Remote and on-site work stress severity during the COVID-19 pandemic: comparison and selected conditions.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to explore whether remote and on-site work stress during the COVID-19 pandemic was experienced with different severity. The second goal was to investigate stress conditions at both working modes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 946 individuals working in the education system and BSS sector in different Polish organizations. The following tools were used: the Brief Scale of Vocational Stress by Dudek and Hauk, the Polish version of the scales to measure work-family conflicts by Grzywacz, Frone, Brewer and Kovner, Meyer and Allen's Affective, Continuance, and Normative Commitment Scales in the Polish adaptation by Banka, Wolowska and Bazinska, the Satisfaction with Job Scale by Zalewska. RESULTS: The analysis of intergroup differences revealed that remote work stress severity was significantly lower than on-site work stress severity. The regression analyses proved that work-family conflict and job satisfaction were significant predictors of remote and on-site work stress. Continuance commitment positively predicted on-site work stress. Both models turned out to be statistically significant. The variables included in the models explained 39% and 35% of the variability of the remote work and on-site work stress, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Remote work is associated with lower stress severity than on-site work. For both types of work, the higher the level of work-family conflict, the higher the level of stress severity, but the higher the job satisfaction, the lower the stress severity. Continuance commitment is positively related to on-site stress, which means that people who work for an organization and see no alternative feel more stressed. Such an effect was observed only in the case of on-site work. The study findings are discussed in light of previous research, and implications for organizational practice are considered. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(1):96-111.

Working Remotely During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Work-Related Psychosocial Factors, Work Satisfaction, and Job Performance Among Russian Employees.

Background: The spread of COVID-19 has forced organizations to quickly offer remote work arrangements to employees. Objective: The study focuses on remote work during the first wave of the pandemic and describes how Russian employees experienced remote work. The research has three main objectives: (1) to investigate the influence of gender and age on employees' perceptions of remote work; (2) to investigate the relationship between remote work and psychosocial variables, such as remote work stress, remote work engagement, and family-work conflict; (3) to examine whether and how much such psychosocial factors are related to remote work satisfaction and job performance. These objectives were the basis for developing six hypotheses. Design: A cross-sectional study involved 313 Russian employees. Data were collected using an online survey distributed in April and May 2020. The hypotheses were tested using ANOVA, correlations, and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Women experienced more stress and more engagement when working remotely; older employees perceived remote work as a less positive experience; opinions about remote work and remote work engagement were positively related to remote work satisfaction; leader-member exchange (LMX) was a significant predictor of job performance. Conclusion: During the lockdown, remote work was perceived as a positive experience. We discuss some practical implications for organizations and managers.