Work At Home Research Articles

Post COVID-19 – Students’ Expectations of HyFlex Learning Opportunities

Posterior to COVID-19, many universities have returned to ordinary classroom education. Recognizing the impact of the isolation in the form of psychological strain, one of the takes were to return to on campus education to secure follow up and the personal contact with lecturers and fellow students. However, in some studies, the COVID-19 paved the way for combinations of ways of studying that many students had been waiting for. Hence, returning to an on-campus solution is not an option. Each year after the COVID-19 we have done investigations into “if” and “why” the students prefer a HyFlex solution and many of the same answers keeps being repeated: home situation, work situation and travel costs. The last investigations have also included “sustainability” as a reason for not attending classes physically. Through our mixed methods approach to collecting data, we will present and discuss our findings and the trend in the longitudinal study.

The unlimited joy, ‘once you start you can’t stop’: masculinity in domestic technology commercials in Turkey

Recently, studies have begun examining men’s interaction with domestic space to explore changing forms of masculinity and domesticity, arguing that housework has become a leisure activity for men, with domestic technologies serving as tools (toys) for them to engage with. In this article, we explore how men in Turkish television commercials of domestic technologies are portrayed and how these portrayals construct and reconstruct discourses of domesticity and masculinity. We aim to understand men’s relationship with masculinity, home and domestic work in these commercials. Alongside leisure and fun, we explore the construction of discourses of masculinity and domesticity through specific themes such as the naughty scientist, the self-seeking purchaser, and the flirtatious chef. We argue that seeing more men on screen does not democratise domesticity since the equal share of workload at home is still far from being realised even in these portrayals. We also argue that domesticity is aestheticized with the participation of men and technology. Finally, women are used as instruments by men in reconstructing their masculinity through heterosexuality.

Oral healthcare beliefs among home care services personnel; a cross-sectional study in south-eastern Norway

BackgroundThere is little knowledge about home care services personnel competencies and beliefs concerning oral healthcare for home-dwelling, dependent older adults. This study aims to map oral healthcare beliefs among home care services personnel, and have the following question: How do the education level, years of work experience and training in oral health have impact on home care services personnel oral healthcare beliefs?MethodsA cross-sectional study among home care services personnel working with older people receiving home care services was conducted across four municipalities in south-eastern Norway. The questionnaire consisted of background information (gender, education level, years of work experience, training in oral healthcare, employment status) and the nursing Dental Coping Beliefs scale. Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the Norwegian Centre for Research Data.ResultsTwo hundred and sixty-two homecare services personnel responded to the questionnaire, 16.5% males and 83.5% females; 40.5% had had training in oral healthcare. Home care services personnel believed that gum diseases and cavities can be prevented by dental flossing (61.4%) and toothbrushing (98.4%). 59% disagreed that preventing sickness and medicines from destroying teeth is impossible. However, the majority of the home care services personnel were uncertain about how oral mucosal disorders can be treated. Having more than three years of higher education was positively associated with being in higher quartiles of oral healthcare beliefs, and external locus of control, and having training in oral healthcare was positively associated with being in the lower quartiles of internal locus of control and self-efficacy dimensions. Males were more likely to be in the lower quartile of oral healthcare beliefs, which wasn’t positive.ConclusionIn the population studied, the home care services personnel beliefs about oral healthcare improved with an increasing level of education and having had training in oral healthcare. This suggests that home care services personnel need more education and training in oral healthcare.

Balancing work and family life during the COVID-19 pandemic: exploring within and between group differences across time, gender, and worksites

ABSTRACT This multi-wave survey was conducted at a Norwegian insurance company before (Time 0: N = 568) and during (Time 1: N = 558/Time 2: N = 601) the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly twice as many employees agreed or highly agreed that it was harder to balance home life and work during the pandemic than before. No gender differences were found in work-home balance, meaning this applied to both men and women. However, a two-factor structure of the interaction showed higher levels of work-to-home conflict, but not work-to-home enrichment, among women during the pandemic. A repeated measure MANOVA suggested no interaction effects between gender and worksite. A non-significant effect of time suggested that work-to-home conflict and work-to-home enrichment were stable during the pandemic. Although the generalizability of these findings is limited to a WEIRD sample in one Norwegian company, gender differences found in work-to-home conflict and stability found in the work-home interaction might have implications for theory and practices beyond the present study. By exploring stability and change in the work-home interaction during a societal crisis, this study adds to the knowledge of occupational health psychology, with future relevance as work and home boundaries become increasingly blurred.

