scholarly journals Why Working From Home Will Stick

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Maria Barrero ◽  
Nick Bloom ◽  
Steven J. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
High Income ◽  
Social Experiment ◽  
Major City ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Better Than ◽  
At Home

We survey 15,000 Americans over several waves to investigate whether, how, and whyworking from home will stick after COVID-19. The pandemic drove a mass social experiment in which half of all paid hours were provided from home between May and October 2020. Our survey evidence says that 22 percent of all full work days will be supplied from home after the pandemic ends, compared with just 5 percent before. We provide evidence on five mechanisms behind this persistent shift to working from home: diminished stigma, better-than-expected experiences working from home, investments in physical and human capital enabling working from home, reluctance to return to pre-pandemic activities, and innovation supporting working from home. We also examine some implications of a persistent shift in working arrangements: First, high-income workers, especially, will enjoy the perks of working from home. Second, we forecast that the post-pandemic shift to working from home will lower worker spending in major city centers by 5 to 10 percent. Third, many workers report being more productive at home than on business premises, so post-pandemic work from home plans offer the potential to raise productivity as much as 2.4 percent.

Propensity to Work from Home: Modeling Results from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey

2000 ◽  
Vol 1706 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Drucker ◽  
Asad J. Khattak
Keyword(s):  
Sample Selection ◽  
Small Children ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Multinomial Logit Models ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Work At Home ◽  
Personal Transportation ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
At Home

Working from home is regaining its popularity because of the advantages it presents for both employees and employers. Telecommunications technologies are enabling the new work-at-home phenomena. This study expands the existing body of work-at-home and telecommuting research by using data from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey to consider a larger sample and to include characteristics unavailable in previous analyses. The effects of socioeconomic, household, locational, and accessibility variables on individuals’ choices to work from home are estimated with ordered logit, ordered probit, and multinomial logit models, using a two-equation sample selection regression process. The three models give very similar results. They indicate that educational attainment and the presence of small children in the household encourage frequent working from home. Males and drivers choose to work from home more often than females or nondrivers, and the lack of free parking at work promotes home work. These findings bear implications for trip-generation forecasting and suggest directions for policies intended to influence commute travel.

Kendala Pustakawan UPT Perpustakaan Universitas Hasanuddin Ketika Work from Home Selama Pandemi COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-156
Author(s):  
Iskandar Iskandar ◽  
Trimurtiati Trimurtiati
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Ability To Work ◽  
University Library ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Leadership Support ◽  
Processing Service ◽  
Made In ◽  
At Home

This study aims to identify and describe the constraints faced by librarians of the Hasanuddin University Library when working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research is descriptive. Respondents of this study were librarians of the Hasanuddin University Library who carried out official duties in the field of librarianship at home including doing WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting from the Procurement, Processing, Service, and Information and Technology units. There were two librarians representing each unit as informants, so that eight informants were obtained. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires and documentations. Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis. The results of the study illustrate that the constraints faced by librarians of the Hasanuddin University Library when WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic occurred when: the librarian's view of librarian duties was ineffective; the librarian's ability to work from home was not in accordance with the ability to work in an office; there is no motivation to work at home because the librarian work is supposed to be done offline; the need for facilities and infrastructure is inadequate;and there is no leadership support while working from home. In conclusion, the constraints faced by librarians of Hasanuddin University Library when WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic need to be followed up by providing solutions. The solutions can be made in accordance with the obstacles faced, for example the completeness of facilities and infrastructure and avoiding offline work.

scholarly journals The Impact of Telework and Closure of Educational and Childcare Facilities on Working People During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-214
Author(s):  
Michèle Rieth ◽  
Vera Hagemann
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Working People ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Abstract. This study examines the impact of telework and closure of educational and childcare facilities on working people during COVID-19. We compare telework versus nontelework conditions and people with and without stay-at-home children. Data from 465 working people in Germany were collected via an online survey. People who do not work from home experience more stress, more negative and less positive affect, less life satisfaction and trust in government, and less loss of control over career success than those working from home. Concerning the conservation of resources theory, working from home can thus be seen as a resource gain, representing, in accordance with the self-regulation theory, a way to deal with pandemic threats. However, home office only seems to be beneficial if working conditions at home are supportive; otherwise, it is experienced as a resource threat or loss, especially with stay-at-home children.

scholarly journals The effect of training and workstation adjustability on teleworker discomfort during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan J McAllister ◽  
Patrick A Costigan ◽  
Joshua P Davies ◽  
Tara L Diesbourg
Keyword(s):  
Home Environment ◽  
University Faculty ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Faculty And Staff ◽  
Ergonomic Interventions ◽  
At Home

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.

scholarly journals Who cannot work from home? Characterizing occupations facing increased risk during the COVID-19 pandemic using 2018 BLS data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa G. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Job Displacement ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The U.S ◽  
At Home

