Home as a new physical workplace: a causal model for understanding the inextricable link between home environment, work productivity, and well-being

Abstract

The home has become a new physical workplace, and can therefore influence the work, health, and life of workers. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the chronology of the effects of work hazards at home on factors such as workers' health, productivity, and well-being (WB). Information on novice working-from-home (WFH) workers was derived from the "Occupational health of WFH" project. The selected variables in the hypothesis model comprised problems such as perceived indoor environmental quality (IEQ), working conditions (WC), sick house syndrome (SHS), occupational stress (OS), work productivity (WP), and WB. The relationship between these variables was analyzed using a structural equation model. The group analysis results showed the following significant indirect path effects from work environment through WP: IEQ-> SHS->OS->WP. A non-significant direct effect was observed between IEQ and WP. While WC problems could also have a significant direct effect on WP, or be mediated by OS, WP is a significant consequence and a direct effect of WB. In conclusion, the WFH model's causal impact between home environment, WP, and WB is a physiopsychological pathway. Therefore, creating a healthy home environment and WC, along with OS management, comprise important issues for improving productivity and WB for this new work style.

How physical home workspace characteristics affect mental health: A systematic scoping review

“…The study by Montreuil and Lippel [14] received a quality score of 0%, because their method-ology was unclearly described and would therefore be 298 hard to reproduce. Satisfaction with privacy [7,13,23,30] Size of workspace [31] Importance of dedicated work area [14] Comfort of noise level [15,26,31] Size of home [21,22,35] Functionality of space as reason to WFH [30] Influence noise on mental health, productivity [27] Private/ shared workspace [31] Functionality of space [15,20] Noise sensitivity [27] Crowdedness [23] Types of noise [21,29] Housing typology [21,22,35] Noise annoyance [14,28]…”

“…Illuminance levels [19] Satisfaction with electric light [5-7, 24, 25] Relative humidity [32,33] Satisfaction with humidity [6,24] Satisfaction with glare [5, 7,24,25] Perception temperature [28] Satisfaction with light environment [32] Thermal preference [15,31] Satisfaction with illuminance [19] Temperature as reason to WFH [30] Perception of presence of light [15] Comfort of light [28] Artificial light as reason to WFH [30]…”

“…Access to outdoor space [16,34] Satisfaction with greenery [7] CO2 concentration [19,32] Satisfaction with air quality [5- 7, 19, 24-26, 28, 32] Type of outdoor space [34] Satisfaction with views outside [7,25] PM2.5 mass concentration [32] Satisfaction with ventilation [7,28] Time spent in garden [12] Visual access to nature as reason to WFH [30] Evaluation of air quality (poor-fresh) [15] Composition of garden [12] Perception of air quality [14,26] Type of view outside [16] Interference with air quality [26] Presence of plants [34] Air quality as reason to WFH [30] Look and feel…”

“…In several studies, satisfaction with the visual environment was calculated as the average score of satisfaction with natural light, electric light, and glare [5,6,24,25,28]. Fornara et al [23] only included satisfaction with natural light in their study.…”

“…Pouso et al [16] specified the outdoor space as none, [20] well-being of teleworkers [21,22]. In another study, well-being was measured as quality of life, work happiness and satisfaction, work-life balance, and the absence of mental health problems while WFH [28].…”