Working From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to measure the association of working from home (WFH) with work productivity loss due to caregiving responsibilities or health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an online survey of family/friend caregivers (n = 150 WFH/75 non-WFH) and patients (n = 95/91) who worked during the past 7 days in May and July 2020, respectively. Absenteeism and presenteeism were measured using the Valuation of Lost Productivity questionnaire. Results: Working from home was associated with higher odds of absenteeism (odds ratio, 2.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 5.77) and presenteeism (2.79; 1.26 to 6.18) among caregivers and higher odds of presenteeism among patients (2.78; 1.13 to 6.84). However, among caregivers with absenteeism more than 0 days, WFH was significantly associated with fewer absent workdays. Conclusions: Working from home was not associated with overall absenteeism and presenteeism in caregivers or patients. Working from home allows a more flexible and inclusive workplace without impacting productivity, although further research is needed.

Examining the relationship between flexible working arrangements and employee performance: a mini review

“…Especially during Covid-19, people worked at workplaces for shorter periods of time (except health workers), while those in some jobs conducted their work from home via the internet. Working from home has become more common during COVID-19 due to public health measures ( Zhang et al, 2022 ). Teleworking, which is different from telecommuting, allows workers to maintain online communication with colleagues and customers even while traveling without the obligation to be tied to a place.…”

Impact of Remote Working on Recreational Physical Activity (RPA) Behaviours – a Case Study of the Covid-19 Lockdown in Poland

“…While initially telework occurred mainly in developed countries, it is currently also a growing phenomenon in middle-and low-income countries (Bloom et al, 2015;Garrote Sanchez et al, 2021). The term "telework" was first defined by Nilles (Zhang et al, 2022) in the context of a substitute for going on business trips. In the terminology of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions reports, telework is considered as a work arrangement in which work is carried out totally or partially from home with the support of ICT and partially or never from the employer's premises (Eurofound, 2022).…”

“…It is emphasised that the types of telework are determined by how and where it is performed. Researchers distinguish and focus on three main areas of telework (Zhang et al, 2022): individual work at home -home-based work or work-from-home (WFH); team-based telework -groupbased teleworking in a satellite office or a neighbourhood office centre that is remote from the main office but close to employees; and client-based telework -telework that usually involves travel and/or spending time on a customer's premises.…”

Influence of Empathy Fatigue on Medical Students' Implicit Absenteeism in Ethnic Minority Areas

“…Research on the factors influencing the study of implicit absenteeism among medical students has primarily focused on instructors' teaching style, curriculum design, and academic characteristics [8][9][10][11]. However, related psychological factors influencing variables [12][13][14][15] studies have paid less attention to the social connectivity factors of hidden absenteeism among medical students. Accordingly, this study hypothesizes that social connectedness negatively correlates with hidden absenteeism among medical students.…”