Effectiveness of workplace interventions with digital elements to reduce sedentary behaviours in office employees: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Digital interventions are potential tools for reducing and limiting occupational sedentary behaviour (SB) in sedentary desk-based jobs. Given the harmful effects of sitting too much and sitting for too long while working, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of workplace interventions, that incorporated digital elements, to reduce the time spent in SB in office workers. METHODS: Randomised control trials that evaluated the implementation of workplace interventions that incorporated digital elements for breaking and limiting SB among desk-based jobs were identified by literature searches in six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PEDro) published up to 2023. Studies were included if total and/or occupational SB were assessed. Only studies that reported pre- and postintervention mean differences and standard deviations or standard errors for both intervention arms were used for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5 (RevMan 5; Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). Risk of bias was assessed using the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields QUALSYST tool. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review. The most employed digital elements were information delivery and mediated organisational support and social influences. Multicomponent, information, and counselling interventions measuring total and/or occupational/nonoccupational SB time by self-report or via device-based measures were reported. Multicomponent interventions were the most represented. Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis, which presented a reduction of 29.9 (95% CI: -45.2, -14.5) min/8 h workday in SB (overall effect: Z = 3.81). CONCLUSIONS: Multicomponent interventions, using a wide range of digital features, have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing time spent in SB at the workplace among desk-based employees. However, due to hybrid work (i.e., work in the office and home) being a customary mode of work for many employees, it is important for future studies to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of these interventions in the evolving work landscape. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The review protocol was registered in the Prospero database (CRD42022377366).

Working from home is associated with changes in sleep hygiene practice.

BACKGROUND: Sleep hygiene habits and self-reported sleep quality of those who work from home have yet to be fully understood. As working from home was widely implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, the period might be a convenient model for studying the measures, as mentioned earlier. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess sleep hygiene habits and self-reported sleep quality in people working from home in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began. METHOD: This study was designed as a cross-sectional web-based survey. An anonymous questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic variables and questions about personal habits, e.g., exercise activities and caffeine consumption. The outcome measures to assess sleep hygiene and sleep quality were the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) before and after the home office (HO) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: A total of 204 responses were received. The prevalence of significant sleep disturbance (PSQI > 5) was 51 %. The mean PSQI and SHI scores were 6.15±3.385 and 17.67±7.836, respectively. PSQI and SHI showed a significant mutual positive correlation at the level of significance p < 0.001. The total score for SHI was similar before and after working from home (p = 0.982). However, differences were observed in its components. CONCLUSION: The total score on SHI did not change when compared before and during HO. However, working from home was associated with sleep hygiene malpractice in some individual components of SHI. On the other hand, some aspects of sleep hygiene behavior improved during HO.

Exploring hybrid telework: A bibliometric analysis.

Purpose: the aim of this paper is to analyze the evolution of understanding of hybrid telework, especially after the boom experienced in the global pandemic of COVID-19, which has given rise to new ways of working. Design: /methodology/approach: in this study, bibliometrics and scientific mapping were used to analyze the conceptual structure of hybrid telework based on 104 documents extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) database. Thanks to the co-word analysis performed with SciMAT, the main themes were mapped, and the evolution, importance and relevance of terms related to hybrid telework were identified. Findings: the body of research literature about hybrid telework is underdeveloped even though it is the most valued option of telework, both by organizations and employees. There is a lack of published studies in the public sphere and in such relevant fields as occupational health. Practical implications: this study is the first bibliometric analysis conducted for hybrid telework and demonstrates how hybrid telework is key for organizations to manage the emerging challenges in this field: new preferences from employment candidates, occupational health, etc, and how important it is to have a proper management of hybrid telework in organizations. Originality/value: this study explores in detail the evolution of hybrid telework, an underexplored telework modality, given its growth as a mode of work as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reveals critical points, dilemmas, paradoxes, and research gaps.

