Abstract: Working from home nowadays, particularly after COVID-19 hit the world, became the preferable choice for many employees because it gives flexibility and saves more time, according to them. However, many studies revealed that working from home caused a negative effect on many employees’ mental and physical health, such as isolation and back pain. The careless and unplanned way of living while working remotely, such as lack of socialization and equipment for a healthy home office, is the cause for that negative effect. In this paper, we explore the reasons that lead to the negative impact of working remotely on mental and physical health and investigate whether employees are aware of the negative and the positive effects of working either from home or in an office. Our investigation involved a questionnaire handed to hundred employees and revealed that the majority of them were aware of the negative and the positive impacts of working remotely and in an office and suggest, therefore, a mixed-mode of working to obtain the best advantages of both modes.
Keywords: COVID-19; working from home; working in an office; questionnaire; advantages; disadvantages; negative impact; positive impact; mental health; physical health; work experience
Who would not like to wake up late and avoid the traffic every morning? I always had dreamed of that, and I guess you too. Working from home, which provides these advantages, has become the preferred choice for many employees and employers for the sake of getting more flexibility, increasing productivity, and saving time and money (Ipsen et al., 2021). I have noticed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, that many people switched willingly to work from home, expecting their life would totally improve. On the other hand, many people do not have the office work option. For instance, people work in the human resources, marketing, and customer service sectors (Iacurci, 2021). They work remotely until a hundred percent effective covid vaccine is developed. However, many studies, such as "Survey reveals the mental and physical health impacts of home working during Covid-19" by RSPH (2021), revealed that people who work from home are likely to suffer from mental and physical disorders.
In fact, the reason for the negative impact is not the work from home. Rather, it is the unmanaged lifestyle that comes with working from home. Of course, many other jobs still need people to be physically present, such as working in hospitals and beauty centers. However, Iacurci (2021) suggests that people will work remotely even after the pandemic finishes and the economy reopens. While many people are switching to work from home, and many others hoping so, it might be an opportunity for them to know the negative impact of working remotely, such as isolation and back pain, due to lack of socialization and equipment for a healthy home office. I am not willing to tell people what they should do in order to work healthily from home because this is not my study field. However, because I have experienced that negative impact, I will only give hints about the consequences, which could happen if they did not take care of themselves when working from home. Thus, this research investigated hundred people who have already worked before, regardless of gender identity, whether they are aware of the negative and the positive impacts of working from home in order to take care of themselves.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people could choose between working from home and in an office. However, many people are forced or got the opportunity to work from home to reduce the number of new daily infections during the pandemic. Thus, it was an opportunity for researchers to do research on a large number of people to figure out how working from home experience affected them. Also, after the pandemic is over, what would they prefer if they could choose between working remotely or being physically in an office.
In the study, "Six key advantages and disadvantages of working from home in Europe during COVID-19," Ipsen et al. (2021) investigated employees who have experience with working from home during the pandemic in 29 European countries. They used first the six key advantages and disadvantages approach, which involves the employees' opinions in working from home. Although the employees mentioned 16 disadvantages and 11 advantages, its results indicate that "the majority (55%) of employees were mostly positive about WFH" (p. 11). However, they assumed that maybe there are other circumstances that make the employees prefer working remotely over in an office. Hence, Ipsen et al. (2021) used the six factors approach, which involved the employees' lifestyle and characteristics. Its results also indicate that the majority of the employees preferred working remotely over in an office.
Another study, "The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: an exploratory study on Hong Kong" by Vyas and Butakhieo (2021), indicates other findings. Vyas and Butakhieo (2021) stated that the employees in Hong Kong desired to work from home. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, their study showed that the employees' opinions varied. Because the employees need time for mental relaxation and reducing the work stress, 80% "are suggesting a preference for a mixed-mode of working" (p. 69). However, another survey indicates that "68% of the workers missed going to the office and missed human interaction" (p. 69). The researchers illustrate the varying of the findings of the surveys is because some other factors are involving, such as family issues, looking after children, and difficulties in dealing with the new working from home situation, which revealed why Ipsen et al. (2021) involved in their study the characteristics of the employees.
