scholarly journals Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0249127
Author(s):  
Balazs Aczel ◽  
Marton Kovacs ◽  
Tanja van der Lippe ◽  
Barnabas Szaszi
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Time ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
The Future ◽  
Traditional Work ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Coping Tactics ◽  
At Home

The flexibility allowed by the mobilization of technology disintegrated the traditional work-life boundary for most professionals. Whether working from home is the key or impediment to academics’ efficiency and work-life balance became a daunting question for both scientists and their employers. The recent pandemic brought into focus the merits and challenges of working from home on a level of personal experience. Using a convenient sampling, we surveyed 704 academics while working from home and found that the pandemic lockdown decreased the work efficiency for almost half of the researchers but around a quarter of them were more efficient during this time compared to the time before. Based on the gathered personal experience, 70% of the researchers think that in the future they would be similarly or more efficient than before if they could spend more of their work-time at home. They indicated that in the office they are better at sharing thoughts with colleagues, keeping in touch with their team, and collecting data, whereas at home they are better at working on their manuscript, reading the literature, and analyzing their data. Taking well-being also into account, 66% of them would find it ideal to work more from home in the future than they did before the lockdown. These results draw attention to how working from home is becoming a major element of researchers’ life and that we have to learn more about its influencer factors and coping tactics in order to optimize its arrangements.

scholarly journals Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balazs Aczel ◽  
Marton Kovacs ◽  
Tanja van der Lippe ◽  
Barnabas Szaszi
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Time ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
The Future ◽  
Traditional Work ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Coping Tactics ◽  
At Home

The flexibility allowed by the mobilization of technology disintegrated the traditional work-life boundary for most professionals. Whether working from home is the key or impediment to academics’ efficiency and work-life balance became a daunting question for both scientists and their employers. The recent pandemic brought into focus the merits and challenges of working from home on a level of personal experience. In this study, we surveyed academics while working from home and found that the pandemic lockdown decreased the work efficiency for almost half of the researchers but around a quarter of them were more efficient during this time compared to the time before. Based on the gathered personal experience, 70% of the researchers think that in the future they would be similarly or more efficient than before if they could spend more of their work-time at home. They indicated that in the office they are better at sharing thoughts with colleagues, keeping in touch with their team, and collecting data, whereas at home they are better at working on their manuscript, reading the literature, and analysing their data. Taking well-being also into account, 66% of them would find it ideal to work more from home in the future than they did before the lockdown. These results draw attention to how working from home is becoming a major element of researchers’ life and that we have to learn more about its influencer factors and coping tactics in order to optimise its arrangements.

scholarly journals Predictors of Employees’ Preference for Working from Home Post-Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Paula M. Caligiuri ◽  
Helen De Cieri
Keyword(s):  
Work Life ◽  
Need Fulfillment ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Future ◽  
First Time ◽  
Work Life Conflict ◽  
At Home

The global pandemic of 2020-21 has enabled an examination of the conditions under which working from home is preferred. We examine whether work-life conflict (both work interfering with family and family interfering with work) and need fulfillment (autonomy, relatedness, competence) can be used to predict employees’ preference for working from home in the future, post-pandemic. With a sample of 944 employees working from home for the first time, this study found that work-life conflict was negatively related and need fulfillment was positively related to employees’ preference for working from home post-pandemic. The experience of having children at home or a partner who was also working from home did not affect employees’ long-term preference for working from home; however, being female did. Women were less likely to want to work from home post-pandemic. The implications for ways to maximize the experience of working from home in the future are discussed.

Memory and the Cityscape: The German Architectural Debate about Postmodernism

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 71-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen James-Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Third Reich ◽  
Nazi Regime ◽  
National Community ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Third Reich ◽  
The Way ◽  
At Home

Few tools of Nazi propaganda were as potent or as permanent asarchitecture. At the instigation of Hitler, who had once aspired to bean architect, the Nazi regime placed unusual importance on thedesign of environments—whether cities, buildings, parade grounds, orhighways—that would glorify the Third Reich and express its dynamicrelationship to both the past and the future. Architecture and urbandesign were integral to the way the regime presented itself at homeand abroad. Newsreels supplemented direct personal experience ofmonumental buildings. Designed to last a thousand years, these edificesappeared to offer concrete testimony of the regime’s enduringcharacter. A more subtle integration of modern functions and vernacularforms, especially in suburban housing, suggested that technologicalprogress could coexist with an “organic” national communityrooted in a quasi-sacred understanding of the landscape.

