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Daily vehicle travel collapsed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 but largely bounced back by late 2021. The pandemic caused dramatic changes to working, schooling, shopping, and leisure activities, and to the travel associated with them. Several of these changes have so far proven enduring. So, while overall vehicle travel had largely returned to pre-pandemic levels by late 2021, the underlying drivers of this travel have likely changed.To examine one element of this issue, we analyzed whether patterns of daily trip-making shifted temporally between the fall of 2019 and 2021 in the Greater Los Angeles megaregion. We used location-based service data to examine vehicle trip originations for each hour of the day at the U.S. census block group level in October 2019 and October 2021. We observed notable shifts in the timing of post-pandemic PM peak travel, so we examined changes in the ratio of mid-week trips originating in the early afternoon (12–3:59 PM) and the late afternoon/early evening (4–7:59 PM).We found a clear shift in the temporal distribution of PM trip-making, with relatively more late PM peak period trip-making prior to the pandemic, and more early PM peak trip-making in 2021. The peak afternoon/evening trip-making hour shifted from 5–5:59 PM to 3–3:59 PM. We also found that afternoon/evening trip-making in each year is largely explained by three workplace-area/school-area factors: (1) the number of schoolchildren in a block group (earlier); (2) block groups with large shares of potential remote workers (earlier), and (3) block groups with large shares of low-wage jobs and workers of color (later, except for Black workers in 2021). We found the earlier shift in PM peak travel between pre- and late-pandemic periods to be explained most by (1) higher shares of potential remote workers and (2) higher shares of low-wage jobs and workers of color. These findings suggest that the rise of working from home has likely led to a shift in PM peak travel earlier in the afternoon when school chauffeuring trips are most common. This is especially true for low-income workers and workers of color.

This paper investigates young people's mobile practices of 'making do' as they negotiate work, study and play in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on Singapore, and drawing on original empirical data derived from online journaling by twenty participants, the paper elaborates on their practices of 'making do' when working from home. Using an interdisciplinary approach spanning youth, cultural and architectural studies, the paper considers new formations and appropriations of domestic time and space. Critically situating the home as a hybrid domestic characterised by its porous public-private space and multiple-disjunctive time, 'making do' is evident in a range of spatial tactics: from occupying temporary mobile spaces to altering physical spaces with objects and devices, to time-sharing, to developing practices that affirm and contest ascribed social roles. Through switching objects and roles in the hybrid domestic home, our study participants not only created new mobilities within the immobile constraints of the pandemic home, they also transformed the spatial and temporal norms of study, work and play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The experiences of UK Government response-focused employees, who were considered frontline workers during the coronavirus response, are missing from current literature. Meeting the demands of being on the frontline, whilst also adjusting from a normal and practiced way of working to having to work from within one's home, may bring a plethora of new barriers and facilitators associated with providing an effective pandemic response. Method: This interview study collected and analysed data from 30 UK Civil servants who worked on the COVID-19 pandemic response from their own homes. Interviews aimed to: (1) explore UK Government employee's experiences of working from home whilst contributing to the pandemic response; and, (2) establish what support and guidance employees were offered, and what they would recommend for future public health emergencies requiring homeworking. Results: Seven themes were extracted from the data: overall experience of working from home; preparedness for working from home; experience of contributing to the response effort; work life balance; relationships with colleagues; space and equipment; and, inclusivity. Findings suggested that during the pandemic, participants reported feeling a strong sense of purpose and achievement for contributing to the response. But, the work was demanding, particularly for those who had to rapidly, and unexpectedly, transition from office or lab work to home working. More generally, the nature of their homeworking experience depended on a range of practical (e.g., space in the home), organisational (e.g., relationships with managers) and personal factors (e.g., caring responsibilities). Many participants were underprepared to work from home, but participants provided a plethora of information relating to what support offers they would find useful during future work on the frontline from their own homes. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that frontline UK Civil servants may need more tailored and flexible multilevel support (i.e., from peers, managers, organisations) during future public health emergencies when they are required to work from home. A series of data-informed recommendations are created and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted significant shifts to teleworking, raising questions about potential impacts on employee wellbeing. This study examined the association between self-reported changes to teleworking frequency (relative to before the pandemic) and two indicators of occupational burnout: emotional exhaustion and professionally diagnosed burnout. Methods: Data were derived from two samples from a digital cohort study based in Geneva, Switzerland: one population-based, and one from a sample of workers who were likely mobilized in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotional exhaustion was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (EE-MBI), while self-reported diagnosed burnout was assessed by asking participants if they had received a professional diagnosis of occupational burnout within the previous 12 months. Participants were categorized based on self-reported telework frequency changes: "no change," "increase," "decrease," "never telework," and "not possible to telework." Adjusted regression models for each of the study samples were used to estimate associations between telework changes and burnout outcomes, accounting for sociodemographic, household, and work-related factors. Results: In the population-based sample of salaried employees (n = 1,332), the median EE-MBI score was 14 (interquartile range: 6–24), and 7.3% reported diagnosed burnout. Compared to those reporting no change in telework frequency (19% of the sample), those reporting a decrease (4%) and those reporting that teleworking was not possible (28.7%) had significantly higher emotional exhaustion scores (adjusted beta (aβ) 5.26 [95% confidence interval: 1.47, 9.04] and aβ 3.51 [0.44, 6.59], respectively) and additionally reported higher odds of diagnosed burnout (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 10.59 [3.24, 34.57] and aOR 3.42 [1.22, 9.65], respectively). "Increased" (28.9%) and "never" (19.4%) telework statuses were not significantly associated with burnout outcomes. These trends were mirrored in the "mobilized-workers" sample, with the exception that those reporting that teleworking was not possible did not report significantly higher odds of diagnosed burnout compared to those reporting no change in telework frequency. Conclusions: Decreased teleworking frequency and not having the possibility of telework were associated with higher emotional exhaustion and diagnosed