As a result, both research studies show various findings depending on the stages of the lookdown, the employees' circumstances, lifestyle, and job type. However, I should note that the research continues because the researchers found out that the opinions vary from time to time, and the future findings might vary from the findings at hand.
This research paper required an investigation of people’s opinions regarding specific known impacts of working remotely and in an office. It also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of these work modes and, therefore, required people to respond to the questionnaire whether they were familiar with these impacts. In fact, I did not consider the participants’ gender identity because the effects of these work modes equally affect all genders. Also, I did not examine whether they experienced working from home because I needed to know whether the people who did not experience working from home were aware of the impacts and could take care of themselves when switching. Thus, quantitative is the ideal and most effective method for this research to collect the required data. It helps me measure their knowledge regarding the topic. Also, it helps me let the people who did not experience working from home participate in the questionnaire and express what they think about working from home and if they prefer to work remotely. Furthermore, it encourages the participants to participate in the questionnaire because it requires simple answers, which is easier for them.
The questionnaire contained ten specific questions handed to hundred people and required simple answers as follows:
First, yes and no questions: - Have you ever experienced working from home? - Do you think that working from home increases your work productivity? - Do you think that working from home prevents you from going out? - Do you think that working from home gives you more flexibility? - Do you think that working from home saves you more time? - Do you think that working from home prevents you from getting in contact with people?
Second, the preferred work type, working from home or in an office, questions:
- Which work type has the potential to cause you physical problems, such as the neck, back, and leg pain?
- Which work type has the potential to cause mental disorders, such as stress, anxiety, and depression?
- Which work type keeps you focused when working?
Finally, the most preferred work type question: - Which work type do you prefer the most? a. Working from home b. Working in an office c. A mixed-mode of working
Questionnaire results are as follows: 60% of the people, who have already worked before, have experienced working from home, and 40% did not. Concerning work productivity, 70% think that working from home increases their work productivity, and 30% do not. On the other hand, 60% of them suppose that working in an office keeps them focused while working. Of course, no one can deny that working from home gives us more flexibility. Thus, 100% of them agree on that. However, 60% think that working from home does not save them more time. Also, when it comes to going out and getting in contact with people, 70% of the participants think that working from home prevents them from practicing these activities. Regarding the physical and mental health impacts, 80% of them see that working from home could cause physical problems. Also, 70% think that working from home could cause mental disorders. Finally, 50% prefer a mixed-mode of working, 30% working in an office, and 20% working from home.
In fact, the results in certain respects are somewhat surprising. It revealed that most of them are familiar with the negative and positive impacts of working remotely and in an office even though some of the participants did not experience working from home, which was unexpected for me as follows:
First, although working from home
In 2023, approximately 63 percent of global digital industry leaders, who mandate a four-day office work week, reported that their in-office policy is working extremely well or quite well. Interestingly, a larger proportion, 74 percent of digital leaders who only require a three-day office work week, reported similar levels of success with their in-office policies.