Work fatigue during COVID-19 lockdown teleworking: the role of psychosocial, environmental, and social working conditions.

Background: During national lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, previously office-based workers who transitioned to home-based teleworking faced additional demands (e.g., childcare, inadequate homeworking spaces) likely resulting in poor work privacy fit. Previous office research suggests poor work privacy fit is associated with lower wellbeing and higher work fatigue. Emerging evidence suggests a relationship between childcare duties during pandemic teleworking and work fatigue. In addition to psychosocial working conditions (job demand, job control, and job change management), which are acknowledged predictors of work fatigue, this poses a significant threat to occupational health during pandemic teleworking. However, the relative effects of aspects of the psychosocial environment (job demands and resources), the home office environment (including privacy fit), and the social environment (childcare) on work fatigue as well as their interactions are under-explored. Objective: This study examined the relationships between the psychosocial, environmental, and social working conditions of teleworking during the first COVID-19 lockdown and work fatigue. Specifically, the study examined teleworkers' physical work environment (e.g., if and how home office space is shared, crowding, and noise perceptions) as predictors of privacy fit and the relationship between privacy fit, childcare, psychosocial working conditions (job demand, job control, and job change management), and work fatigue. Work privacy fit was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between childcare and work fatigue. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with teleworkers (n = 300) during the first COVID-19 lockdown in April and May 2020; most participants were in Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Results: Path analysis was used to examine the hypothesized relationships. Privacy fit was lower for those reporting greater levels of noise in home-working spaces and those feeling crowded at home. Work fatigue was lower amongst those with greater privacy fit and higher amongst those with high levels of job demand. An indirect relationship was observed between childcare and work fatigue with privacy fit mediating this relationship. Conclusion: The influence of privacy fit has so far been largely neglected in research on teleworking, especially during the pandemic. However, its contribution to workers' wellbeing should be acknowledged in occupational health strategies.

Technostress at work during the COVID-19 lockdown phase (2020-2021): a systematic review of the literature.

Technostress is a psychosocial phenomenon associated with the use of technologies to the detriment of health, the same one that during the pandemic was accelerated in the work considering home confinement. This work aims to systematize the main research on the impact of technostress at work during the severe confinement stage of the pandemic, between the years 2020 and 2021, with the purpose of identify and evaluate its main determining factors. A systematic review of the literature was carried out during COVID-19, using the words "technostress work COVID-19." The works found focus mainly on analyzing the creators and inhibitors of technostress in workers, as well as the main consequences of the materialization of this technological risk associated with work performance during the stage of confinement by COVID-19. Techno invasion and techno overload were identified as the main techno stressors, with the main type of technostress appreciated in the literature being techno fatigue. Technostress is identified as a problem that had direct and relevant effects during the season of severe confinement and remote work at home due to COVID-19; highlighting techno fatigue as the most frequent type of stress, and techno stressors such as techno invasion and overload as the ones that presented the highest incidence.

Low impact of regular PCR testing on presence at work site during the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences during an open observational study in Lower Saxony 2020-21.

BACKGROUND: Since social distancing during the COVID-19-pandemic had a profound impact on professional life, this study investigated the effect of PCR testing on on-site work. METHODS: PCR screening, antibody testing, and questionnaires offered to 4,890 working adults in Lower Saxony were accompanied by data collection on demographics, family status, comorbidities, social situation, health-related behavior, and the number of work-related contacts. Relative risks (RR) with 95 % confidence intervals were estimated for the associations between regular PCR testing and other work and health-related variables, respectively, and working on-site. Analyses were stratified by the suitability of work tasks for mobile office. RESULTS: Between April 2020 and February 2021, 1,643 employees underwent PCR testing. Whether mobile working was possible strongly influenced the work behavior. Persons whose work was suitable for mobile office (mobile workers) had a lower probability of working on-site than persons whose work was not suitable for mobile office (RR = 0.09 (95 % CI: 0.07 - 0.12)). In mobile workers, regular PCR-testing was slightly associated with working on-site (RR = 1.19 (0.66; 2.14)). In those whose working place was unsuitable for mobile office, the corresponding RR was 0.94 (0.80; 1.09). Compared to persons without chronic diseases, chronically ill persons worked less often on-site if their workplace was suitable for mobile office (RR = 0.73 (0.40; 1.33)), but even more often if their workplace was not suitable for mobile office (RR = 1.17 (1.04; 1.33)). CONCLUSION: If work was suitable for mobile office, regular PCR-testing did not have a strong effect on presence at the work site. TRIAL REGISTRATION: An ethics vote of the responsible medical association (Lower Saxony, Germany) retrospectively approved the evaluation of the collected subject data in a pseudonymized form in the context of medical studies (No. Bo/30/2020; Bo/31/2020; Bo/32/2020).

