Psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of on-site and remote Brazilian workers during the COVID-19 pandemic - a longitudinal study.

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.

Skills for managing work from home scale (SMWFHS) / Escala de habilidades para gestionar el teletrabajo en casa (EHGTC) / Escala de habilidades para gerenciar o teletrabalho em casa (EHGTC)

Abstract This study developed and tested the validity of a scale that measures skills for managing work from home, such as: informing change, searching for information, establishing priorities, setting and adapting goals, assessing work outputs, distributing tasks, and offering feedback. Participants were 2,038 managers from three Brazilian public organizations. Exploratory, confirmatory, and multigroup factor analyses revealed an 8-item unidimensional structure, excellent reliability indices, and goodness of fit, besides invariance for gender and age groups. The short scale permits testing research models with multiple variables, comparative (voluntary vs. compulsory telework), and cross-cultural studies.

Resumen Este estudio desarrolló y probó la validez de una escala que mide las habilidades para gestionar el trabajo desde casa, como: informar cambios, buscar información, establecer prioridades, establecer y adaptar metas, evaluar los resultados del trabajo, distribuir tareas y dar feedback. Participaron 2.038 directivos de tres organizaciones públicas brasileñas. Los análisis factoriales exploratorios, confirmatorios y multigrupo revelaron una estructura unifactorial de 8 ítems, excelentes índices de confiabilidad y bondad de ajuste, además de invariancia para género y rangos etarios. La escala corta permite probar modelos de investigación con múltiples variables, estudios comparativos (teletrabajo voluntario vs. obligatorio) e interculturales.

Resumo Este estudo desenvolveu e testou a validade de uma escala que mede as habilidades para gerir o trabalho desde casa, como: relatar mudanças, buscar informações, definir prioridades, definir e adaptar metas, avaliar os resultados do trabalho, distribuir tarefas e fornecer feedback. Participaram 2.038 gestores de três organizações públicas brasileiras. As análises fatoriais exploratórias, confirmatórias e multigrupo revelaram uma estrutura unifatorial de oito itens, excelentes índices de confiabilidade e qualidade de ajuste, bem como invariância para gênero e faixas etárias. A escala curta permite testar modelos de pesquisa com múltiplas variáveis, estudos comparativos (teletrabalho voluntário versus compulsório) e estudos interculturais.

Work from home and the association with sedentary behaviors, leisure-time and domestic physical activity in the ELSA-Brasil study.

BACKGROUND: Work from home (WFH) can impact workers´ sedentary behaviors and levels of physical activity. The aim of this study was to estimate the association between WFH and workers´ sedentary behaviors, leisure-time and domestic physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and verify whether age and sex may act as effect modifiers. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 2544 participants in the supplementary study on COVID-19 in the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) from July 2020 to February 2021. We assessed screen time (≤ 8 h/day versus > 8 h/day), accumulated sitting time (≤ 8 h/day versus > 8 h/day) as sedentary behaviors on a typical day, and leisure-time (active versus inactive, according to World Health Organization recommendations) and domestic (low versus high, according to median) physical activity, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), before and during social distancing. Logistic regression models were used. RESULTS: Participants that were working from home during social distancing showed increased odds of screen time and sitting time greater than 8 h/day (OR = 3.12; 95%CI: 2.32-4.20 and OR = 2.68; 95%CI: 2.02-3.56, respectively) and higher odds of high domestic physical activity (OR = 1.29; 95%CI: 0.99-1.67) when compared to those not working from home. There was no association between WFH and leisure-time physical activity (OR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.75,1.31). Age was an effect modifier in the association between WFH and leisure-time physical activity and domestic activity. Older people working from home showed higher odds of physical inactivity (OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.07,3.16) and high domestic physical activity (OR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.12,3.27) compared to older people not working from home. CONCLUSION: WFH was associated with sedentary behavior > 8 h/day and high domestic physical activity. In the older people, WFH was associated with physical inactivity and high domestic physical activity. As sedentary behavior and physical inactivity are consistently negatively associated with health, it is important to discuss policies to manage WFH that allow pauses from physical activities and performance of hours of work within preestablished limits to reduce sedentary behavior. In addition, individuals working from home, especially the older people, should be encouraged to engage in leisure-time physical activity as a form of health promotion.