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Do People want to Work from Home? To determine people's preferences for working from home, the office, or a combination of both, we surveyed 2,109 people in June 2023. We asked them: If you had the choice, ideally, where would you like to work from? We acknowledge that some roles do not accommodate remote working, such as positions in the hospitality industry or teaching roles that require being physically present in a school. Therefore, we provided respondents with the option to indicate that remote work doesn't apply to their roles. A total of 19.51% of people (394 respondents out of 2,109) indicated that the option of choosing a working location doesn't apply to their roles. We removed these respondents from our dataset to focus on those for whom the option does apply. Among the remaining 1,625 respondents, we obtained the following results: Ideally, where would you like to work from if it were your choice? Response % of People Who Gave That Response Exclusively from home or remotely 27.45% I'd like to spend most of my week remote/at home but a day or two in the office/workplace 18.03% I'd like to split my week half remotely and half in the office 17.66% Exclusively from an office or workplace 17.17% I'd like to spend most of my week in the office/workplace but a day or two a week remote/at home 14.95% Not sure 4.74%
A survey of 1,500 NSW workers during August and September 2020 (2020 Remote Working Survey) and March and April 2021 (2021 Remote Working Survey), commissioned to understand workers' experiences of and attitudes to remote and hybrid working. To be eligible, respondents had to be employed NSW residents with experience of remote working in their current job. After accounting for unemployed people and those whose jobs cannot be done remotely—for example, dentists, cashiers and cleaners—the sample represents around 59 per cent of NSW workers. Workers answered questions on: • their attitudes to remote working • the amount of time they spent working remotely • their employers’ policies, practices, and attitudes • how they spent their time when working remotely • how barriers to remote working have changed • the barriers they faced to hybrid working • their expectations for future remote working
The pandemic forced millions of people to change the way they work. Wherever possible, companies embraced remote work to keep their employees safe and their businesses open during shelter-in-place orders. Working remotely during a crisis is totally different, even for companies that were already distributed. Fear, stress, and distractions created a less-than-ideal work environment for the hundreds of thousands of people working from home for the first time.
A 2022 survey found that 25 to 35 year old's were the mostly likely to be offered full-time remote work. In comparison, only 29 percent of 55 to 65 year old's reported that they had the opportunity to work remotely full-time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers across the U.S. began working remotely for the first time. The popularity of remote work has continued as pandemic restrictions have relaxed.
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Employees - remote working (NACE Rev. 1.1 activity)
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Remote work introduces some challenges when trying to balance functionality with security. When working remotely, your employees need to access the same internal services, applications, and information that they would have access to in the office. However, your organization also needs to protect its systems and information, as remote work introduces new vulnerabilities. You need to implement additional security precautions to prevent threat actors from taking advantage of those vulnerabilities.
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The SARS-COV or COVID-19 commonly known as Corona Virus has facilitated, rather, forced many office workers to remotely work for their respective organizations. Professionals working from home do experience many pleasant surprises as well as enjoy working remotely, however, they do face quite a lot of issues, especially with respect to Information and Cyber Security; which has led malicious cyber threat actors to take undue advantage of this COVID19 lockdown situation and target those working remotely. We are recommending a 10-point checklist to be followed by every employer and employee to make their remote working experience safe and secure.
Percentage of workforce teleworking or working remotely prior to February 1, 2020, on March 31, 2020, and percentage of workforce able to carry out a majority of their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, business employment size, type of business and majority ownership.
A 2022 survey found that 91 million Americans have been offered the option to work remotely either full- or party-time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers across the U.S. began working remotely for the first time. The popularity of remote work has continued as pandemic restrictions have relaxed.
Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 17 percent of U.S. employees worked from home 5 days or more per week, a share that increased to 44 percent during the pandemic. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the remote working trend, as quarantines and lockdowns made commuting and working in an office close to impossible for millions around the world. Remote work, also called telework or working from home (WFH), provided a solution, with employees performing their roles away from the office supported by specialized technology, eliminating the commute to an office to remain connected with colleagues and clients. What enables working from home?
To enable remote work, employees rely on a remote work arrangements that enable hybrid work and make it safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology supporting remote work including laptops saw a surge in demand, video conferencing companies such as Zoom jumped in value, and employers had to consider new communication techniques and resources. Is remote work the future of work?
The response to COVID-19 has demonstrated that hybrid work models are not necessarily an impediment to productivity. For this reason, there is a general consensus that different remote work models will persist post-COVID-19. Many employers see benefits to flexible working arrangements, including positive results on employee wellness surveys, and potentially reducing office space. Many employees also plan on working from home more often, with 25 percent of respondents to a recent survey expecting remote work as a benefit of employment. As a result, it is of utmost importance to acknowledge any issues that may arise in this context to empower a hybrid workforce and ensure a smooth transition to more flexible work models.