Social norms in digital spaces: Conflict reports and implications for technology design in the teleworking context.

With the increase of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, employees' interactions with colleagues have shifted almost exclusively to digital channels. Hence, it is critical to understand the underpinnings of successful collaboration and individual wellbeing in digital working structures. Combining qualitative experience reports and quantitative surveys from 145 teleworkers, this study sheds light on teleworking from a psychological perspective, taking social norms as a conceptual frame. The qualitative reports revealed five types of typical conflicts related to communication in the telework context, including both (1) technical problems (e.g., a bad connection) and psychological aspects such as (2) uncertainty or a lack of social feedback, (3) norm violations, (4) a lack of rules or meta-communication about appropriate behavior, and (5) digital communication barriers. Respondents' quantitative ratings of qualities of telework versus working on-site revealed benefits of telework regarding task fulfillment and efficiency, but lower levels of motivation, conflict management, leadership, team spirit, inspiration and creativity. Participants qualitative reports on perceived challenges in remote work conditions included feelings of loneliness and increased demands related to self-management, creating boundaries between private and working life, motivation and self-regulation. This paper connects these findings with theoretical concepts from psychology and human-computer interaction and discusses implications for leadership and technology design. Practical Relevance: This article discusses practical implications for leadership and technology design, e.g., interventions against conflicts in the context of digital work.

The Effectiveness of a Four-Week Online Mindfulness Training Course on Individual Mindfulness Skills and Personal Perception of Stress in Company Employees Working from Home.

Working from home comes with many benefits. However, employees are often exposed to various stressors when working outside of the traditional workplace environment. The subjective experience of these stressors is related to one's perception of the situation and the perceived resources available. As working from home has become the new normal for many during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is in the interest of companies to provide employees with tools to cope with these stressors. One such tool is online mindfulness training. This study investigates how a four-week online mindfulness training influences an individual's mindfulness skills, subjective perception, and processing of stressors. Forty participants working from home at the time of the study were examined in a pre-test using a pre-post design in which the experimental group participated in a four-week online training course in mindfulness. Since the results showed a significantly reduced subjective perception of stress in the experimental group after mindfulness training, a long-term study was conducted including 40 additional participants. The study revealed a training success of at least three months. It thus introduces new possibilities for effective stress management in all workplace settings.

O teletrabalho e o direito à desconexão no home office em tempos de pandemia / Teleworking and the right to disconnect in home office in pandemic times / Teleworking and the right to disconnect in home office in pandemic times

O presente artigo analisou o teletrabalho e o direito à desconexão no home office em tempos de pandemia. Por intermédio do método dedutivo, este trabalho teve como objetivos específicos a conceituação e a explanação do teletrabalho, em cotejo com o home office, sendo este espécie daquele. Abordou-se o direito à desconexão vinculado aos direitos da personalidade durante a pandemia de covid-19. Em complemento, analisou-se a inobservância do direito à desconexão derivada do excesso de trabalho e de cobranças pelo empregador, inclusive fora do expediente. Subsequentemente, enfatizou-se a linha tênue entre a cobrança e a cobrança excessiva pelo empregador, que inviabiliza o efetivo descanso do trabalhador. Ademais, examinou-se o dano existencial, que não somente implica ofensa aos direitos à saúde, ao lazer e à educação, como também prejudica ou priva o trabalhador do convívio familiar e social. Em conclusão, sublinhou-se o impacto do home office nos trabalhadores em relação ao direito de desconexão.