Working from home, work-time control and mental health: Results from the Brazilian longitudinal study of adult health (ELSA-Brasil).

This cross-sectional study investigated the association between work-time control (WTC), independently and in combination with hours worked (HW), and four mental health outcomes among 2,318 participants of the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. WTC was assessed by the WTC Scale, and mental health outcomes included depression, anxiety, stress (measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, DASS-21), and self-rated mental health. Logistic regression models were used to determine odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Among women, long HW were associated with stress (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.11-2.20) and poor self-rated mental health (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.13-2.38), whereas they were protective against anxiety among men (OR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.37-0.93). In both sexes, weak WTC was associated with all mental health outcomes. Among women, the long HW/weak WTC combination was associated with all mental health outcomes, and short HW/weak WTC was associated with anxiety and stress. Among men, long HW/strong WTC was protective against depression and stress, while short HW/strong WTC and short HW/weak WTC was associated with all mental health outcomes. In both sexes, weak WTC, independently and in combination with HW, was associated with all mental health outcomes. WTC can improve working conditions, protect against mental distress, and fosterwork-life balance for those who work from home.

Mental health, functioning and quality of life between work in the office and work from home employees during first wave of COVID19 in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic early in 2020, period that governments imposed strict measures of social distancing to slow its transmission. However, most essential services remained open, and the work in the office faced a higher risk of infection compared to work in home. We compare the occurrence and potential determinants of mental health outcomes, functioning and quality of life in a sample of Brazilian individuals who worked from home and those who worked in the office during the first wave of COVID-19. METHODS: Data were collected during the first wave of COVID-19, using an online survey to assess sociodemographic and clinical variables, functioning (FAST-D), quality of life (EUROhisQOL), depression (PROMIS depression), anxiety (PROMIS anxiety), and stress symptoms (IES-R scale) in a huge sample consisted of individuals who worked in office (n=1685) and worked from home (n=1338). RESULTS: Analysis revealed that depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms were less prevalent in individuals who worked from home as well as they have higher functioning and quality of life than those worked in the office. Individuals who worked in the office were younger, more likely to be female, had lower household income level, low education levels and were more unmarried than the other group. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the notion of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in both work in the office and work from home; however, the group who worked from home seems to be more resilient with less psychiatric symptoms and better functioning.

Construcción y propiedades psicométricas de tres escalas para evaluar la sobrecarga de trabajo desde casa durante el covid-19 / Construction and psychometric properties of three scales to evaluate Work Overload during confinement due to covid-19

Resumen Introducción: La sobrecarga de trabajo es uno de los factores psicosociales más investigados, pero aún falta indagar y contar con evidencia empírica que muestre las repercusiones de realizar el trabajo desde casa, al ser esta una nueva forma de organización laboral por el confinamiento derivado del covid-19, donde las actividades laborales se entremezclan con otros roles asumidos en casa. Objetivo: Desarrollar y analizar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Sobrecarga de Trabajo desde Casa derivado del covid-19, la Escala Sobrecarga de Trabajo y Cuidado de Otros durante el confinamiento por covid-19 y la Escala Sobrecarga de Trabajo y Apoyo Escolar durante el confinamiento por covid-19. Método: Se trató de un diseño no experimental y transeccional, aplicando los instrumentos construidos. Participaron 321 encuestados residentes en México, la media de edad fue de 36 años, el 76,6 % mujeres y el 23,4 % hombres. Los participantes se seleccionaron de manera no aleatoria en un muestreo por conveniencia. Resultados: Las tres escalas obtuvieron índices de Alfa de Cronbach que señalan buena consistencia. Los análisis factoriales, exploratorio por componentes principales y confirmatorio por modelamiento de ecuaciones estructurales, indicaron un buen ajuste del modelo en las tres escalas. Conclusiones: Las tres escalas confirmaron unidimensionalidad e indicadores psicométricos adecuados, se recomienda su uso para evaluar la sobrecarga cualitativa de trabajo desde casa, por llevar a cabo la tarea del cuidado de otros y derivada del apoyo escolar.