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Explore Managing remote workers through unique data from multiples sources: key facts, real-time news, interactive charts, detailed maps & open datasets
The IT and telecom industry had the highest share of remote workers in Russia as of January 2021, at 16 percent. Furthermore, 13 percent of employees working from home were engaged in the education and sales sectors each.
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The Global Remote Workplace Services Market size is expected to be worth around USD 153.6 Bn by 2032 from USD 24.9 Bn in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 23.1% during the forecast period.
Remote Workplace Services can be referred services that enhance the work experience of employees working outside office environments by leveraging modern technology. These services can be helpful for employees working from home, in co-working spaces, or in remote locations. Remote Workplace Services help facilitate communication among employees working from different locations. Read More
In 2022, the southeast of the country was home to 53.4 percent of Husky users working for companies outside Brazil. The South was the second largest region with nearly 24 percent, while the North had less than 3 percent of the workforce.
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The global remote work security market is expected to reach a powerful growth of USD 269.28 billion by 2032, driven by a projected CAGR of 20.8%
According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2023, around 19.9 percent of wage and salary workers who used flexible work arrangements reported working from home or remotely. The share of home office and remote workers had increased sharply in the previous two years but decreased this year.
Abstract: Working from home nowadays, particularly after COVID-19 hit the world, became the preferable choice for many employees because it gives flexibility and saves more time, according to them. However, many studies revealed that working from home caused a negative effect on many employees’ mental and physical health, such as isolation and back pain. The careless and unplanned way of living while working remotely, such as lack of socialization and equipment for a healthy home office, is the cause for that negative effect. In this paper, we explore the reasons that lead to the negative impact of working remotely on mental and physical health and investigate whether employees are aware of the negative and the positive effects of working either from home or in an office. Our investigation involved a questionnaire handed to hundred employees and revealed that the majority of them were aware of the negative and the positive impacts of working remotely and in an office and suggest, therefore, a mixed-mode of working to obtain the best advantages of both modes.
Keywords: COVID-19; working from home; working in an office; questionnaire; advantages; disadvantages; negative impact; positive impact; mental health; physical health; work experience
Who would not like to wake up late and avoid the traffic every morning? I always had dreamed of that, and I guess you too. Working from home, which provides these advantages, has become the preferred choice for many employees and employers for the sake of getting more flexibility, increasing productivity, and saving time and money (Ipsen et al., 2021). I have noticed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, that many people switched willingly to work from home, expecting their life would totally improve. On the other hand, many people do not have the office work option. For instance, people work in the human resources, marketing, and customer service sectors (Iacurci, 2021). They work remotely until a hundred percent effective covid vaccine is developed. However, many studies, such as "Survey reveals the mental and physical health impacts of home working during Covid-19" by RSPH (2021), revealed that people who work from home are likely to suffer from mental and physical disorders.
In fact, the reason for the negative impact is not the work from home. Rather, it is the unmanaged lifestyle that comes with working from home. Of course, many other jobs still need people to be physically present, such as working in hospitals and beauty centers. However, Iacurci (2021) suggests that people will work remotely even after the pandemic finishes and the economy reopens. While many people are switching to work from home, and many others hoping so, it might be an opportunity for them to know the negative impact of working remotely, such as isolation and back pain, due to lack of socialization and equipment for a healthy home office. I am not willing to tell people what they should do in order to work healthily from home because this is not my study field. However, because I have experienced that negative impact, I will only give hints about the consequences, which could happen if they did not take care of themselves when working from home. Thus, this research investigated hundred people who have already worked before, regardless of gender identity, whether they are aware of the negative and the positive impacts of working from home in order to take care of themselves.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people could choose between working from home and in an office. However, many people are forced or got the opportunity to work from home to reduce the number of new daily infections during the pandemic. Thus, it was an opportunity for researchers to do research on a large number of people to figure out how working from home experience affected them. Also, after the pandemic is over, what would they prefer if they could choose between working remotely or being physically in an office.