The present article has as its scope the analysis of teleworking and the right to disconnect in home office during pandemic times. Through a deductive method, it has as specific objectives the conceptualization and explanation of teleworking, in comparison with home office, being the latter a type of the former. It describes the right to disconnect, regarding personality rights during pandemic. In addition, it analyzes the non-observance of the right to disconnect derived from the excess of work and demands by the employer, including outside working hours. Subsequently, it emphasizes the fine line between demand and excessive demand by the employer, that makes unviable the effective rest to the worker. Furthermore, it examines existential damage, that not Only implies an offense to rights to health, leisure, and education, but also deprives the worker of family and social life or at least damages it. In conclusion, it underlines the impact of home office on workers regarding the right to disconnect.

Factores de riesgo psicosocial en trabajadores universitarios: un estudio comparativo antes y durante el COVID-19 / Psychosocial risk factors in university workers: A comparative study before and during COVID-19

Resumen En el 2018, se publicó, en el Diario Oficial de la Federación, la Norma 035 que evalúa los factores de riesgo psicosocial (FRP) en los trabajadores mexicanos para promover su bienestar laboral. En 2020, en México, el COVID-19 cambió el estilo de trabajo de universidades y empresas, por lo que su análisis es interesante. El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar los FRP en trabajadores de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, en dos condiciones: oficina y teletrabajo, e identificar la relación entre el género y la modalidad laboral con el riesgo psicosocial. Para ello, el instrumento se aplicó a través de dos modalidades, en entorno de oficina, en noviembre 2019, previo a la pandemia COVID-19, y en trabajo a distancia, en junio 2020, a inicio del distanciamiento social. Los resultados reflejaron que desempeñar tareas en el entorno de oficina provocó un riesgo psicosocial general alto, mientras que en teletrabajo un riesgo general medio, de acuerdo con la NOM-035. Sin embargo, el análisis estadístico no mostró una diferencia significativa (P < 0.05) de riesgo general entre ambos ambientes laborales, ni en la comparativa del riesgo entre géneros. No obstante, en el análisis de las categorías y dominios que integran el riesgo psicosocial, se encontró diferencia (P < 0.05) entre algunos de ellos. Los hombres presentaron mayor riesgo en oficina en la categoría de liderazgo y relaciones laborales, que disminuyó (P < 0.05) por efecto del teletrabajo. La presencia del riesgo psicosocial que reportaron algunos de los trabajadores en diferentes categorías y dominios, indica la necesidad de implementar políticas que reduzcan estos riesgos, considerando tanto la modalidad laboral como el género. Esto permitirá además de cumplir con la NOM-035, mejorar la calidad de vida laboral de los trabajadores.

Abstract In 2018, standard 035 (known in Spanish as NOM-035-STPS-2018) was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. Such standard evaluates Psychosocial Risk Factors (PRF) in Mexican workers to promote their job well-being. In 2020, COVID-19 changed the work practices ofuniversities and companies in Mexico. Therefore, their analysis is timely and relevant. The objective of this study was to compare the PRFs among workers at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in two conditions: pre-pandemic office and home office during social distancing due to COVID-19, and to identify the relationship between gender and modality with the psychosocial risk. Consequently, the instrument was administered through two modalities, one test was administered in the office environment in November 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the other in remote work in June 2020, at the beginning of social distancing. The results showed that performing tasks in the office environment generates a high general psychosocial risk, while home office is a medium general risk, according to NOM-035. However, the statistical analysis did not show a significant difference (P < 0.05) in general risk between both work contexts, nor in the comparison of risk between genders. Nonetheless, in the analysis of the categories and domains that make up psychosocial risk, a significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between some of them. Men presented a higher risk in the office in the category of leadership and job relations, which decreased (P < 0.05) due to the effect of home office. The presence of psycho-social risk reported by some of the workers in different categories and domains indicated the need to implement policies that reduce these risks, considering both work modality and gender. This will allow, in addition to complying with NOM-035, to improve the quality of the job well-being of workers.