Abstract Introduction: Work overload is one of the most investigated psychosocial factors, but there is still a lack of research and empirical evidence showing the repercussions of performing work activities from home, since this is a new form of work organization because of the confinement measures due to covid-19, where work activities are entangled with other roles adopted at home. Objective: To develop and analyze the psychometric properties of the covid-19 Work Overload from Home Scale, the covid-19 Work Overload and Care of Others during Confinement Scale, and the covid-19 Work Overload and School Support during Confinement Scale. Method: It was a non-experimental and transectional design, applying the developed instruments. A total of 321 respondents resident in Mexico participated, the average age was 36 years, 76,6 % were women and 23,4 % were men. Results: The three scales analyzed obtained Cronbach's Alpha values that indicate satisfactory consistency. Exploratory factorial analysis by principal components and confirmatory factorial analysis by structural equation modeling indicated good model fit at all three scales. Conclusions: The three scales confirmed unidimensionality and adequate psychometric indicators, which is why their use is recommended to evaluate the qualitative work overload from home, for carrying out the task of caring for others and derived from school support.

Fatiga laboral en personas que realizaron trabajo en casa en tiempos de confinamiento por COVID-19 / Work fatigue in people who worked at home during times of confinement by COVID-19

Introducción:El aislamiento social por Covid-19 llevó a muchos colaboradores a realizar trabajo en casa y asimismo a experimentar diversas sensaciones que conjugadas con factores laborales, demandas físicas, emocionales y/o mentales, presentaron fatiga laboral,y por ende consecuencias en su salud. Objetivo:El estudio se centró en identificar síntomas relacionados a la fatiga laboral en personas con modalidad de trabajo en casa por COVID-19. Materiales y métodos:Estudio cuantitativo con un enfoque descriptivo-transversal. Se aplicó de manera virtual una escalade fatiga laboral,bajo consentimiento informado a 511 participantes que realizaban trabajo en casa. Resultados:De acuerdo con los resultados se evidenció que el 47,7% experimentaron un nivel de fatiga medio, en dimensiones relacionadas con carga física, carga mental, efectos psicofisiológicos y percepción de cambios en las dinámicas de trabajo; experiencias negativas asociadas a la insatisfacción laboral y afectación de la salud. Por otro lado, se identificaron experiencias positivas: compartir en familia, autonomía laboral y aprendizajes.Conclusiones:Se evidenció la presencia de fatiga laboral en más de la mitad de la muestra, manifestada en síntomas asociados a las diferentes dimensiones,percibidos de manera regular por los participantes,que de no ser tratados puede llegar a afectarles la calidad de vida.

Introduction:The social isolation triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic forced employees to work from home and experience diverse feelings, which together with labor factors as well as physical, emotional, and/or mental demands, led to work fatigue and in turn, to health consequences. Objective:This study was aimed at identifying symptoms related to labor fatigue in people working from home due to COVID-19. Materials and methods: A quantitative study with a descriptive-cross sectional approach. Data was collected from 511participants who worked at home using a labor fatigue virtual scale and the informed consent. Results:47.7% of participants experienced a medium fatigue level, in dimensions such as physical load, mental load, psycho-physiological effects, and perceptionof changes in job dynamics. Likewise, they reported negative experiences associated with job dissatisfaction and health issues. On the other hand, positive events were identified, such as sharing time with family, job autonomy, and learning experiences. Conclusions: Work related fatigue was evidenced in half of the participants, which was expressed through symptoms associated with different dimensions. They were perceived frequently and may affect the quality of life of participants if these symptoms are not treated properly.

Wellbeing and Work Design in Brazilian Teleworkers.