In the study, "Six key advantages and disadvantages of working from home in Europe during COVID-19," Ipsen et al. (2021) investigated employees who have experience with working from home during the pandemic in 29 European countries. They used first the six key advantages and disadvantages approach, which involves the employees' opinions in working from home. Although the employees mentioned 16 disadvantages and 11 advantages, its results indicate that "the majority (55%) of employees were mostly positive about WFH" (p. 11). However, they assumed that maybe there are other circumstances that make the employees prefer working remotely over in an office. Hence, Ipsen et al. (2021) used the six factors approach, which involved the employees' lifestyle and characteristics. Its results also indicate that the majority of the employees preferred working remotely over in an office.
Another study, "The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: an exploratory study on Hong Kong" by Vyas and Butakhieo (2021), indicates other findings. Vyas and Butakhieo (2021) stated that the employees in Hong Kong desired to work from home. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, their study showed that the employees' opinions varied. Because the employees need time for mental relaxation and reducing the work stress, 80% "are suggesting a preference for a mixed-mode of working" (p. 69). However, another survey indicates that "68% of the workers missed going to the office and missed human interaction" (p. 69). The researchers illustrate the varying of the findings of the surveys is because some other factors are involving, such as family issues, looking after children, and difficulties in dealing with the new working from home situation, which revealed why Ipsen et al. (2021) involved in their study the characteristics of the employees.
As a result, both research studies show various findings depending on the stages of the lookdown, the employees' circumstances, lifestyle, and job type. However, I should note that the research continues because the researchers found out that the opinions vary from time to time, and the future findings might vary from the findings at hand.
This research paper required an investigation of people’s opinions regarding specific known impacts of working remotely and in an office. It also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of these work modes and, therefore, required people to respond to the questionnaire whether they were familiar with these impacts. In fact, I did not consider the participants’ gender identity because the effects of these work modes equally affect all genders. Also, I did not examine whether they experienced working from home because I needed to know whether the people who did not experience working from home were aware of the impacts and could take care of themselves when switching. Thus, quantitative is the ideal and most effective method for this research to collect the required data. It helps me measure their knowledge regarding the topic. Also, it helps me let the people who did not experience working from home participate in the questionnaire and express what they think about working from home and if they prefer to work remotely. Furthermore, it encourages the participants to participate in the questionnaire because it requires simple answers, which is easier for them.
The questionnaire contained ten specific questions handed to hundred people and required simple answers as follows:
First, yes and no questions: - Have you ever experienced working from home? - Do you think that working from home increases your work productivity? - Do you think that working from home prevents you from going out? - Do you think that working from home gives you more flexibility? - Do you think that working from home saves you more time? - Do you think that working from home prevents you from getting in contact with people?
Second, the preferred work type, working from home or in an office, questions:
- Which work type has the potential to cause you physical problems, such as the neck, back, and leg pain?
- Which work type has the potential to cause mental disorders, such as stress, anxiety, and depression?
- Which work type keeps you focused when working?
Finally, the most preferred work type question: - Which work type do you prefer the most? a. Working from home b. Working in an office c. A mixed-mode of working
Questionnaire results are as follows: 60% of the people, who have already worked before, have experienced working from home, and 40% did not. Concerning work productivity, 70% think that working from home increases their work productivity, and 30% do not. On the other hand, 60% of them suppose that working in an office keeps them focused while working. Of course, no one can deny that working from home gives us more flexibility. Thus, 100% of them agree on that. However, 60% think that working from home does not save them more time. Also, when it comes to going out and getting in contact with people, 70% of the participants think that working from home prevents them from practicing these activities. Regarding the physical and mental health impacts, 80% of them see that working from home could cause physical problems. Also, 70% think that working from home could cause mental disorders. Finally, 50% prefer a mixed-mode of working, 30% working in an office, and 20% working from home.
In fact, the results in certain respects are somewhat surprising. It revealed that most of them are familiar with the negative and positive impacts of working remotely and in an office even though some of the participants did not experience working from home, which was unexpected for me as follows:
First, although working from home