scholarly journals Attitudes to time and coping-strategies of farming entrepreneurs

2021 ◽  
Vol 273 ◽  
pp. 08039
Author(s):  
Vlada Pishchik
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological State ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
The Future ◽  
Older Farmers ◽  
And Coping

Farmers and especially their psychological state are not often objects of research. We used the following methods: the questionnaire “Attitudes to time” by Nutten (in Muzdybayev’s modification); the questionnaire SACS – “Strategies for overcoming stressful situations” (Hobfoll, 1994); the questionnaire of problems assessment in the activities of the farmers; the questionnaire “Crisis”, developed by us. The questionnaire “Crisis” was used to identify three groups of level of well-being. The sample consisted of farmers: 50 people. The results showed that the attitudes to time of young farmers have a positive, interesting, full of hope past; the present is negative, terrible, unsuccessful, significant; the future is positive, full of hope, active and saturated. The attitudes to time of older farmers are the following: the positive, pleasant, difficult, eventful past; the present is meaningful, positive, hopeful; the future is interesting, positive, bright, full of hope. The level of well-being in both groups is estimated at the average one. Coping strategies in the group of young farmers are - getting in touch, in the group of senior managers - indirect-actions; in both groups ‒ finding social support. The assessment of the problems of farming activity revealed two key problems - insufficient funds and lagging modernization.

From the Bedroom to the Office: Workplace Spillover Effects of Sexual Activity at Home

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 1173-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Leavitt ◽  
Christopher M. Barnes ◽  
Trevor Watkins ◽  
David T. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Job Engagement ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Daily Diary Study ◽  
At Home

Sexual behavior represents relatively common and mundane home-life behavior, with demonstrated impact on both mood and general physical and psychological well-being. Integrating emergent research on sex and mood with theory on work-life enrichment, we propose a novel model demonstrating the effects of sexual behavior at home on next-day job satisfaction and job engagement as a function of positive affect. Using a 2-week daily diary study of married, employed adults, we found that (a) when employees engaged in sex at home, they reported increased positive affect at work the following day, independent of the effects of marital satisfaction; (b) sex at home increased both daily job satisfaction and daily job engagement as a function of increased positive affect; and (c) daily work-to-family strain-based conflict significantly reduced the likelihood of engaging in sex at home that evening. Accordingly, we extend theory on work-life enrichment by demonstrating the import of seemingly banal behavior on daily work life, with implications for work-life impingement.

scholarly journals (Tele)Work and Care during Lockdown: Labour and Socio-Familial Restructuring in Times of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12087
Author(s):  
Iduzki Soubelet-Fagoaga ◽  
Maitane Arnoso-Martínez ◽  
Itziar Guerendiain-Gabás ◽  
Edurne Martínez-Moreno ◽  
Garbiñe Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Organisation ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Psychosocial Consequences ◽  
Emerging Themes ◽  
Health Situation ◽  
And Coping

COVID-19, and the lockdown requirement, altered our daily lives, including the restructuring of work and socio-familial organisation of millions of people. Through two studies, we explored how workers experienced this period. The first, qualitative study (N = 30) aimed to understand how workers lived through lockdown by identifying the key elements that shaped their experiences. Thematic content analysis revealed four emerging themes: (1) work and socio-health situation in which lockdown was experienced; (2) consequences on work organisation and resources available for change; (3) work–life balance management; and (4) psychosocial consequences and coping with the situation. The second, quantitative study (N = 332) explored the socio-health situation, new work organisation, work–life balance, and psychosocial consequences and coping strategies developed during this period, analysing participants’ differences in terms of gender, working modality (on-site or teleworking) and care responsibilities through ANOVA analysis. Results revealed the non-democratic nature of the pandemic, with differences and similarities according to gender, working modality and having or not having dependents. Results are discussed identifying areas that need to be addressed to ensure the well-being of workers.