AbstractObjectivesNot all workers are employed in occupations in which working from home is possible. These workers are at an increased risk for exposure to infectious disease during a pandemic event, and are more likely to experience events of job displacement and disruption during all types of public health emergencies. Here, I characterized which occupational sectors in the United States are most able to work from home during a public health emergency such as COVID-19.Methods2018 national employment and wage data maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was merged with measures from the BLS O*NET survey data. The measures utilized rank the importance of using a computer at work, and the importance of working with or performing for the public, which relate to the ability to complete work at home.ResultsAbout 25% (35.6 M) of the U.S. workforce are employed in occupations which could be done from home, primarily in sectors such as technology, computer, management, administrative, financial, and engineering. The remaining 75% of U.S. workers (including healthcare, manufacturing, retail and food services, et al.) are employed in occupations where working from home would be difficult.ConclusionsThe majority of U.S. workers are employed in occupations that cannot be done at home, putting 108.4 M U.S. workers at increased risk for adverse health outcomes related to working during a public health emergency. These workers tend to be lower paid than workers who can work from home. During COVID-19, this could result in a large increase in the burden of mental health disorders in the U.S., in addition to increased cases of COVID-19 due to workplace transmission. Public health guidance to “work from home” is not applicable to the majority of the U.S. workforce, emphasizing the need for additional guidance for workers during public health emergencies.

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.

scholarly journals Working from home and productivity under the COVID-19 pandemic: Using survey data of four manufacturing firms

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261761
Author(s):  
Ritsu Kitagawa ◽  
Sachiko Kuroda ◽  
Hiroko Okudaira ◽  
Hideo Owan
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Productivity Losses ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Communication Difficulties ◽  
Individual Productivity ◽  
Time Invariant ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Better Than

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the world economy in various ways. In particular, the drastic shift to telework has dramatically changed how people work. Whether the new style of working from home (WFH) will remain in our society highly depends on its effects on workers’ productivity. However, to the best of our knowledge, the effects of WFH on productivity are still unclear. By leveraging unique surveys conducted at four manufacturing firms in Japan, we assess within-company productivity differences between those who work from home and those who do not, along with identifying possible factors of productivity changes due to WFH. Our main findings are as follows. First, after ruling out the time-invariant component of individual productivity and separate trends specific to employee attributes, we find that workers who worked from home experienced productivity declines more than those who did not. Second, our analysis shows that poor WFH setups and communication difficulties are the major reasons for productivity losses. Third, we find that the mental health of workers who work from home is better than that of workers who are unable to work from home. Our result suggests that if appropriate investments in upgrading WFH setups and facilitating communication can be made, WFH may improve productivity by improving employees’ health and well-being.

scholarly journals Working from Home During Covid-19: Doing and Managing Technology-enabled Social Interaction With Colleagues at a Distance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Banita Lal ◽  
Yogesh K. Dwivedi ◽  
Markus Haag
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Time Basis

AbstractWith the overnight growth in Working from Home (WFH) owing to the pandemic, organisations and their employees have had to adapt work-related processes and practices quickly with a huge reliance upon technology. Everyday activities such as social interactions with colleagues must therefore be reconsidered. Existing literature emphasises that social interactions, typically conducted in the traditional workplace, are a fundamental feature of social life and shape employees’ experience of work. This experience is completely removed for many employees due to the pandemic and, presently, there is a lack of knowledge on how individuals maintain social interactions with colleagues via technology when working from home. Given that a lack of social interaction can lead to social isolation and other negative repercussions, this study aims to contribute to the existing body of literature on remote working by highlighting employees’ experiences and practices around social interaction with colleagues. This study takes an interpretivist and qualitative approach utilising the diary-keeping technique to collect data from twenty-nine individuals who had started to work from home on a full-time basis as a result of the pandemic. The study explores how participants conduct social interactions using different technology platforms and how such interactions are embedded in their working lives. The findings highlight the difficulty in maintaining social interactions via technology such as the absence of cues and emotional intelligence, as well as highlighting numerous other factors such as job uncertainty, increased workloads and heavy usage of technology that affect their work lives. The study also highlights that despite the negative experiences relating to working from home, some participants are apprehensive about returning to work in the traditional office place where social interactions may actually be perceived as a distraction. The main contribution of our study is to highlight that a variety of perceptions and feelings of how work has changed via an increased use of digital media while working from home exists and that organisations need to be aware of these differences so that they can be managed in a contextualised manner, thus increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness of working from home.

Public servants working from home: Exploring managers’ changing allowance decisions in a COVID-19 context

2021 ◽  
pp. 103530462110555
Author(s):  
Sue Williamson ◽  
Linda Colley ◽  
Meraiah Foley
Keyword(s):  
Employee Productivity ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Jel Codes ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Organisational Level ◽  
Large Sections

Before the COVID-19 pandemic forced large sections of the workforce to work from home, the uptake of working from home in the public sector had been limited and subject to the discretion or ‘allowance decisions’ of individual managers. Allowance decisions are influenced by factors at the organisational, group and individual levels. This research examines managers’ allowance decisions on working from home at each of these levels. It compares two qualitative datasets: one exploring managerial attitudes to working from home in 2018 and another dataset collected in mid-2020, as Australia transitioned out of the initial pandemic lockdown. The findings suggest a change in the factors influencing managers’ allowance decisions. We have identified a new factor at the organisational level, in the form of local organisational criteria. At the group level, previous concerns about employee productivity largely vanished, and managers experienced an epiphany that working from home could be productive. At the individual level, a new form of managerial discretion emerged as managers attempted to reassert authority over employees working remotely. These levels intersect, and we conclude that allowance decisions are fluid and not made solely by managers but are the result of the interactions between the organisational, group and individual levels. JEL Codes J81, J32

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