burnout. As organizations reconsider their telework policies in a post-pandemic era, they should consider the impact of such organizational changes on employee wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-from-home (WFH) practices, rapidly adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, have transformed flexible work arrangements, especially in South Korea. Based on the conservation of resources theory, we investigated whether WFH satisfaction enhances resilience and task crafting and how job tenure affects this. Using regression-based path modelling, our analysis of one-month-apart, two-wave data from 337 WFH employees revealed novel insights: the WFH satisfaction – task crafting relationship was mediated by resilience and job tenure moderated the positive effect of WFH satisfaction on task crafting through resilience. This positive relationship and positive indirect effect were more pronounced for short-tenured employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our mixed findings suggest that a 'one-size fits all' approach to support staff to work from home is not fit for purpose. Ensuring flexibility and consideration for individual differences and contextual factors is key for organizations, employers, and managers of those responding to enhanced incidents from home. Objective: This study investigates perceptions of homeworking in UK Government response-focused employees that contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Method: A cross-sectional online survey with open-ended questions was conducted. Free-text responses detailing participants' perceptions of barriers, facilitators, advantages, and disadvantages were analyzed using content analysis. Results: A total of 1943 free-text responses (from 150 participants) were analyzed. There were many conflicting advantages and disadvantages provided by participants, but crudely more positive statements were provided than negative. Flexibility associated with working from home was the most common positive factor, and the isolation and impact on working relationships was the most reported negative factor of working from home. Conclusions: We suggest a 'one size fits all' approach to supporting staff working from home is not fit for purpose due to individual circumstances and contextual factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study findings are important for occupational health practice in terms of employers implementing nuanced policy, which creates optimal workplace environments for employees who WFH to ensure their health and well-being are enhanced. This is particularly important with hybrid models of work becoming the norm. Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the impact of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic on general health, stress, work–family, and family–work conflict over-time and identify differences by gender and parental status. Methods: Trajectory analyses described outcomes over time. Multinomial logistic regression relates the effects of gender, children, and the interaction between them, on group membership based on the latent class growth analyses. Results: Not all trajectories followed the expected cubic pattern. Females had less family–work conflict (high/low: OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.17–0.66; moderate/low OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.20–0.67). Children increased the odds of family–work conflict (high/low: OR = 8.48, 95% CI: 3.38–21.25; moderate/low OR = 2.98, 95% CI: 1.63–5.43). Work–family conflict was worse for those with children (high-to-moderate decline/low-stable: OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.25–5.41). Conclusions: Work from home has implications for health and well-being of employees with differences based on gender and parental status for stress, work–family, and family–work conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way we live and travel, possibly for many years to come. The 'New Normal' seems to be one that is best associated with living with COVID-19 rather that 'after COVID-19'. After a year or more since the pandemic spread throughout the world, we have amassed a significant amount of evidence on what this is likely to mean for patterns of commuting activity in a setting where working for home (WFH) is becoming a more popular and legitimate alternative to choosing a commuting mode. With WFH continuing to some extent, non-commuting travel is also likely to change as workers and their families have greater flexibility in when and to what extent they conduct their shopping, social-recreation and other non-commuting trip activity. This paper recognises that all trip purpose activity is being impacted by the pandemic and that the drivers of changing number of trips by each and every trip purpose need to be identified as a way of establishing likely future levels of frequency of all trip making. In this paper we develop a series of trip making models for workers and non-workers in New South Wales and Queensland in a metropolitan and a regional setting, using data collected in late 2020. The influence of the number of days WFH is identified as an important influence on the number of one-way weekly trips for various trip purposes, which together with socioeconomic, geographic and attitudinal variables enable us to gain an understanding of what is driving levels of trip-purpose-specific travel during the pandemic. Elasticities and simulated changes are presented as a behaviourally rich way to understand the sensitivity of influences on the frequency of travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some workers had the opportunity to work from home, while others remained in on-site work. The aim of the present study was to compare the psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of Brazilian workers in remote and on-site work through a longitudinal study with quarterly follow-up assessments over a 12-month period. Method: A convenience sample of 1,211 workers from different economic sectors participated in the study, 897 of whom (74.1%) worked from home and 314 (25.9%) remained in on-site work. Psychosocial work aspects were assessed using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI) and the Work Ability Score (WAS). Mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rate were recorded based on self-reported medical diagnoses. Online questionnaires were answered from June 2020 to September 2021, involving two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The groups were compared using chi-square tests, t-tests, and two-way ANOVA. Results: In the first wave of the pandemic, remote workers reported more quantitative demands and work-family conflicts, whereas on-site workers reported more emotional demands, low development of new skills, low commitment, low predictability, low recognition, and low satisfaction. They also reported greater occurrences of unwanted sexual attention, threats of violence, and physical violence. In the second wave, the remote group continued to report high work-family conflicts, whereas the on-site group reported – in addition to the results of the 1st wave – low influence at work, low quality of leadership, and burnout. No significant difference was found between groups with regards to the WAI in either wave. A significant difference was found for the WAS between the 3rd and 12th months (P < 0.01) in both groups. No significant differences were found between groups for the prevalence of anxiety, depression, burnout/stress, insomnia, panic syndrome, and eating disorders, except for the prevalence of insomnia at the 12-month follow-up, with higher rates in the remote group (P = 0.03). SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower in the remote group (11.3%) compared to the on- site (16.9%) group (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Psychosocial work aspects differed between remote and on-site workers. Work ability and mental health conditions were similar between