those who rely more on public transport for commuting tend to carry a higher risk of infection across all residential area types and time periods.

Determinants of Job Satisfaction Among Work-From-Home Malaysians During Pandemic: Application of Job Demands-Resources Model

Work From Home (WFH) or telework is gaining its popularity all over the world, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the organizations to embark on vitrual work environment even though many were not prepared for such changes. This study examined the determinants of job satisfaction among the new home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia by applying the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model. The data were collected from 370 respondents across various industries through online questionnaire survey. Out of the 370 respondents, 30.5% of the respondents specializing in education/training, 24.6% are in accounting/banking/finance, 15.9% are in computer/IT and \the remaining 29% are from other fields such as administration/HR, marketing/sales, manufacturing, engineering, art/media/communication, sciences, services and others. The findings based on the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis suggests that social isolation, suitability of home workspace, organizational supports, job autonomy and perceived self competency have significant influences on employees’ job satisfaction while working from home. This study offers valuable insights to organizations regarding sustainable human resource management strategies during the pandemic. It suggests that various forms of organizational support should be extended to employees during times of difficulties and uncertainties.

Correction to: Unethical pro-supervisor behavior and employees’ family satisfaction: the roles of workplace ostracism and work–home segmentation preference

Correction to: Unethical pro-supervisor behavior and employees’ family satisfaction: the roles of workplace ostracism and work–home segmentation preference

Public Transport Commuting Analytics: A Longitudinal Study Based on GPS Tracking and Unsupervised Learning

This paper uses unlabelled GPS tracking data collected by a smartphone application, enriched by fusion with automatic vehicle location (AVL) data, to study commuting trips from home to work and vice versa. Such commuting trips play a significant part in public transport (PT), and in transport planning in general. This work investigates patterns of mobility, based on multiple thousands of recorded trips over a set of users in a longitudinal study by, first, determining unsupervised clustering algorithms to impute work and home locations, then analysing relevant characteristics, such as departure times, mode/line choice and trip duration. Finally, a heuristics algorithm is proposed to analyse the extent and frequency of similar trips. The results quantify amount and limits of the regularity of individual commuting behaviour in terms of repeatable travel choices. Commuters are quite consistent in their choices of departure times and lines used, even though differences are found among the two directions of the commuting trips, with work–home trips having a greater average duration and, in many cases, different choices of lines.

COVID-19 and Nursing Homes in Decentralized Spain: How Governance and Public Policies Influence Working Conditions and Organizational Responses to the Crisis

How did long-term care (LTC) policies and the prevailing governance model affect the working conditions of nursing home workers in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic? Here, we rely on qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews and document analysis to answer the research question. The results suggest that lack of coordination between health and social services, underfunding of the LTC system, and the absence of legislative initiatives have harmed caregivers’ labor and employment conditions and the effectiveness of managing the crisis. These findings are relevant as they expose the implications of the territorial structure of welfare and sectoral public policies in managing a crisis.

Relationship between Marital Status and Mental Workload with Work Stress for Work From Home Workers

Introduction: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the work culture in Indonesia has changed. Many companies are implementing the Work From Home (WFH) system. This can cause a dilemma for the workforce due to the assumption that home is a place to rest, not to work. The benefits can be felt since the implementation of Work From Home (WFH). However, there are also negative impacts can be felt by the workforce due to disturbances outside of work. Conflicts between families are also common. The purpose of this study is to determine the strong relationship between marital status and mental workload with work stress in Work From Home (WFH) workers. Methods: This study is a survey research and used a cross-sectional study. The sample in this study is total population of workers in the Group of Digital BolaSport Kompas Gramedia Jakarta, which is 20 people. The variables used in this study were marital status, mental workload, and work stress. The data in this study were obtained by filling out questionnaires about individual characteristic (marital status), mental workload, and work stress. Results: Most of the workers have not married status (60%), high mental workload (55%), and medium work stress (55%). The correlation coefficient value between marital status and work stress is 0.373. Meanwhile, between mental workload and work stress it is 0.667. Conclusion: In Work From Home workers, there is a weak relationship between marital status and work stress. Besides that, there is a strong relationship between mental workload and work stress.

ENRICH Scotland: a research network enabling research in care homes in Scotland

There is a need to understand the lives of people who live in care homes and how care should be delivered in this setting. Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH) was funded by National Institute for Health Research in 2012 in England to increase research awareness and participation for people who live and work in care homes. A similar model was developed for Scotland, but without funding this proved difficult. In 2021, the Chief Scientist Office funded an expansion of the existing model for Scottish care homes. This article describes the components of enabling research in care homes in Scotland and the research infrastructure the team are developing to enable more research, including clinical trials, to be carried out in Scottish care homes, and how this will benefit the residents, families and staff.

Role of Telerehabilitation in Patients With COPD: A Brief Review

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a reversible lung disease that is characterised by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The airflow limitation may be due to alveolar and airway abnormalities, usually caused by significant exposure to noxious particles. India is estimated to have 30 million COPD patients at present. Chronic and progressive dyspnoea is the most common symptom of COPD. Dyspnoea is the major cause of anxiety and disability in COPD. There are various exercises for pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with COPD. Telerehabilitation is an approach in which rehabilitation is provided at the patient's work place, home, or other place through video-conferencing, video-based, or Gmail. Various physical exercises, such as strength exercise, endurance exercise, and breathing exercise, can help in the management of dyspnoea, quality of life, and exercise capacity. Studies have supported that telerehabilitation could result in better control of dyspnoea, quality of life, and exercise capacity in patients with COPD. Studies conducted till date have not reached a definitive conclusion for forming a definitive protocol for telerehabilitation exercise in patients with COPD. Hence, in order to establish a definitive telerehabilitation protocol for patients with COPD, further research needs to be conducted. Keywords: Telerehabilitation, Videoconferencing, Video-based, COPD, Quality of Life, Dyspnoea, Exercise Capacity

Opening the doors for spillovers: a contingency view of the effects of work from home on the work-home interface.

Why do employees experience work from home (WFH) differently? We draw on boundary theory to explain how WFH influences employees' work-home interface. WFH intensity increases negative spillovers (i.e., work-to-home conflict and home-to-work conflict) and positive spillovers (i.e., work-to-home enrichment and home-to-work enrichment) between the work and home domains. Negative spillovers can be mitigated through high-quality work equipment and beneficial spatial conditions at home. Domain centrality predicts who can benefit from increased WFH intensity. We test our theory with a sample of 545 employees, obtained through a two-step random sampling procedure in the city of Munich/Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that WFH intensity increases work-to-home conflict and home-to-work enrichment, affecting employees' relationship satisfaction and job satisfaction. High-quality work equipment mitigates the detrimental effects of WFH. Employees with a high family centrality can reap benefits of more WFH because they experience more home-to-work enrichment. The simultaneous desirable and detrimental effects of WFH intensity can partly explain why studies have found heterogenous WFH experiences among employees.