Work Life Balance During Covid Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 516-520
Author(s):  
Aditi Singh, Et. al.
Keyword(s):  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Office Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Work Health ◽  
At Home

Work life balance has always been challenging to achieve for every individual working in different sector especially for women as it is not easy to do day to day chores at home and office work together while working from home. This paper intent to discover the mental and physical exhaustion and difficulties and challenges encountered by employees during pandemic and small solutions or advices for it. The existing problem has pushed the employees to increase their limits to fight in such situation. And have made them capable of managing both job and home under one roof leading more towards work life integration than work life balance. Employees who have accepted the changes and embraced it and have upgraded themselves with the digitalization are able to meet all the demands relating to time, home, family, work, health and responsibilities.

Beware of side effects on quality! Investigating the implications of home working on work-life balance in educational services

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocco Palumbo ◽  
Rosalba Manna ◽  
Mauro Cavallone
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Home Based

PurposeTelecommuting from home is back up on the agenda as a result of the unforeseen challenges brought by COVID-19. Working from home permits to avoid disruption in the ordinary functioning of educational institutions triggered by social distancing. However, home-based telecommuting may have some side effects on employees, especially in terms of work-life balance. Soft Total Quality Management (TQM) initiatives are needed to address these side effects. The article intends to shed light on these issues, providing some food for thought to scholars and practitioners.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data about the working conditions of 2,046 people employed in the education sector across Europe were investigated. A serial mediation analysis was designed to examine the direct and indirect implications of working from home on work-life balance.FindingsThe study suggests that home-based telecommuting may trigger work-to-life and life-to-work conflicts, due to the blurring of boundaries between work and everyday life. Soft tools, such as organizational meaningfulness (OM) and work-related well-being (WB), mediate the relationship between working from home (HW) and work-life conflicts (WLC), lessening the negative implications of working from home on work-life balance.Practical implicationsThe design and the implementation of home-based telecommuting arrangements should include a special concern for soft TQM practices. Among others, OM and WB are likely to minimize the disruption of remote employees' jobs and interpersonal relationships. Failure to do so impairs the ability of home-based employees to make sense out of their working arrangements and to achieve a sustainable work-life balance.Originality/valueThis is one of the first attempts to illuminate the side effects of home-based telecommuting and to investigate the role of soft TQM in addressing these side effects.

scholarly journals Learning from work-from-home issues during the COVID-19 pandemic: Balance speaks louder than words

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261969
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Y. Chu ◽  
Thomas W. C. Chan ◽  
Mike K. P. So
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home

During the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many employees have switched to working from home. Despite the findings of previous research that working from home can improve productivity, the scale, nature, and purpose of those studies are not the same as in the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the effects that three stress relievers of the work-from-home environment–company support, supervisor’s trust in the subordinate, and work-life balance–had on employees’ psychological well-being (stress and happiness), which in turn influenced productivity and engagement in non-work-related activities during working hours. In order to collect honest responses on sensitive questions or negative forms of behavior including stress and non-work-related activities, we adopted the randomized response technique in the survey design to minimize response bias. We collected a total of 500 valid responses and analyzed the results with structural equation modelling. We found that among the three stress relievers, work-life balance was the only significant construct that affected psychological well-being. Stress when working from home promoted non-work-related activities during working hours, whereas happiness improved productivity. Interestingly, non-work-related activities had no significant effect on productivity. The research findings provide evidence that management’s maintenance of a healthy work-life balance for colleagues when they are working from home is important for supporting their psychosocial well-being and in turn upholding their work productivity.

Taking a break: how taking a step back could reinvigorate your indexing career and work-life balance

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-317
Author(s):  
Dawn Dobbins
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Working From Home

Freelance indexers, usually working from home, have a responsibility not only to run their businesses efficiently but also to take care of their physical and mental health. For any number of reasons they may at some point be forced to take a break from indexing. The latest in our series of occasional articles focusing on the working lives of individual indexers looks at how one indexer dealt with the challenges this posed and explains how taking a break and reassessing priorities can help to both reinvigorate one’s career and improve well-being. It concludes with some reflections on the implications of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, living and working under lockdown, and the ‘new normal’.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document