groups. Remote work might have played a role in limiting the spread of the virus in Brazil had it been more widely available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to evaluate and compare the impact of working hours on the physical and psychological well-being of workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, where people were forced to work from home. While existing studies primarily concentrate on the physical and mental health of office workers, there is a notable gap in understanding how changes in work hours affect individuals in various professional sectors. This study seeks to address this gap by conducting a comprehensive investigation across a diverse range of employment, encompassing white collar, gray collar, and blue collar occupations. Using datasets from Indonesia's National Labor Survey (Sakernas) in 2019 and 2020, the study focuses on the working-age population engaged in various occupations, including employees, casual agricultural workers, and casual nonagricultural workers. Further categorization involves classifying individuals into white collar, gray collar, and blue collar segments. The total number of individuals analyzed was 215,607 in 2019 and 201,077 in 2020. Employing an ordered logistic regression method due to the categorical nature of the dependent variable, the study reveals consistent findings regarding the impact of working hours on health across the years 2019 and 2020. Extended work hours correlate with improved health outcomes, indicating better health for those working longer, while individuals with fewer hours exhibit lower chances of achieving good health. In 2019, occupational status significantly influences worker health, with gray and blue collar workers having lower probabilities of better health compared to white collar workers. However, this occupational effect on health is absent in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the perceptions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) initiated workplace strategies implemented in radiation oncology departments across Australia. Methods: A multidisciplinary team from Princess Alexandra Hospital developed a survey to address the impact of the pandemic strategies on areas such as patient care, staff education, well-being, flexible working arrangements, and research. The survey was conducted from November 2020 to April 2021. Results: Out of 210 respondents from seven institutions, 45% reported burnout and 57% experienced work work-related stress. A significant majority of respondents were in favour of continued remote work (86%, 131/153). Radiation oncologists identified administrative or non-clinical work (92%, 34/37), telehealth clinics (32%, 12/37), or radiation therapy planning (22%, 8/37) as suitable for remote work. Additionally, 54% (21/39) of the radiation oncologists plan to use telehealth more frequently, with 67% (26/39) feeling more confident with the technology. The majority (81%, 171/210) of participants favoured continuation of hybrid in-person and virtual meetings. Virtual solutions were adopted for quality assurance activities (72%, 118/165) and 52% (60/116) indicated preference for ongoing utility of virtual platforms. However, 38% (79/210) of the respondents expressed concerns about the negative impact on junior staff training. Conclusion: These findings reveal a strong inclination towards technological advancements and remote work arrangements to enable flexible working conditions. Our study suggests the need for ongoing reforms, focusing on improving clinical service delivery efficiencies and enhancing job satisfaction among clinicians. What is known about the topic? During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic there were significant adaptations required to the delivery of clinical care. What does this paper add? There is a strong preference for ongoing work from home arrangements, especially for administrative and non-clinical work. Most radiation oncologists feel more confident using telehealth and favour its ongoing use post-pandemic. Burnout and stress remain prevalent within the workforce. What are the implications for practitioners? There is a high demand among the radiation oncology workforce for adoption of technological advances to improve work satisfaction including remote access to enable flexible work arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The emergence of the COVID‐19 pandemic led to the adoption of telework modalities by individuals in Bangladesh. The study's objective was to determine the job satisfaction and performance level of employed Bangladeshi women working from home during the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted among women employees of different professions in Dhaka city. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was used to measure job satisfaction. Work arrangement satisfaction and self‐reported performance were measured by two separate subscales which contain five items each. Responses from 118 employed women were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Chi‐square tests, Independent t‐tests, one‐way analysis of variance, and Pearson Correlation tests through the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), version 26. Results: The findings indicated that 51.7% of women reported a high degree of satisfaction on the MSQ scale; 61.9% expressed high satisfaction with their work arrangements at home and 66.9% reported a high level of performance. Job satisfaction was significantly associated with the number of children and the number of family members. A positive association was found between job satisfaction and total working experience and work arrangements. Work performance was strongly associated with higher educational qualifications. A statistically significant association between job satisfaction and performance was revealed. Conclusions: The findings from this study indicated a high degree of job satisfaction and a high level of performance found in women employees who worked from home during the COVID‐19 pandemic. These findings encourage organizations to foster more policies for telework alternatives for employed women to help them keep a balance between work responsibilities and household chores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores mainstream print media depictions of women’s work during COVID-19 and associated lockdowns in India. Specifically, it aims to understand perceptions of educated upper- and middle-class women regarding remote working arrangements during the pandemic. It delineates two broad themes that emerge from an analysis of selected articles in four national dailies; first, many women regarded these arrangements as mutually beneficial for women employees as well as their workplaces, and its counternarrative characterised by women having to juggle paid and care work with little support from the family, market or state. The paper then unpacks the arrangement of work from home that emerges in the media analysis and offers a critique of the simplistic and binary understanding of flexibility, choice, and agency sustained by the neoliberal and postfeminist framing of pandemic work arrangements. Our analysis provides a feminist critique of these dominant perceptions that invisibilise the complexity and heterogeneity embedded within women’s experiences. Finally, the paper reiterates the urgent need to consider the structural factors that undermine gender equality across work and home; and pushes for a rethink of neoliberal and postfeminist notions of ‘flexibility’, ‘choice’ and ‘agency’ through the intersecting lenses of gender, labour, care work, and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has been done on parents' coordination of their work arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Synchronized work arrangements (e.g., both parents work from home) could enable working parents to maximize their togetherness, whereas desynchronized working arrangements could enable them to address some