Perceived privacy in home office and musculoskeletal complaints: a test of family-work conflict, work-family conflict, and relaxation as mediators.

Many employees have had to telework all year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though working from home has many advantages, there are also some disadvantages worth to consider. Lack of privacy is a relevant factor when it comes to the development of severe musculoskelatal issues. This study investigated the link between perceived privacy in home office and musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs). Family-work conflict (FWC), work-family conflict (WFC), and relaxation were tested as potential mediators for the relationship between perceived privacy and MSCs. The present study's questionnaire was filled out by 287 teleworking employees. Hypotheses were tested via multiple mediation analyses examining levels of perceived privacy in home office, and its relationship on MSCs. Furthermore, the underlying effect of FWC, WFC, and MSCs were tested with a structural equation model. As assumed, lack of privacy while working at home was linked to individuals more frequently experiencing MSCs. However, the structural equation model showed no significant mediation effect. Work design efforts must address privacy while employees perform telework at home to prevent MSCs.

The Impact of "Home Office" Work on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

In 2020, as part of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world enacted a wide variety of regulations and laws to contain the incidence of infection. One of these measures was the relocation of work to the home office. The objective of this review was to analyze the influence of the home office in correlation with regulations on sedentary and activity behavior. A search was conducted on various electronic databases from November 2019 to January 2022, using the search terms physical activity (PA), COVID-19, and working from home. The primary outcomes were changes in PA and sedentary behavior (SB). Secondary outcomes included pain, mood, and parenting stress. The risk of bias was assessed using the (NHLBI) Quality Assessment Tool. For the review, 21 articles met the inclusion criteria (total n = 1268). There was a significant increase in SB (+16%) and a decrease in PA (-17%), Light PA (-26%), and moderate to vigorous PA (-20%). There was also an increase in pain and parenting stress and a decrease in well-being. Due to our significant results, programs that promote movement should be created. Future studies should explore how an increase of PA and a reduction of SB in the home office could be achieved.

Home Office, Health Behavior and Workplace Health Promotion of Employees in the Telecommunications Sector during the Pandemic.

Our study aims to present the perception and experiences of employees at a large multinational telecommunications company in Hungary working in home offices, as well as their health behavior and the workplace health promotion during the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 outbreak. The sample consisted of the full sample of highly skilled employees at a large telecommunication multinational company (N = 46). Throughout the analysis, tests for homogeneity of variance were followed by a MANOVA test to compare the groups' means by gender, age, and job classification. The results clearly show that in the short term, workers' mental health did not deteriorate, they do not argue or fight more with their partners and are no more depressed or irritable than before. Workers are less likely to think of ways to be more effective at work than in a home office. Similarly, they do not think that employers have more expectations than before the pandemic. Our research shows the assumption about home workers being less efficient or less diligent in their daily work to be false. A supportive and flexible employer approach to health-conscious employees will be an essential aspect in the future.

