scholarly journals “I’m not Working from Home, I’m Living at Work”: Perceived Stress and Work-Related Burnout before and during COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherrill Hayes ◽  
Jennifer L. Priestley ◽  
Namazbia Ishmakhametov ◽  
Herman E. Ray

The purpose of the study was to better understand the relationships among stress, work-related burnout, and remote working brought on by social distancing efforts and stay at home orders put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors developed a questionnaire incorporating valid and reliable self-report stress and burnout measures (Perceived Stress Scale & Copenhagen Burnout Inventory), demographic, and work-related questions. The questions were used primarily to determine workers’ levels of stress before and during the pandemic, to assess potential burnout, and to establish the extent of their previous experience with remote work/telecommuting. The questionnaire was open from March 23rd to May 19th 2020 and distributed through a survey link on social media and by Qualtrics research services. Results from the analyses suggest that perceived stress did increase during the COVID-19 restrictions, especially for people that had limited experience working from home and were female. Individuals who worked from home before COVID-19 had higher levels of work-related burnout but did not differ based on gender or part-time work status. The results suggest that working from home may create more stress and result in more burnout, which challenges the current moves by some employers to make working from home a permanent arrangement. The authors believe that having research based on valid and reliable instruments will help employers and schools make better decisions about how to support those who can remain at home to avoid the potential for secondary outbreaks.

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110581
Author(s):  
Sherrill W. Hayes ◽  
Jennifer L. Priestley ◽  
Brian A. Moore ◽  
Herman E. Ray

The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of involuntary remote working during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress and work-related burnout for workers with and without previous experience of remote work. The authors developed a questionnaire, open from March 23rd to May 19th, 2020, incorporating the Perceived Stress Scale, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, demographic, and work-related questions. This sample consisted of 256 professionals who self-identified as working at home during the pandemic. Pandemic restrictions increased perceived stress for all participants, but age and gender had significant effects on stress and burnout. Burnout was most significant for respondents already working remotely before COVID-19. The most significant challenges reported were—communication, collaboration, and time management with colleagues via technology. Working from home may contribute to higher levels of perceived stress and work-related burnout, which questions moves by some employers to make working from home a permanent arrangement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-51
Author(s):  
Yongjin Sa

This study aims to develop the program evaluation plan for three kinds of “Flex-Working” programs such as “Part-Time Work”, “Flex-Time Work” and “At-Home Work” program of the Central Government of Korea. More specifically, this study discusses description of the flex-working programs in terms of program context, purpose, outcome in order to draw out the flex-working program theory model. In addition, the program participants and stakeholders, program contextual factors, primary users of the evaluation and stakeholder involvement with regards to the programs are all discussed in this paper. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Thulin ◽  
Bertil Vilhelmson ◽  
Martina Johansson

This study explores how changing conditions for home-based telework affect the quality of life and social sustainability of workers in terms of time pressure and time use control in everyday life. Changing conditions concern the spread of telework to new types of jobs of a more routine character, involving new practices of unregulated work and anytime smartphone access. Empirically, we draw on survey data from a sample of 456 home-based teleworkers employed by six governmental agencies in Sweden. Results indicate that subjective time pressure is not associated with job type in terms of distinguishing between bounded case work and more independent analytical work. Time pressure is intensified by family-related factors, telework performed outside of working hours, and part-time work, and is moderated by the private use of smartphones. We find no significant associations between subjective time use control, job qualifications, and teleworking practice. Family situation and having small children at home reduce time use control. Also, high levels of smartphone use for work-related purposes are associated with reduced control.