pandemic-induced challenges, such as an increased need for child care and distance education. We draw upon the Familydemic Harmonized Dataset a cross-county study offering data on work and family outcomes collected in Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the US. Using a sample of dual-earner heterosexual parents, this study examines whether working parents harmonized their transitions between home-based work and the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores factors that potentially contributed to this coordination process. The findings reveal that working couples' transitions to home-based work from the workplace were synchronized. Parents with similar educational attainment were more likely to experience such coordination than couples with different levels of education. Cohabiting couples in married/registered unions were more likely to transition to home-based work simultaneously than non-registered cohabiting couples. The duration of synchronized home-based work episodes decreased with the number of children, and the length of synchronized workplace attendance increased with the age of the children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced many employees to work from home, and since then, remote work has remained a prominent topic. From an architectural point of view living and working in the same space is a complex issue that challenges the boundaries between private and shared spaces, productive and reproductive work, the home and the city. To address how workspaces can be integrated into residential buildings today, examining the historical background of dualused dwellings is essential. This paper analyzes historical forms of work from home settlements and purposely built dual-use dwellings, with a focus on identifying their basic characteristics, the degree of overlap between living and working spaces, and their relationship with the immediate surroundings. The results show three historical types of dual-use dwellings: integrated into the neighborhood, within the building community, and in the housing unit. With the digital revolution, the high demand for remote work jobs, and a growing interest in work-life balance, it is evident that there is a growing need for further research on the integration of dual-used dwellings within multiresidential developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the work perception and attitudes of employees. The goal of this research is to identify the experience of the beneficiaries and provide guidelines to develop an optimal model of the working environment during and in the post-pandemic period. The study is focused on an anonymous survey comprising 34 combined questions conducted online among 202 responders, including general questions, the issue of working conditions in offices, manner of transforming working conditions during the pandemic and personal perception of comfort. The questionnaire is also related to transitive solutions, work from home and the accentuation of a favourite manner of work upon the end of the pandemic. The results of the questionnaire together with theoretical analyses of this research may be useful for creating a good basis for the definition of optimal work spaces in the post-pandemic period, in order to further direct the development of resilient work spaces on the territory of Podgorica, as a case study. The study may be also applied to other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working from home (WFH) arrangements have been on the rise globally throughout the 21st century. Despite this trajectory, developing economies have trailed developed countries in adopting such arrangements. However, because of COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing measures, countries such as Uruguay, where teleworking was scarce and unregulated, were forced to adopt this practice to ensure business continuity. Under such conditions, preexisting organizational and individual disparities stratified the likelihood of WFH during the pandemic. Conventional wisdom holds that the main determinants potential-to-telework stems almost exclusively from the nature of jobs themselves. This article expands the traditional understanding of telework determinants by showing that during the first stages of the pandemic, individual features of the worker, and organizational and managerial features of the employer, were both determinative of the likelihood that a given worker would work from home. We conducted a secondary data analysis of the March 2020 wave of the Work Monitor, a web-based survey of 847 employed Uruguayan adults. We fitted several multivariate regression models predicting (a) the odds of working for a company which adopted COVID-19-related teleworking policies at least for some workers and (b) the odds of WFH as a consequence of COVID-19. As the adoption of telework was largely unplanned and abrupt, results show that disparities on organizational adoption of teleworking policies were related to pre-pandemic differences across organizations in terms of preparedness, technological investment, and management practices. Results also show that employers' willingness to enable WFH policies was the strongest predictor, at any level, of the likelihood of individuals to telework during the national emergency. Individual disparities in terms of human capital also have a great impact on the likelihood of teleworking during lockdowns, but their effect depends on the existence of organizational teleworking policies. Findings' implications for the present and future of telework in developing countries are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia implemented a Work From Home policy as an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Work From Home policy has an impact on environmental ASNs, City Civil Service Agency, Adm. West Jakarta. The aim of the research is to find out the impact of the Work From Home policy on the performance of ASN, as well as solutions to improve the impact of Work From Home in the Municipal Civil Service Administration Subdistrict environment. West Jakarta. The research was carried out using qualitative methods by conducting interviews with ASN employees within the City Admin Personnel Agency. West Jakarta. The research results show that the Work From Home policy has an impact on work adaptations and adjustments that must be made. ASN needs to make a work schedule as best as possible according to office hours with the support of a conducive work space. This has an impact on the ability to complete work more quickly because working times are more flexible. However, interaction and coordination between teams decreased because they did not meet face to face. This can be seen in employees who are difficult to contact for coordination. Apart from that, there is a lack of supervision from superiors in monitoring work. So the solution to improve the impact of implementing Work From Home is the need to optimize the use of communication tools, transparent division of work and the need for coordination between members. It is also necessary to create tools that can measure employee performance during the Work From Home period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2021, with COVID-19 cases about to reach their peak, US employment still remained below its pre-pandemic level, with data indicating a strong labour demand and a weak labour supply. Many US individuals did not work, out of a concern about Covid-19. At the same time, the pandemic affected businesses of different sizes differently. At first, the pandemic hit especially hard small businesses. But later in 2020 the recovery was stronger at smaller businesses than at larger ones. These developments call for a renewed attention to how the labour supply varies across employers of different sizes. I focus on two important determinants of labour supply during a pandemic: the vulnerability to the severe effects of the virus because of pre-existing health conditions and the ability to work from home. I