Digital transformation in human resources management and work-at-home

Purpose Based on the ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) theory, this study aims to investigate the role of digital human resources management (digital-HRM) practices in influencing hotel employee behaviors, especially their adoption of work-at-home (WAH). Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in two stages in hotels in Vietnam. Stage 1 used a mixed method to develop an instrument to measure digital-HRM practices. In Stage 2, through a survey of 303 respondents, the research investigated digital-HRM practices’ additive and interactive effects on WAH. Findings The study shows that digital-HRM comprised five factors. Except for digital recruitment, the other digital-HRM practices significantly affected WAH. In addition, the research suggests that digital training and employee involvement should be combined to enhance employee willingness for WAH. Research limitations/implications Drawing on the AMO theory, this study constructs a digital-HRM measurement scale to study the antecedents and consequences of these practices to improve employees’ digital work efficiency. In addition, through both additive and combinative (a two-way interaction) models, the study enhances the HRM and hotel management theory by understanding why digital-HRM practices are essential to boost employees’ digital competencies to adopt remote working. Practical implications By investigating the role of digital-HRM practices in improving employees’ adoption of WAH, this study provides empirical implications for hotels to manage digital-HRM practices better and thus makes remote working effective. Originality/value The existing literature reveals the lack of a deep understanding of how HRM practices can promote digital devices and services and their influence on employee behaviors, especially in the hotel sector. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is unique in extending the AMO theory into the digital context to illuminate components of digital-HRM practices and clarify how digitalizing HRM practices can motivate hotel employees to accept WAH.

Behind the screen: exploring the effects of home working on 999 telephone clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly stretched global healthcare provisions since its commencement in 2019. From the outset, ambulance services in the UK had to adapt and change their working practices to meet distancing requirements, to increase staff numbers and to ease the effects of staff becoming unavailable for work due to self-isolation and illness. One strategy was moving clinicians from emergency operation centres (EOCs) to working from home. Like many international services, UK ambulance services use paramedics and nurses to undertake telephone and video assessments of patients calling the 999 emergency services line in a model known as virtual care or remote clinical decision making. Virtual care is any interaction between a patient and a clinician or clinicians, occurring remotely via information technologies.Increasing evidence is becoming available to suggest that the pandemic caused harm to the well-being of healthcare workers, primarily due to the severe stress of regular exposure to death and human suffering. However, there remains a dearth of literature focusing on the well-being of remote and virtual clinicians, especially those who moved from working in EOCs to working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study reports the findings of a qualitative analysis of these effects from the clinician's perspective. The authors hope that the findings from this study will inform the operating, well-being and leadership practices of those delivering such services. A convenience sample of telephone nurses and paramedics from one UK ambulance service where home working had been implemented were contacted. Fifteen clinicians with recent home-working experience responded to the invitation to participate out of a possible 31 (48%). All participants had previously practised remote assessment from within an EOC. Semi-structured interviews took place via video-conferencing software and were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. An inductive approach was taken to generating codes, and both researchers separately read the transcripts before re-reading them, assigning initial themes and determining frequency. Five main themes were discovered, with further associated sub-themes. The main themes were: safety; financial implications; working relationships; home-working environment; and anxiety. Few studies explore remote clinicians' health and well-being. This study identified that home-working clinicians felt that there had been no detrimental impact on their health and well-being because of working from home during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some concerns were raised, these were mitigated through the support that clinicians received at home from family members, as well as from colleagues, some of whom had developed new working relationships. Financial implications appeared to have contributed to some concerns for participants initially, but these had been alleviated quickly despite requiring further exploration of the true financial impact of working from home.

Does working from home work? That depends on the home.

Working from home (WFH) has risen in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an ongoing debate about the productivity implications of WFH, but the physical climate of the home office has received only limited attention. This paper investigates the effect of home office satisfaction and environment-improving behavior on productivity and burnout tendency for WFH employees. We surveyed over 1,000 Dutch WFH individuals about their home office and perceived WFH performance. We fit logistic regressions and structural equation models to investigate the effect of home office satisfaction and characteristics on self-reported productivity, burnout tendency, and willingness to continue WFH. Our results reveal that individual differences in WFH productivity are explained by heterogeneity in the physical home office environment. Higher satisfaction with home office factors is significantly associated with increased productivity and decreased burnout tendency. We continue by showing that more ventilation during working hours is associated with increased productivity, willingness to continue WFH, and burnout resilience. This effect is fully mediated by satisfaction with the home office. We find that higher home office satisfaction is associated with WFH success and air-quality-improving behavior is associated with higher satisfaction. Our results underline a holistic perspective such that investing in a healthy and objectively measured physical climate is a key aspect of the bright future of working from home. The move from the work office to the home office needs to be accompanied by careful design and investment in the quality of the office and its climate.

