The effects of telework on employees’ health

Stefan, Bruno (2021): The effects of telework on employees’ health. Published in: International Conference of Management and Industrial Engineering – ICMIE , Vol. 10, No. Business Change and Digital Transformation in a World Moving Through Crisis (November 2021): pp. 526-538.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a large number of people into telework. The change of working conditions was not done with the help of specialists or with the support from employers, resulting in improvisations that had negative consequences for employee health. The survey conducted by the Bureau of Social Research at the end of 2020 measured the impact of work from home on various health problems and body organs. The results clearly show a deterioration of the bones, muscles and joints, the mental system, the stomach, the eyes and the heart for an important segment of the employees. The most vulnerable people were those aged 40-60, PhD graduates, domiciled in medium and small cities, employed by the state in areas that had the greatest difficulties in adapting to digitization and working on online platforms: culture, education, public administration. As experts say that working from home will continue in the coming years even after the pandemic disappears, the deterioration of employees' health will intensify.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: telework, health, stress, sedentary behavior, COVID-19.
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I12 - Health Behavior; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J5 - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining > J50 - General; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology > Z13 - Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology ; Social and Economic Stratification

References

[1] Toffler, A. The third wave. Bucharest: Politica Publishing House, Contemporary Ideas series; 1983. [2] Baruch, Y. Teleworking: benefits and pitfalls as perceived by professionals and managers. New Technology, Work and Employment, 2000;15(1), Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 34-49. [3] Snellman CL. Virtual teams: opportunities and challenges for e-leaders. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Science. 2014;110:1251-1261. [4] Kuscu M, Arslan H. Virtual Leadership at Distance Education Teams. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education – TOJDE. 2016;17(3):136-156. [5] Baruch, Y. Teleworking: benefits and pitfalls as perceived by professionals and managers. New Technology, Work and Employment. 2000;15(1):34-49. [6] Mann S, Holdsworth L. The psychological impact of teleworking: Stress, emotions and health. New Technology, Work and Employment. 2003;18(3):196-211. [7] Russell H, O`Connell PJ, McGinnity F. The Impact of Flexible Working on Work-life Conflict and Work Pressure in Ireland. Gender, Work and Organization. 2009;16(1):73-97. [8] Morganson VJ, Majo DA, Oborn KL, Verive JM, Heelan MP. Comparing telework locations and traditional work arrangements: Differences in work-life balance support, job satisfaction, and inclusion. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 2010;25(6):578–595. [9] Venegas Tresierra CE, Leyva Pozo AC. La fatiga y la carga mental en los teletrabajadores: a propósito del distanciamiento social. Revista Española de Salud Pública. 2020;94(1):e1-e17. [10] Eurofound. Living, working and COVID-19. COVID-19 series, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ef20059en.pdf> [11] Sheedy J, Hayes JN, Engle J. Is all asthenopia the same? Optometry and vision science. 2003;80(11):732-739. [12] Blehm C, Vishnu S, Khattak A, Mitra S, Yee RW. Computer vision syndrome: a review. Survey of Ophtalmology. 2005;50(3):253-262. [13] Wolkoff P, Nøjgaard JK, Troiano P, Piccoli B. Eye complaints in the office environment: precorneal tear film integrity influenced by eye blinking efficiency. Occupational and environmental medicine. 2005;62(1):4-12. [14] Honan M. Mobile work: Ergonomics in a rapidly changing work environment. Work – a journal of prevention assessment & rehabilitation. 2015;52(2):289-301. [15] Ning X, Huang Y, Hu B, Nimbarte A. Neck kinematics and muscle activity during mobile device operations. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 2015;48:10-15. [16] Hansraj KK. Assessment of stresses in the cervical spine caused by posture and position of the head. Surgical Technology International. 2014;25:277-279. [17] Eddleston KA, Mulki J. Toward understanding remote workers’ management of work-family boundaries: the complexity of workplace embeddedness. Group & Organization Management. 2015;42(3):346–387. [18] Gimenez-Nadal JI, Molina JA, Velilla J. Work time and well-being for workers at home: evidence from the American time use survey. International Journal of Manpower. 2019;41(2):184–206. [18] Song Y, Gao J. Does telework stress employees out? A study on working at home and subjective well-being for wage/salary workers. Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer. 2019;21(7):2649–2668. [20] Suh A, Lee J. Understanding teleworkers’ technostress and its influence on job satisfaction. Internet Research. 2017;27(1):140–159. [21] Leca I, Merlușcă N, Bordea A, Chirea-Prichici S, Calotă A. Studiu privind oportunitatea flexibilizării modului și timpului de lucru în administrația publică din România. Institutul Național de Administrație; 2020. Available at <http://ina.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/STUDIU-moduri-de-lucru-flexibile.pdf>. [22] Arefi MF, Babaei-Pouya A, Poursadeqiyan M. The health effects of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work – a journal of prevention assessment & rehabilitation. 2020;67(3):523-527. [23] Henke RM, Benevent R, Schulte P, Rinehart C, Crighton KA, Corcoran M. The Effects of Telecommuting Intensity on Employee Health. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2016;30(8):604-612. [25] Oakman J, Kinsman N, Stuckey R, Graham M, Weale V. A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: how do we optimise health? BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1825. [26] Moretti A, Menna F, Aulicino M, Paoletta M, Liguori S, Iolascon G. Characterization of Home Working Population during COVID-19 Emergency: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(6284):2-12. [27] World Health Organization. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. București. MarLink Publishing House; 2004. Available at <https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42407/9241545429_rum.pdf;sequence=5>. [28] Portello JK, Rosenfield M, Bababekova Y, Estrada JM, Leon A. Computer related visual symptoms in office workers. Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics. 2012;32(5):375-382. [29] Hayes JR, Sheedy JE, Stelmack JA, Heaney CA. Computer use, symptoms, and quality of life. Optometry and Vision Science. 2007;84(8):738-755. [20] Brenner V. Psychology of computer use: XLVII. Parameters of Internet use, abuse and addiction: the first 90 days of the Internet usage survey, Psychological Reports. 1997;80 (3):879-882. [30] Park WK. Mobile phone addiction, in Ling R. and Pedersen P.E. (eds.) Mobile communications: re-negotiating of the social sphere, London, Springer, 2005;253-271. [31] Punamäki RL, Wallenius M, Nygård CH, Saarni L, Rimpelä A. Use of information and communication technology (ICT) and perceived health in adolescence: the role of sleeping habits and waking-time tiredness, Journal of Adolescence. 2007;30(4):569-585.