study how these two factors vary across establishments of different sizes. I find that the ability to work from home is higher at larger establishments, for both workers with and without COVID-19 health risk. However, the difference in ability to work from home across these two types of workers does not decrease at larger employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity for many American workers to work from home. Did the rapid and widespread adoption of remote work arrangements influence workers' preferences? This study analyzes the early pandemic work experiences of 52 participants (20 men and 32 women) in dual-earner households with children through in-depth interviews conducted in 2021 and 2022 via Zoom. The study explores respondents' desire for remote and hybrid work, considering job satisfaction as well as job characteristics, family structure, and household organization. Unless their jobs were poorly suited to remote work, most workers with pandemic-era remote work opportunities—and even some who had not worked remotely—wished to keep remote access in their post-pandemic work arrangements. Respondents reported enhanced job satisfaction and productivity from remote work, as a result of greater schedule control and flexibility. We found that some workers were willing to change jobs to maintain their preferred work arrangement, while others acquiesced to employers' return-to-work policies. The study highlights the need to understand workers' preferences in supporting flexible work arrangements and contributes to the understanding of remote work on family dynamics during the pandemic and afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic, which implements social distancing, has led to the emergence of new habits in carrying out work with remote working models such as WFA (Work from Anywhere) or WFH (Work from Home). Challenges in implementing remote working, both from the human resources and technology aspects, require adaptation processes. How an organization prepares its IT enterprise architecture to support the WFA process to run smoothly is crucial. On the other hand, limitations in resources and organizational focus will influence decisions in determining which technologies will be used and implemented in the organization and what obstacles may arise in the implementation of WFA and what new technologies the organization will use, whether they will use open source or internal source starting from the process of developing new systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We examine how professional dual‐earner couples, with school‐age children, who worked from home during the COVID‐19 lockdown, adjusted to the changes it brought to their lives. To do so, we conducted a qualitative study of 28 dual‐earner households that had at least one school‐age child, resided in China, Iran, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, or the United States, and worked from home during their local lockdown period. In each household, we interviewed the parents (56 total), and we asked at least one child to draw their perception of their parents' work‐from‐home experience and narrate the drawing (31 total). Informed by work–home interface and family stress scholarships, we outline the resources and demands generated by working at home as a family, as well as the strategies families employed to manage their collective work from home. We extend work‐from‐home scholarship beyond the individual level by accounting for the roles of all collective members in the work‐from‐home experience. We complement the research that has studied individual‐ and couple‐level work–family strategies by theorizing the supportive, attentive, relational, delegative, and compromising strategies families adopted to generate changes in resource‐demand dynamics. In doing so, we introduce family adaptive capability for the context of adjusting to work from home and define it as a collective ability to initiate strategies to meet remote work demands with resources generated from the new work arrangement. At a practical level, the strategies presented in our work can inform employers of dual‐earner couples and families experiencing similar dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the effects of work-from-home (WFH) on working mothers in India, characterized by a patriarchal mindset, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey involving 560 mothers from various sectors, all utilizing WFH due to pandemic measures, was conducted. A moderated mediated model was analyzed in the quantitative study using structural equation modeling. The results showed the absence of domestic help and family work guilt affected the job satisfaction of working mothers. The results showed that the overall dual-stage moderated mediation index from home demands (HDs) to job satisfaction via family–work conflict was significant. In addition, the first stage (HDs × absence of domestic help family–work conflict) and second stage (family–work conflict × family–work guilt job satisfaction) moderations were significant. This article also outlines the limitations of the current work and presents future scope for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology is reshaping workplaces by enabling spatial separation of offices, known as telework, or remote intelligence (RI) and by facilitating automation of service sector tasks via artificial intelligence (AI). This paper is the first attempt to empirically investigate whether AI and RI are complements or substitutes in the service sector. It uses a worker‐level panel of surveys collected from around 10,000 workers from pre‐COVID‐19 pandemic to late 2022. We find preliminary evidence that suggests that AI and RI are complements rather than substitutes. The evidence comes first from the positive correlation of investments in AI‐promoting and RI‐promoting software at the firm and worker level, and second from the positive correlation of workers' expectations regarding telework and software automation. The evidence is far from definitive but suggests that the complement‐substitution question is a fruitful line for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented turmoil necessitating nations to impose lockdowns. Thus, organizations forced employees to work from home (WFH) by leveraging information technology. We explored the impact of WFH on employees during the lockdown. We conducted in-depth interviews of 24 employees across manufacturing and technology-enabled sectors in India and analyzed the data using Gioia's methodology. Four dimensions emerged from the impact of WFH on employees: role improvisation, stress, isolation, and self-initiated creativity. While some themes were common between the two industrial sectors, other themes varied. For instance, service sector employees reported current work-related stress, whereas manufacturing sector employees reported future-related stress. Interestingly, we discovered sparks of creativity among employees during this period either towards nurturing themselves (technology-enabled sector) or towards solving long-pending organizational issues (manufacturing sector). Most importantly, these creativity sparks were self-initiated. The study is novel as it explores the impact of large-scale WFH enforced during crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study documents the changes in work from home (WFH) practices since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic using panel data from original firm surveys in Japan. Particular attention has been given to the productivity dynamics of WFH. The results indicate the following: First, compared to when the first state of emergency was declared in the spring of 2020, at the end of 2021, the ratio of firms utilizing WFH and the intensity of WFH decreased substantially. Second, according to the firms' evaluations, the mean productivity of WFH improved by more than 10 percentage points, although it was still approximately 20% lower than that of conventional workplaces. The selection effect arising from the exit from this practice among firms with low WFH productivity, and the improvement in productivity among WFH-continuing firms contributed almost equally to the average productivity growth. Third, the majority of firms are planning to discontinue WFH practices and revert to the conventional work style or to reduce WFH intensity after the end of COVID-19, and the gap between firms' plans and the desire of remote workers is widening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown forced business firms to undertake employee work from home (WFH). The pandemic situation created a general negative sentiment. Employees, while practicing WFH, worked remotely. They worked collectively using network technology in the virtual context and achieved job efficacy even in challenging times. Employees' achievement of job efficacy helped achieve better results in terms of work performance at organizational team levels. Data were collected from Indian managers during COVID-19 unlock phase. Three hundred twenty-six managerial responses were collected and analyzed using structured equation modeling. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions was applied for the study. A theoretical model was developed with a positive feeling as an antecedent variable, effort as a mediating variable, and collective technology in virtual team efficacy as the dependent variable. The findings of the study adhered to the perspectives of broad and build theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The world of work is constantly changing. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced working from home, and there is an increasing demand for flexibility regarding the workplace. There is little empirical evidence on the mechanisms and factors that influence employee outcomes, such as productivity and turnover intention, at the workplace and at home. In addition, it is unclear whether the workplace characteristics that influence employee outcomes vary between different nations due to country-specific circumstances. The paper aims to address these two issues. Design/methodology/approach: The research model applied in this study is based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) and environmental demands-resources models using German (n = 429) and USA (n = 507) survey samples. Partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to analyse the influence of workplace characteristics (isolation, family–work interference, equipment/facilities and skill variety) on employee outcomes (satisfaction, burnout, productivity and turnover intention). Additionally, a multi-group analysis is used to explore group differences in the factors influencing satisfaction, burnout, productivity and turnover intention between employees in Germany and the USA. Findings: The results reveal that significant determinants of productivity and turnover intention include isolation, family–work interference, equipment/facilities and skill variety. Isolation and equipment/facilities are identified as the most important demands and resources of the home workplace. Some significant differences are found between Germany and the USA. The positive effect of isolation on burnout is significantly stronger in the USA than in Germany, whereas the positive effect of family–work inference on burnout is stronger in Germany than in the USA. The negative effects visible for the relations between burnout and satisfaction, and satisfaction and turnover intention are stronger in Germany than in the USA. The positive effect of burnout on turnover intention is stronger in the USA compared to Germany. Originality/value: The study adds empirical evidence to the JD-R theory by analysing the influence of the home workplace characteristics on employee outcomes in different countries for the first time using a multi-group analysis. In addition, the study reveals new insights into the differences between the knowledge workforces in Germany and the USA by uncovering how key factors influence employee outcomes such as productivity and turnover intention, partially carried by varying length of experience in work from home between both of these countries. Insights from this study can support corporate real estate managers to make better decisions on the design of employees' home workplaces and the integration of work from home into the company's workspace concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of recorded crime trends in England & Wales spans three and a half years, that is, two covid pandemic years from March 2020 and 18 'post-pandemic' months following cessation of covid restrictions. Observed crime rates were compared to expected (based on 5-year ARIMA models) and the ambient population (using Community Mobility Reports). It finds that, In Year 1, observed rates diverged dramatically from expected, waxing and waning generally in line with the movement restrictions of three national lockdowns. In Year 2, movement restrictions loosened and observed crime rates moved towards but mostly remained far from expected. In post-pandemic Year 3, people's movement increased and observed crime rates continued towards expected. By mid-Year 4 many rates remained below expected levels, their mean monthly differences including: theft from person (− 22%); burglary (− 20%); vehicle crime (− 29%); violence & sexual offences (− 27%); robbery (− 16%) and; public order offences (− 21%). An exceptional increase in shoplifting achieved 20% above expected rates by August 2023. Methodological limitations and further research on shoplifting and other issues are discussed. The main conclusion is that crime trends generally followed ambient population movement and that enduring lifestyle changes in the post-pandemic period, notably increased work-from-home, account for continuing below-expected rates of many crime types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 changed the landscape of employment and financial security in the USA, contributing to multi-systemic disruptions in family life. Using dyadic, daily-diary parent–adolescent data from a nationwide American sample (18,415 daily assessments; 29 days: 4/8/2020–4/21/2020 and 5/18/2020–6/1/2020; N = 635 parent–adolescent dyads), this intensive longitudinal study investigated how COVID-19-related job loss and working-from-home (WFH) arrangements influenced parents' and children's daily affect indirectly through family functioning (i.e., parent–adolescent conflict, inter-adult conflict, and parental warmth) and whether these links varied by family socioeconomic status (SES). Parental employment status was linked to these family relational dynamics, which were then connected to parents' and adolescents' daily affect. Although SES did not moderate these links, low-income families were more likely to experience job loss, parent–adolescent conflict, and inter-adult conflict and less likely to WFH than higher-income families. As inter-relations within the family are a malleable point for intervention, clinicians working with families recovering from the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to use approaches that strengthen family relationships, especially between adolescents and their parents. Unemployment subsidies are discussed as a means to support families struggling with job loss, and organizations are urged to consider the benefits of WFH on employee health and work-life balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social soft skills are crucial for workers to perform their tasks, yet it is hard to train people on them and to readapt their skill set when needed. In the present work, we analyze the possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social soft skills in the context of Italian occupations related to 88 economic sectors and 14 age groups. We leverage detailed information coming from ICP (i.e. the Italian equivalent of O*Net), provided by the Italian National Institute for the Analysis of Public Policy, from the microdata