2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Månsson ◽  
Jan Ottosson

This article analyses the effects of individual characteristics on the probability of leaving part-time unemployment. The results show that it cannot be unreservedly asserted that part-time work offers access to the core labour market. Among the part-time unemployed, there are great variations in the degree to which they are likely to leave part-time unemployment. A concentration of labour market policy activities on the part-time unemployed who are least likely to succeed in finding full-time employment can, therefore, be expected to have positive consequences from both equity and efficiency points of view. In this respect, part-time unemployed women, persons with work-related disabilities and persons with temporary employment come to the forefront. The article shows that the likelihood of finding a full-time job is certainly not great for persons belonging to these groups. For many of them, part-time job is not a stepping stone but rather a dead end on the labour market.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan J McAllister ◽  
Patrick A Costigan ◽  
Joshua P Davies ◽  
Tara L Diesbourg

Advancements in telework have increased occupational flexibility for employees and employers alike. However, while effective telework requires planning, the COVID-19 pandemic required many employees to quickly shift to working from home without making sure the requirements for telework were in place beforehand. This study evaluated the transition to telework on university faculty and staff and investigated the effect of telework setup and ergonomics training on work-related discomfort in the at-home environment. Respondents reported increases in new or worsening pain since working from home of 24% and 51%, respectively, suggesting an immediate need for ergonomic interventions, including workstation evaluations, ergonomic training, and individual ergonomic assessments, for those who work from home.


Societies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Deborah De Moortel ◽  
Nico Dragano ◽  
Morten Wahrendorf

Resources related to a good work-life balance may play an important role for the mental health of workers with involuntary working hours. This study investigates whether involuntary part-time (i.e., working part-time, but preferring full-time work) and involuntary full-time work (i.e., working full-time, but preferring part-time work) are associated with a deterioration of mental health and whether family- and work-related resources buffer this association. Data were obtained from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) with baseline information on involuntary working hours and resources. This information was linked to changes in mental health two years later. We found impaired mental health for involuntary full-time male workers and increased mental health for regular part-time female workers. The mental health of involuntary full-time male workers is more vulnerable, compared to regular full-time workers, when having high non-standard work hours and when being a partner (with or without children). Involuntary part-time work is detrimental to men’s mental health when doing a high amount of household work. This study is one of the first to emphasize the mental health consequences of involuntary full-time work. Avoiding role and time conflicts between family and work roles are important for the mental health of men too.


Author(s):  
Pascal Wild ◽  
◽  
Nicolas Bovio ◽  
Irina Guseva Canu

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to describe the factors associated with mortality by suicide among working women focusing on work-related factors. Methods The study population consisted in all Swiss residents recorded in the 1990 and/or the 2000 compulsory national censuses and were linked to emigration and mortality registers. We selected all women aged 18–65 and at work at the official census dates. Following work-related variables were available: socio-economic status, weekly hours of work, the sector of activity and the job title coded according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). The risk of suicide was modelled using negative binomial regression. Results The cohort comprised 1,771,940 women and 2526 deaths by suicide corresponding to 24.9 million person-years. The most significant non-occupational predictors of suicide were age, period, civil status, religion, nationality and geographical regions. Adjusted on these factors, part-time work was associated with increased suicide rates. According to job codes, health and social activities, in particular care-worker had the highest suicide risks. Conclusion Suicide among working women depended on work-related factors even taking into account other socio-demographic factors.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Falk Ebinger ◽  
Jurgen Willems

Which work-related COVID-19 changes are here to stay? We were able integrate a 9-item scale in the eleventh wave (12 June 2020 – 17 June 2020) of the large-scale data collection process of the Austrian Corona Panel Project . The items for the construct that we analyzed focused on whether respondents were in favor or against particular COVID-related changes in the work environment. Respondents are in general in favor to keep particular COVID-related changes in the working context, such as more flexibility with respect to home office, working hours, and part-time work. Respondent are also in favor for less bureaucratic procedures for sickness leave, and less business trips and outside appointment. However, this should not come with more employer control, nor with increasingly fading boundaries between personal and professional life contexts. These results mainly show the overall challenges for the future of work, where more autonomy and flexibility is desired, but not at the cost of losing a clear delineation between professional and personal contexts. Moreover, women are for several aspects more in favor to keep COVID-related changes, such as keeping distance in the work environment, less business trips, and flexibility with respect to part-time work and home-office. Younger respondents (under 45) are also in favor of less business trips and external appointments, however not as much as respondents above 45. Except for the reduction of business trips and external appointments, no significant differences are reported between employees of the private and the public sectors. This suggest how challenges are similar across these sectors, and both public and private organizations can learn from each other to shape new attractive work environments.


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