Employee innovation during office work, work from home and hybrid work

The Covid-19 pandemic forced firms globally to shift workforces to working from home [WFH]. Firms are now struggling to implement a return to working from the office [WFO], as employees enjoy the significant benefits of WFH for their work-life balance. Therefore many firms are adopting a hybrid model in which employees work partly from the office and partly from home. We use unique and detailed data from an Indian IT services firm which contains a precise measure of innovation activity of over 48,000 employees in these three work environments. Our key outcomes are the quantity and quality of ideas submitted by employees. Based on an event study design, the quantity of ideas did not change during the WFH period as compared to WFO, but the quality of ideas suffered. During the later hybrid period, the quantity of submitted ideas fell. In the hybrid phase innovation suffered particularly in teams which were not well coordinated in terms of when they worked at the office or from home. Our findings suggest that remote and hybrid work modes may inhibit collaboration and innovation.

Does Organizational Support Really Influence Satisfaction and Well-Being During Enforced Working from Home?

Theoretical background: The transition to enforced working from home (EWfH) due to the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered work dynamics, necessitating a reevaluation of traditional labor relations and service delivery. This shift underscores the need for comprehensive organizational support, with theoretical frameworks like the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and work-life boundary management theory highlighting the impact of remote work on employee well-being, productivity, and job satisfaction. These frameworks suggest that well-being is influenced by the balance between job demands and resources, and how individuals manage work-life boundaries, laying the groundwork for exploring how organizational support can address EWfH challenges. Purpose of the article: This article aims to delve into organizational support during EWfH and its impact on employee well-being. It focuses on identifying critical support aspects and their influence on subjective well-being, providing insights into effective remote work practices and guiding organizations in supporting their workforce post-pandemic. Research methods: Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study surveyed 429 Polish employees across different sectors, complemented by qualitative interviews for deeper insight. This methodology enabled the collection of comprehensive data on employer support perceptions and their impact on remote working well-being, analyzed through statistical and thematic analysis methods. Main findings: Key findings underscore the importance of effective communication, resource access, well-being support, and career growth opportunities as crucial organizational support aspects for remote employees. A significant correlation was found between organizational support levels and enhanced employee well-being, with higher support linked to reduced stress, improved work-life balance, and increased job satisfaction. The study also emphasizes the need for personalized support strategies, accounting for individual differences and home working environments, to foster a positive remote working experience and ensure long-term productivity and well-being. The main application of your paper, which examines the impact of company policies on employee well-being during EWfH, could be the development of a comprehensive guide or toolkit for organizations to better support their remote workforce. This application would be particularly relevant to HR departments, managers and organizational leaders.

Adaptation of the Work-Related Quality of Life-2 Scale (WRQoL-2) among Portuguese Workers

In the present study we aimed to fulfill two main goals. The first was to adapt the WRQoL-2 Scale among Portuguese workers and the second was to verify the associations between WRQoL-2 dimensions and perceived organizational performance dimensions (e.g., social and economic). To reach our research goals, we used a sample of 635 Portuguese workers. The WRQoL Scale has been widely used for academic and practical ends and comprises six dimensions: Job and Career Satisfaction, Control at Work, General Well-Being, Home–Work Interface, Stress at Work, and Working Conditions. Recently, the authors proposed a revised measure—WRQoL-2—in which they added a seventh dimension—Employee Engagement. As this second version had not yet been translated into the Portuguese language for Portugal, this was our first goal. By performing a set of statistical analyses such as EFA, CFA, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and invariant analysis, the results suggested a six-factor structure where the dimensions of Job and Career Satisfaction and Employee Engagement were united. The final structure suggested good reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity as it showcased invariance according to gender and sector. Because there is a lack of studies focusing on the links between quality of work life and organizational performance, we then tested the interplay between WRQoL-2 and perceived organizational performance dimensions, and we verified that, although most are significantly associated, the results suggest a low intensity. This work also presents several theoretical and practical implications.