for research on the continuous detection of labor force, provided by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), and from ISTAT data on the Italian population. Based on these data, we simulate the impact of COVID-19 on workplace characteristics and working styles that were more severely affected by the lockdown measures and the sanitary dispositions during the pandemic (e.g. physical proximity, face-to-face discussions, working remotely). We then apply matrix completion—a machine-learning technique often used in the context of recommender systems—to predict the average variation in the social soft skills importance levels required for each occupation when working conditions change, as some changes might be persistent in the near future. Professions, sectors, and age groups showing negative average variations are exposed to a deficit in their social soft-skills endowment, which might ultimately lead to lower productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of stress and work from home and their influence on the frequency of praying (spirituality) and attending ritual services (religiosity). Design/methodology/approach: Drawing from a data set from Understanding Society (COVID-19 study) in the UK from 5,357 participants, this study specifies a two-level mixed-effects ordered-probit regression to test the main hypotheses and chi-square (x2) analysis, gamma (γ) and tau-b (τb) for checking the robustness of this study results. Findings: The findings of this study exhort with statistical confidence that spirituality is positively related to religiosity. Working from home positively influences individuals' spiritual and religious needs, while attending religious services in person is associated with less stress. Females have been found to be more likely to pray rather than attend religious services. Originality/value: This study investigates the role of work from home and stress on spirituality and religiosity, two key elements often forgotten in personal life and copying. This paper considers spirituality as the frequency of praying, while religiosity is the frequency of attending rituals, which religion has institutionalised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study is to analyze the development of conditions at work and health-related variables (notably exhaustion) in Switzerland longitudinally before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Questionnaire data were collected from a population-based sample of 1,553 employees in February 2020 and 1 year later. Health and well-being associated with (a) working conditions in general and (b) COVID-19-specific predictors such as worries about being infected and conditions for working at home were analyzed using analysis of (co)variance and multiple regression. Results: Conditions at work and well-being were stable overall, even indicating slight improvements, notably for men compared with women. Both an index representing stressors and resources at work in general (Job Stress Index) and a COVID-19-related demand index showed consistent effects on health and the effect of COVID-19-related demands was stronger if the Job Stress Index deteriorated than when it improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have analyzed the extent of remote workers' absenteeism, presenteeism and working outside agreed hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even fewer have examined the reasons that led remote workers to change these behaviors during the pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate these. An online survey containing closed- and open-ended questions was distributed to IT and communication remote workers (N= 459). Closed-ended questions were analyzed quantitatively, while open-ended questions were analyzed qualitatively. Most participants engaged in presenteeism and worked outside of agreed work hours. Absenteeism was less common than presenteeism. Presenteeism was found to be more common among women and younger workers. Absenteeism was more frequent among younger workers, sales and support workers, and workers who did not hold management positions. Working outside agreed hours was more common among older workers and workers in managerial positions, but less common among support, sales, and administrative staff. Compared with the prepandemic period, absenteeism decreased, whilst presenteeism and working outside agreed hours increased during the pandemic. Health behaviors, work-related factors, and perceptions of illness influenced absenteeism and presenteeism behavior. For some individuals, health behaviors improved during remote work, reducing the need for absenteeism. Greater accessibility to work, increased workload, and the belief that one could manage work even if ill led to increased presenteeism while working remotely. The eroding of boundaries between home and work, reduced commuting, increased workload, and increased work-related communication were associated with increased working outside agreed hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the perceptions of quality of life (QOL) while working from home in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that most participants experienced increased QOL due to more time with family, a comfortable work environment, and less commuting. However, social isolation was cited as a significant issue affecting QOL. The article suggests that stakeholders should develop social support networks and effective planning initiatives to promote QOL and work-life balance for remote workers in the UK. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to shift towards remote and hybrid working models. This study explored the association of the work-from-home model with employee satisfaction, work-life balance, and work-model preferences within MPlus Group, a leader in telework within the business process and technology outsourcing (BPTO) industry. Methods: We analyzed survey responses of 4,554 employees of MPlus Group across seven countries to assess the associations of working from home with job satisfaction, work-life balance, and preference regarding continuing to work from home. Results: Employees working within all models, and both women and men, reported high levels of job satisfaction and work-life balance, and most employees working from home expressed a desire to continue doing so. Discussion: Our findings suggest working from home does not lead to lower job satisfaction or work-life balance in the BPTO and similar industries. The study provides insights for organizations and policymakers navigating post-pandemic work dynamics. However, further research is needed to examine the long-term implications of remote work across diverse industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global work landscape has undergone a significant transformation in the aftermath of the pandemic in 2019, resulting in the widespread adoption of remote working or working from home (WFH) practices. This paradigm shift has necessitated the adaptation of business strategies and the implementation of novel remote work policies by human resources (HR) and management departments within technology companies. Nevertheless, this rapid transition in the work model has introduced a range of benefits and drawbacks that warrant careful examination in terms of their impact on efficiency, challenges, recruitment processes, training, and psychological well-being. The primary objective of this study is to investigate and comprehend the impact of remote work applications within technology companies, specifically focusing on the changes experienced by management departments, challenges, recruitment practices, communication and engagement strategies, performance evaluation methods, and training programs. The study sample comprised of nine executives/managers who were currently employed in five distinct multinational technology companies. The research approach employed was qualitative in nature, utilizing a combination of interview, document review, and observation