Studies suggest that work characteristics may be related to workers' wellbeing. However, little is known about how these work characteristics may influence telework wellbeing in the face of the long period of social isolation and restrictions imposed by COVID-19. This study aimed to relate work characteristics in remote work to wellbeing using a two-stage multi-method approach. The general hypothesis is that different work characteristics will be organized into different groups and related to wellbeing. In Step 1, 108 teleworkers who participated in compulsory telework conditions answered the Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ) and Wellbeing at Work scale. A cluster analysis was conducted in which two clusters emerged based solely on their valence. The variables that contributed most to the cluster were: feedback from the job, social support, problem-solving, and decision and execution autonomy. Cluster 1 aggregated higher scores on work characteristics, and Cluster 2, lower scores. Cluster 1 presented significantly higher scores on wellbeing. In Step 2, 27 of these workers were blindly interviewed. Five classes of words emerged from the interviews: Class 1 - wellbeing, Class 2 - work dissatisfaction lexicon, Class 3 - role clarity, Class 4 - job demands, and Class 5 - job resources, including receiving feedback, conversations, praise, and support. Chi-square analysis suggests significant differences in classes 2, 3, 4, and 5. Cluster 1 appears more frequently in the role clarity class and less frequently in the work dissatisfaction and job demands classes. Cluster 2 is more frequent in the job dissatisfaction and job demands classes, however, less frequent in the job resources class. Class 1 shows no significant difference. These results partially support the general hypothesis that different work characteristics will be organized into different clusters and related to the teleworker's wellbeing, but in the sense that it prevents suffering but does not necessarily promote wellbeing. The results contribute to the understanding of the relationship between work characteristics and wellbeing during the pandemic by using a different methodological approach, describing that work feedback, social support, skill variety, and problem-solving are the most significant in differentiating the perception of the groups. Social support and feedback from the job differentiate cluster 1 from cluster 2, but social support is not able to increase wellbeing, unless buffering unwellness.

Habilidades para teletrabalho em casa: construção e evidências de validade da escala / Skills for working from home: construction and validation of the scale / Habilidades para el teletrabajo en casa: construcción y evidencias de validad de la escala

Muitos trabalhadores migraram para o teletrabalho durante a pandemia de COVID-19. A realização das tarefas integralmente em casa trouxe desafios, principalmente àqueles que não possuíam experiência anterior com a modalidade, como a conciliação trabalho-família e o uso de tecnologias digitais. Este estudo relata o desenvolvimento e as evidências de validade psicométrica da Escala de Habilidades para o Teletrabalho em Casa (EHTC). A pesquisa foi aplicada a 7.608 servidores de diferentes órgãos públicos brasileiros. Realizaram-se análises estatísticas descritivas, fatoriais exploratórias e confirmatórias e de confiabilidade. O instrumento possui uma estrutura empírica bifatorial que avalia habilidades para o balanceamento entre trabalho e outras atividades (soft skills) e para utilização de recursos digitais nas interações de trabalho (hard skills). A EHTC pode ser usada para identificar a adaptação e o preparo para o teletrabalho em casa e investigar associações entre essas habilidades e outros indicadores.

Many workers migrated to teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Performing work tasks entirely at home brought challenges, especially for those who had no previous experience with the modality, such as work-family conciliation and the use of digital technologies. This study reports the development and evidence of psychometric validity of the Skills for Working from Home scale (SWHS). The survey was applied to 7,608 government employees from Brazilian public agencies. Descriptive statistical analyses, and exploratory, confirmatory, and reliability factor analyses were performed. The instrument has a bifactorial empirical structure that assesses skills for balancing work and other activities (soft skills) and skills for using digital communication resources in work interactions (hard skills). The SWHS can be used to identify the adaptation and preparation for working from home, as well as to investigate possible associations between these skills and other indicators.

Muchos trabajadores migraron para el teletrabajo durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Realizar las tareas íntegralmente en casa trajo desafíos, especialmente para quienes no tenían experiencia previa con la modalidad, como la conciliación trabajo-familia y el uso de tecnologías digitales. Este estudio reporta el desarrollo y las evidencias de validad psicométrica de la Escala de Habilidades para el Teletrabajo en Casa (EHTC). La investigación se aplicó a 7.608 funcionarios de organos públicos brasileños. Se realizaron análisis estadísticos descriptivos, factoriales exploratorios, confirmatorios y de confiabilidad. El instrumento posee una estructura empírica bifactorial que evalúa habilidades para equilibrar el trabajo y otras actividades (soft skills) y para el uso de recursos digitales en las interacciones laborales (hard skills). La EHTC puede ser utilizada para identificar la adaptación y preparación para el teletrabajo en casa e investigar posibles asociaciones entre estas habilidades y otros indicadores.