My home is my new office: The relationship between environmental comfort, workplace attachment, and psychological needs in the context of remote working

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more organizations have implemented remote working, and more and more workers have experienced an overlap between home and work environments. Home environments, therefore, had to be readjusted in their spatial configurations to meet and satisfy the needs of workers. Through the lens of Self-Determination Theory, the study aims to investigate how perceived remote workplace environment quality indicators (PRWEQIs) can contribute to greater home working engagement through the satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs and attachment to the home workplace. The research consists of two cross-sectional studies. The first one examines how the place-related needs of autonomy, competence, and relationship, satisfied by the home working place features, can mediate the effect of perceived comfort on home workplace attachment. The second study analyzes how comfort and workplace attachment can contribute to satisfying the same needs referred to the job activities, thus generating greater engagement in the home worker. The research provides supportive empirical evidence that workplace attachment can also be developed under home working conditions.

Socio-economic differences in remote schoolwork during the COVID-19 pandemic: a trend analysis of the 2020 and 2021 school-closure periods using the UK Understanding Society data

In the United Kingdom, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 led to two extended periods of school closures. Research on inequality of learning opportunity as a result of these closures used a single indicator of socio-economic status, neglecting important determinants of remote learning. Using data from the Understanding Society (USoc) COVID-19 surveys we analysed the levels and differentials in the uptake of remote schoolwork using parental social class, information technology (IT) availability in the home and parental working patterns to capture the distinct resources that families needed to complete remote schoolwork. This is also the first study to assess the extent to which the differentials between socio-economic groups changed between the first and second school-closure periods caused by the pandemic. We found that each of the three factors showed an independent association with the volume of remote schoolwork and that their effect was magnified by their combination. Children in families where the main parent was in an upper-class occupation, where both parents worked from home and where the children had their own IT spent more time doing remote schoolwork than other groups, particularly compared to children of single parents who work from home, children in families where the main parent was in a working-class occupation, where the child had to share IT, and where the parents did not work regularly from home. The differentials between socio-economic groups in the uptake of schoolwork were found to be stable between the two school-closure periods.

The Impact of Home Work Environment, Team Interaction, and Online Training on Employee Productivity in a Hybrid Work Model in the Indonesian Education Sector

This research examines the impact of the home work environment, team interaction, and online training on employee productivity within the Indonesian education sector operating under a hybrid work model. A quantitative analysis was conducted, involving 160 employees from various roles within educational institutions. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS) 3 software. The findings reveal significant positive relationships between the home work environment, team interaction, online training, and employee productivity. Conducive home work environments, robust team interactions, and effective online training programs emerge as critical factors in enhancing workforce performance in remote and hybrid work settings. The study contributes to a nuanced understanding of contemporary work dynamics and offers practical insights for organizational strategies aimed at fostering productivity in the Indonesian education sector.

Home work: Exploring the labor market effects of subsidizing domestic services

This paper analyzes subsidies for the domestic services sector, an increasingly popular policy to create employment opportunities for low-skilled workers. Using Belgian administrative data, a differences-in-differences approach, and a shift-share instrumental variable, we estimate the local effects of the policy in targeted industries as well as overall effects on the labor market. We find that domestic service subsidies can increase female employment in the subsidized industries as well as the overall employment rate. This increase in employment is primarily driven by an increase in (formal) labor market participation and, to a lesser extent, a reduction in the rate of participation in unemployment insurance and in other social welfare programs. We also find that these subsidies can lead to an increase in the rate of work incapacity, likely due to the fact they broaden the population that can access the social safety net.

Returning to One's Hometown for Employment: A New Option for "Homecoming" Students

With the increasing number of graduates year after year, the difficulties of working and living in first-tier cities are also on the rise. Returning to one's hometown for employment has emerged as an alternative option for graduates. By examining the characteristics of this trend, this paper analyzes the factors influencing graduates' decisions to return home for work, including local sentiment, hometown return policies, and levels of development. Furthermore, it provides insights into choosing a university location based on employment opportunities and pressures, quality of life and cost of living, as well as the sense of regional belonging.

Cybersecurity Risks in Remote Work and Learning Environments and Methods of Combating Them

In a post-pandemic world, more and more people are opting to work from home or use personal devices for work and learning. These trends correspond to a greater rate of cyber attacks, as remote work makes it harder for companies to protect their employees and their data. In this paper, the cybersecurity risks of remote work are outlined, followed by possible means of protection and preventing attack. Some of the former include unsecured networks and expanded attack surfaces, while the latter includes enhanced endpoint management and the use of the Zero Trust model. However, it was concluded that the most important way to minimize cyber attacks in an age of remote work is to educate the public on the best security practices and the ways in which they can spot threats.

