Telecommuting can enable employees to lead more fulfilling lives, boasting improved mental health and greater engagement in their work. However, recent research from Cornell University’s ILR School reveals that this positive outcome hinges on the work being performed during the employees’ scheduled hours. The study highlights the adverse effects of working remotely outside these hours, noting that such practices are especially detrimental to women.
The surge in remote work triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked considerable interest in its effects on employee satisfaction and attitudes towards their jobs. Duanyi Yang, an assistant professor specializing in labour relations, law, and history, and her colleagues have produced research with nuanced results on the implications of home-based work for employee wellbeing. Their forthcoming paper, “Working from Home and Worker Wellbeing: New Evidence from Germany,” in the ILR Review, differentiates between substituting office hours with home-based work (replacement work-from-home) and adding to regular work hours from home (extension work-from-home).
Drawing on a survey of 7,857 employees across 814 establishments in Germany, Yang’s study indicates that working from home beyond regular hours correlates with diminished mental health, an increased likelihood of employees leaving their jobs, and more conflicts between work and family life. In contrast, working from home during regular hours (replacement work-from-home) is linked to higher work engagement and does not increase work-family conflict or turnover rates.
The research particularly underscores the negative ramifications of extended work-from-home for women, revealing that their psychological well-being is 11% lower compared to women who either do not work from home or those who adhere to their regular working hours.
Yang points out the importance of establishing labour standards and management practices that prevent the extension of work-from-home from harnessing the benefits of remote working for both employees and employers. She references France’s 2016 legislation that grants employees the right to disconnect from work communications after hours as an example of how to protect personal time from work encroachment. Similar initiatives are underway in Australia, where public sector unions negotiate the inclusion of disconnect rights in collective agreements.
In the United States, Yang suggests an opportunity for managers, executives, and worker representatives to mitigate the expectation of constant availability and foster norms that support remote work while maintaining a clear distinction between professional and personal life. She argues that employers might be more inclined to implement temporal boundaries to prevent employee burnout and reduce turnover in a competitive job market.
More information: Duanyi Yang et al, Working from Home and Worker Well-being: New Evidence from Germany, ILR Review. DOI: 10.1177/00197939221148716
Journal information: ILR Review Provided by Cornell University