Perceived Physical Discomfort and Its Associations With Home Office Characteristics During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and change in perception of physical discomfort, including musculoskeletal discomfort, during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine associations of demographic factors, telework activity, and home office characteristics with the highest prevalence of discomfort. BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic forced a substantial increase in telework in many countries. The sudden change from a regular workplace to an improvised "home office" may have an impact on working conditions and physical symptoms of office workers. However, investigations in this area remain limited. METHOD: A cross-sectional study design was used to compare self-reported complaints of physical discomfort perceived from before with those during the pandemic. Associations between complaints and home office characteristics were investigated from 150 faculty and 51 administrative staff of an academic institution with an age range of 41.16 ± 10.20 (59% female). RESULTS: A significant increase of physical discomfort was found during the pandemic period for head, eyes, hand, and upper back for both staff and faculty and neck, shoulders, elbows, and lower back for faculty only. Logistic regression analyses point to associations with the lack of a laptop stand, uncomfortable desk, poor lighting, and sitting time, among others. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of physical discomfort was reported by teleworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some home office characteristics were associated with these discomforts. APPLICATION: Some telework characteristics seem to be risk factors for physical discomfort. Consideration should be given to teaching best practices for workstation setup and/or conducting other preventive interventions in the work environment.

On the stress potential of videoconferencing: definition and root causes of Zoom fatigue.

As a consequence of lockdowns due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the resulting restricted social mobility, several billion people worldwide have recently had to replace physical face-to-face communication with computer-mediated interaction. Notably, the adoption rates of videoconferencing increased significantly in 2020, predominantly because videoconferencing resembles face-to-face interaction. Tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco Webex are used by hundreds of millions of people today. Videoconferencing may bring benefits (e.g., saving of travel costs, preservation of environment). However, prolonged and inappropriate use of videoconferencing may also have an enormous stress potential. A new phenomenon and term emerged, Zoom fatigue, a synonym for videoconference fatigue. This paper develops a definition for Zoom fatigue and presents a conceptual framework that explores the major root causes of videoconferencing fatigue and stress. The development of the framework draws upon media naturalness theory and its underlying theorizing is based on research published across various scientific fields, including the disciplines of both behavioral science and neuroscience. Based on this theoretical foundation, hypotheses are outlined. Moreover, implications for research and practice are discussed.

Digitally Savvy at the Home Office: Computer Skills of Older Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Across Europe.

Digital skills can be a valuable resource in work life, especially in such times as the current COVID-19 pandemic, during which working from home has become new reality. Although increasing numbers of older employees (aged 50 years and above) are using digital technologies to work remotely, many of these older adults still have generally lower digital skills. Whether the pandemic will be a push factor for the acquisition of computer skills in late working life remains unclear. This study investigated the explanatory factors of the computer skills gained by older workers who were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, using representative data for 28 countries from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analysis of the survey responses of 11,042 employed persons aged 50 years and older revealed that, 13% worked only at home due to the pandemic, while 15% said they worked at home and in their usual workplace. The descriptives indicate that full-time homeworking is more of an option among those with tertiary education and who already have some computer skills. Of the older employees who worked only at home, 36% reported an improvement in their computer skills, whereas of the older workers who worked at home and at their usual workplaces, only 29% reported such an improvement. Our results based on logistic regressions suggest that significantly more women, younger employees, respondents with tertiary educational qualifications, and those whose work was not affected by unemployment or even business closure acquired new computer skills, regardless of whether they were working permanently or only partly from home. The study underlines the importance of investigating the possible digital skills gained from the home office situation resulting from the pandemic.

Future Teleworking Inclinations Post-COVID-19: Examining the Role of Teleworking Conditions and Perceived Productivity.