Adapting to the new normal: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on technology usage and human behaviour

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred increased reliance on technology, raising concerns about excessive screen time and its impact on human behaviour. This study provides critical insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on technology usage, daily activities, and social interactions among Australian adults. By employing the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) as a theoretical framework, this research investigates the motivations and impacts behind these changes. Data were collected using a cross-sectional online survey in the middle of 2020 (n: 515). Bivariate analyses revealed how individuals pursued gratifications during the pandemic, linking these pursuits to socio-demographic factors and resulting behavioural changes. During the pandemic, most participants preferred using digital communication tools, spending significant time on social media, online streaming services, and text messaging while increasing their use of online meeting platforms. Traditional forms of entertainment and communication declined in popularity, whereas digital communication tools and methods were deemed essential, indicative of evolving societal norms. Those aged 18–40, students, employed, males, singles/widows/divorcees, and non-parents shifted online device usage toward work and study, while participants aged 41+ and females preferred socialising and entertainment. Younger participants, students and non-parents preferred spending their creation time using mobile, tablet, and PC for social media and online games, while older, employed, and parent participants opted for TV, videos, and outdoor activities. Relationship status influenced work-related activities, with couples and non-parents more likely to leave home for work. Students perceived online interactions as less productive than face-to-face, unlike employed individuals. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of the digital landscape, highlighting the fundamental roles played by digital communication tools and adaptability during crises. Policymakers and researchers should carefully consider various socio-demographic factors when investigating and formulating strategies for diverse groups, particularly in light of the need to adapt to the new normal influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Well-being and empowerment perceptions in a sudden shift to working from home

In the literature on the antecedents and mediators of employee well-being, there is little or no acknowledgement of sudden changes in the social and environmental context in which perceptions of well-being are formed. Contextual influences are rarely so impactful and unexpected as those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. To continue operating within lockdown restrictions, many organizations, apart from those unable or unwilling to initiate such changes, abruptly adopted a work from home (WFH) or hybrid working pattern. These circumstances raise novel questions about the influence of impactful, unanticipated contextual factors on employee well-being outcomes. To address these questions in the context of a shift to WFH, we tested a model adapted from aspects of Event Systems Theory (EST) and the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT). Central to our theoretical adaptation was a unique perspective on PWT “decent work” perceptions based on principles of empowerment. In a study of 337 employees during the lockdown period, we applied a Bayesian multilevel model to investigate the contrast between in-lockdown perceptions relative to current pre-lockdown perceptions. Results suggested the contextual shift to WFH related negatively to relative perceptions of well-being, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Empowerment significantly mediated all well-being outcomes. Organizational support, neuroticism, and home readiness related directly to empowerment and indirectly to well-being outcomes via empowerment. We discuss how sudden contextual changes interacted with relationships observed in our model, and how our findings progress a context-responsive adaptation of EST and PWT in the new world of WFH.

Navigating the dual role of smartphones in e-work: enhancing productivity while managing distractions

Technological progress has made smartphones more than just a communication tool. Nowadays, there are ways to work remotely using a smartphone. Digital advancement and COVID-19 were global milestones for the culture of digital transformation and led to more flexibility and mobility in the workplace. This research aims to study the real experience of smartphone workers. Focus is paid to the e-workforce, comprised of jobholders with work flexibility experience who have formed different post-pandemic standards. Six workers led qualitative examinations from Austria to collect unprocessed data for this study. As reported by these results, working from home via a smartphone 'works'. But there are many factors to consider. Notably, smartphones are a vital piece of equipment for respondents in finishing tasks, but while smartphones offer substantial advantages, using them at home for work is not without challenges. These devices can become an unwelcome distraction at the very least and a legal and operational risk at worst. Smartphones increase mobility and flexibility, as well as the flow of workplace communication, but they also cause distractions in the workplace.

A Tale of Two Realities: Gendered Workspace during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taipei

This study examines how heterosexual couples in Taipei used space when both were working from home. I interviewed 29 heterosexual couples on how they arranged working space at home and how these spatial arrangements influenced their working experiences and career development. I found that space was gendered: men tended to work in a preferable space at home compared to their partners. However, a preferable space was not always defined by its physical setting, such as a room. Interviews revealed that women tended to move around to accommodate their family members’ needs when they worked from home, having unstable and interrupted working environments. Their experiences revealed that women’s family roles, such as mother, daughter, and wife, are prioritized at home, resulting in constant interruptions. On the contrary, men’s roles as workers were prioritized and protected when they worked from home. Gender superseded and transformed the physical space and reproduced gender inequality at work for people who work from home. This study suggests the need to consider the impact of gender norms before treating remote work as a pro-work–family policy.