techniques. The findings reveal varied impacts of remote work on organizational functioning in technology companies. Challenges in functions, responsibilities, and employee engagement were observed. Online evaluation systems and meetings were commonly adopted. The research supports the hypothesis and emphasizes the need for adaptation and tailored approaches in remote work environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The government of Bangladesh has implemented the "Stay Home" policy following the WHO recommendation to resist the community transmission of Covid-19. As a result, the routine activities of all government, semi-government establishments, including educational institutions, are severely affected, and the country's economic growth becomes slowed down. To overcome such a situation, the relevant authorities have introduced the "Work from Home" policy for the employees and "Remote Education" for students. However, due to the persistence of multi-dimensional socio-economic problems, many employees and students face big challenges in performing their regular jobs while adopting such a policy. Consequently, enormous psychological anxiety has been developed for all people, including students, parents, employees, etc., and concurrently created severe changes in their behavior. This study aims to analyze the reasons for the behavioral changes of the employees, students, academic staff, and family members of different ages due to psychological anxiety, stress, or physical issues. A comprehensive online-based survey has been carried out on people working in various sectors in Bangladesh. A modified Apriori Algorithm has been used to sort out the associations between the causes and types of behavioral changes. Analyzed data revealed a massive human behavioral change in most participants. This finding indicates that the negligence of those significant human behavioral changes may cause a higher risk of creating psychological imbalance. Therefore, there is a need to have a solid understanding of the reasons for the behavioral changes and set up standard guidelines to maintain "Work from Home" in this Covid- 19 situation to avoid psychological imbalance. Based on this study, some suggestions have been given for implementation by the government on an urgent basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work style reforms and the coronavirus disease pandemic in Japan have prompted efforts toward teleworking, mainly work from home (WFH). This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the impact of WFH on job stress among Japanese workers. This online survey-based prospective cohort study was conducted from December 2020 (baseline) to December 2021 (1-year follow-up) using self-administered questionnaires. At baseline, 27,036 participants completed the questionnaires, whereas 18,560 (68.7%) participated in the 1-year follow-up. After excluding the 11,604 participants who left or changed workplaces within 1 year or who were physical laborers and hospitality workers, data from 6,956 participants were analyzed. We asked participants about WFH frequency at baseline and conducted a follow-up using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ). Participants were divided into four groups according to WFH frequency. The odds ratios of poor states of the association of the four subscales (job demand, job control, supervisor support, and coworker support) determined by the BJSQ with WFH frequency were estimated using a multilevel logistic model. In both the gender–age adjusted and multivariate models, compared to the non-WFH group, the medium and low WFH groups were less likely to have poor job control, whereas the high WFH group were likely to have similar levels as the non-WFH group. In both models, compared to non-WFH participants, the high WFH group were more likely to have poor supervisor and coworker support. High-frequency WFH requires further attention, because it may increase job stress by exacerbating deficits of social support in the workplace. Medium- and low-frequency WFH workers were more likely to have satisfactory job control; therefore, limiting WFH to three or fewer days per week may lead to better job stress management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study synthesizes the empirical research onWork From Home (WFH) during COVID-19 from 2020 to 2022. The study addressed two objectives; (1) to find the common WFH practices during the COVID-19 2020e2022 period and (2) to find the areas that are not common in WFH practices in the research landscape during COVID-19 in 2020e2022 and (3) the areas that need attention in future research on WFH practices. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to address these objectives. Following a predetermined article selection criteria, 108 articles were included from Scopus for the review. The study addressed the first objective and found five areas of outcomes which are; (1) Work attitudinal outcomes and means for WFH, (2) Gender-related outcomes, (3) Leadership challenges and mental health outcomes, (4) Work-related outcomes, and (5) Mobility-related outcomes. Addressing the second objective, we have seven areas for future research, including the five outcomes related to the first objective and (1) Determinants and (2) Occupational health outcomes of WFH, which were found in addressing the second objective. Moreover, research implications for practicality and future researchers are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to contribute to the research of future possibility of Work from Home (WFH) during the pandemic times of Covid 19 and its different antecedents such as job performance, work dependence, work life balance, social interaction, supervisor's role and work environment. A structured questionnaire was adopted comprising of 19 questions with six questions pertaining to work related infrastructure at home. Data was collected from 138 full time employees working from home which revealed the influence of work dependence, work environment and work life balance which were hypothesized to be directly related to the willingness to work from home in future if given an opportunity. Qualitative analysis revealed that job performance, social interaction and supervisor's role related hypothesis are refuted. The study tries to bridge the gap between the existing research done in past during normal course of time and current pandemic. The current research of WFH during the Covid 19 in employees working from home in India is an attempt to assess the antecedents in current situation. These results have important theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The data provide the support that sleep, and not being in work from home (WFH), is significantly associated with physical inactivity (PI) during social restriction. A greater understanding of the daily relationships between WFH and sleep-impacting leisure-time physical activity (PA) may improve the effectiveness of future behavioral interventions. Objective: The aim of the study is to explore possible associations according to quality of sleep and work from home (WFH) with physical inactivity (PI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in two Brazilian cities (>18 years), by probability sampling. Leisure-time physical activity was self-reported and classified according to guidelines. Sleep was by applying the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Work from home was classified as: total WFH or no WFH. Results: A total of 1750 adults were analyzed, 69.1% were physically inactive, 51.9% had poor sleep quality, and 79.8% were not in WFH. PI was associated with poor sleep quality and non-WFH. Compared with those who reported WFH and good sleep quality, those who reported non-WFH and poor sleep quality had 4 times the prevalence of PI. Conclusions: Poor sleep quality, and not WFH, is associated with leisure PI. These factors combined increase the probability of PI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]