Changes in Work and Occupational Behavior in a Brazilian Sample During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in occupational behaviors, affecting millions of workers. This study aimed to assess changes in various perceptions about work at the beginning of the pandemic in Brazil, and six months later. 702 individuals of both sexes (566 females, 80.62%), aged between 16 and 75 years (M=41.8; SD=13.5), residents in 24 different states of Brazil (most from the Southeast region, 59.26%) participated in this research and answered an online survey about their work experience during the pandemic at two different timepoints. The questionnaire included questions about increased/decreased productivity, fear of contamination by COVID-19 at work, need for going out to work, performing voluntary work, waiting for the return of their work/study activities, previous/current experience working-from-home, use of video conference programs, performing voluntary work to fight COVID-19, job loss and incidence of health problems that prevented the participant from carrying out daily/work/study activities. The results indicated that workers experienced new ways of performing their activities, changed their perceptions about their productivity, how/where they worked, and how they felt about their routine, although the majority of variables remained stable between timepoints.(AU)

A pandemia da COVID-19 resultou em mudanças nos comportamentos ocupacionais, afetando milhões de trabalhadores. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as mudanças em diferentes percepções sobre o trabalho no início da pandemia no Brasil e seis meses depois. 702 indivíduos de ambos os sexos (566 sexo feminino, 80,62%), com idade entre 16 e 75 anos (M = 41,8; DP = 13,5), residentes em 24 diferentes estados do Brasil (maioria da região Sudeste, 59,26%) participaram e responderam a uma pesquisa online sobre sua experiência de trabalho durante a pandemia em dois momentos diferentes. O questionário incluía questões sobre aumento/diminuição da produtividade, medo de contaminação pelo COVID-19 no trabalho, necessidade de sair para trabalhar, realização de trabalho voluntário, espera pelo retorno de suas atividades de trabalho/estudo, experiência anterior/atual de trabalho remoto, utilização de programas de videoconferência, realização de trabalho voluntário de combate ao COVID-19, perda de emprego e incidência de problemas de saúde que o impediram de realizar atividades cotidianas/laborais/de estudo. Os resultados indicaram que os trabalhadores vivenciaram novas formas de realizar suas atividades, mudaram suas percepções sobre sua produtividade, como/onde trabalhavam e como se sentiam em relação ao seu cotidiano, apesar da maioria das variáveis se manterem estáveis entre os dois momentos.(AU)

La pandemia del COVID-19 resultó en cambios en los comportamientos ocupacionales, afectando millones de trabajadores. Este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar los cambios en diferentes percepciones sobre el trabajo en el inicio de la pandemia en Brasil e seis meses después. 702 individuos de ambos sexos (566 mujeres, 80,62%), con edades entre los 16 y 75 años (M=41,8; DP=13,5) 702 individuos de ambos sexos (566 mujeres, 80,62%), con edades entre 16 y 75 años (M = 41,8; DT = 13,5), residentes en 24 estados diferentes de Brasil (la mayoría de la región Sudeste, 59,26%) participaron en esta investigación y respondieron a cuestiones sobre su experiencia de trabajo durante la pandemia en dos momentos distintos. El cuestionario on-line incluía preguntas sobre aumento/disminución de la productividad, miedo a la contaminación por COVID-19 en el trabajo, necesidad de salir a trabajar, realizar trabajo voluntario, esperar el regreso de sus actividades laborales/de estudio, experiencia previa/actual trabajando home office, uso de programas de videoconferencia, realización de trabajo voluntario para combatir COVID-19, pérdida de empleo e incidencia de problemas de salud que impedían al participante realizar actividades diarias/laborales/de estudio. Los resultados indicaron que los trabajadores vivenciaron nuevas formas de realizar sus actividades, cambiaron sus percepciones sobre su productividad, como/donde trabajaban y como se sentían en relación a su cotidiano, aunque la mayoría de las variables se mantuvieron estables entre los dos momentos.(AU)