Organisations have implemented intensive home-based teleworking in response to global COVID-19 lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions. Financial pressures are driving organisations to continue intensive teleworking after the pandemic. Understanding employees' teleworking inclinations post COVID-19, and how these inclinations are influenced by different factors, is important to ensure any future, more permanent changes to teleworking policies are sustainable for both employees and organisations. This study, therefore, investigated the relationships between the context of home-based teleworking during the pandemic (pandemic-teleworking conditions), productivity perceptions during home-based teleworking, and employees' future teleworking inclinations (FTI) beyond the pandemic. Specifically, the study examined whether pandemic-teleworking conditions related to the job, and the physical and social environments at home, influenced employees' FTI, and if perceptions of improved or reduced productivity mediated these relationships. Data were collected during April and May 2020 with a cross-sectional online survey of teleworkers (n = 184) in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and other countries during the first COVID-19 lockdowns. Reported FTI were mixed. Most participants (61%) reported wanting to telework more post-pandemic compared to before the pandemic; however, 18% wanted to telework less. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that some teleworking conditions (job demands and work privacy fit) were positively associated with FTI. Other teleworking conditions (specifically, job change, job control, home office adequacy, and childcare) were not associated with FTI. Perceived changes in productivity mediated the relationship between work privacy fit and FTI. Findings highlight the role of work privacy fit and job demands in influencing pandemic productivity perceptions and teleworking inclinations post-pandemic. Results raise questions about the suitability and sustainability of home-based teleworking for all staff. As organisations plan to increase the proportion of teleworking post-pandemic, this study suggests there is a need to support employees who perceived their productivity to be poor while home-working during the pandemic.

[Carrying out digital work situation analyses for mobile flexible work to ascertain the consequences of mental stress]. / Durchführung von digitalen Arbeitssituationsanalysen für die mobil-flexible Arbeit zur Erhebung von psychischen Belastungsfolgen: Befragung von Mitarbeiter*innen einer öffentlichen Verwaltung zu Homeoffice ­ Erfahrungen während der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie.

Background: In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, work in many companies was relocated to the home and the work situation of the employees changed suddenly and within a short period of time. In order to identify possible stressors and to expand health resources, a multifactorial analysis of the work situation is necessary. Objective: The goal of this work was to provide an in-depth analysis in the area of occupational health management even in times of contact restrictions. With the help of digital work situation analysis (ASITA) both stressors and strengths of the home office activity in a public administration were identified and recommendations for appropriate action were derived. Material and methods: Using digital ASITAs, 3 groups (in total 16 employees) were asked about their work situation and conditions at home. Employees who worked at least 2 days per week from home during the last 12 weeks before the survey were included in the studies. Results: Working from home places new demands on employees, which in turn lead to both positive and negative consequences. An example of a positive change can be seen with respect to the work organization. Employees reported many advantages, such as the reduction of time commuting to work, and better time management. An example of a negative outcome can be seen in terms of communication in the company, where clear structures are lacking for working in the home office. Discussion: Digital work situation analysis can be an instrumental tool to examine health burdens and benefits, even in companies with mobile flexible work models. As shown by the pandemic, a change in the work situation within companies requires a continuous process of reflection, a process in which the health of the employees must be an essential part.

Work Performance, Mood and Sleep Alterations in Home Office Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The sudden burst of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the work environment in favor of remote working, affecting the perception of work quality, satisfaction and performance. This crisis has also influenced workers' mood, sleep quality and general perception of everyday life. Our main purpose in this study was to give empirical contributions about home office workers experiencing remote working during the pandemic by assessing mood spectrum variations, sleep disturbances and the general impact of pandemic in everyday life. This cross-sectional study was performed between November and December 2020 through an online questionnaire. Participants were office workers performing remote work from workstations settled at home. The questionnaire investigated sociodemographic characteristics, health factors, perception of remote working, mood spectrum, sleep quality and pandemic context perception. The sample consisted of 94 respondents: 63 women and 31 men; the mean age was 50.4 years. Study population showed great satisfaction for remote working performance and online services for video connections. Only one third of the participants reported higher levels of irritability and loneliness and 16% of women complained of nightmares. Most of participants stated that the pandemic importantly affected daily life (85.1%). Half of female subjects with children <18 years stated that children's age influenced their work performance. Since the pandemic is still an ongoing issue, the lesson learnt is that local government actions are needed to assist home office workers through tailored programs to support families. Given the central role of women in childcare, female workers would mainly benefit from social support accordingly to their parental tasks and remote work organization.