National survey on the physical and mental health effects of working from home
CIWSP led a nationwide survey aimed at understanding these impacts. The study examined the mental and physical effects of working from home and aimed to understand how the health and wellbeing of the Canadian workforce can be protected.
Project partner: La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Status: Completed (2020-2022)
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Millions of Canadians have had the way they live, work, and interact with their communities suddenly and significantly change. Working from home has become a necessary measure to mitigate the potential transmission of COVID-19. The traditional office environment no longer exists in the same capacity it once did and working from home has become mandatory for many.
As the Canadian workforce continues to WFH, it is imperative that we understand the effects that WFH can have on mental and physical wellbeing. CIWSP led a nationwide survey aimed at understanding these impacts. The study examined the mental and physical effects of working from home and aims to understand how the health and wellbeing of Canadian workforce can be protected. In addition, the results of this national survey will inform the development of organizational strategies to prepare employers to create an effective, resilient, and inclusive WFH workplace; and help catalyze awareness and effectively implement WFH policies by aligning WFH strategies to the business goals of the organization.
A parallel study was conducted with by La Trobe University in Australia, and together the team hopes to equip organizations with the knowledge and tools necessary to meet the ongoing and future changes to the way we work.
The national survey was initially deployed between October and December 2020. A follow-up survey was distributed in May 2021. The follow-up survey will determine if and how participants’ experiences have changed over time.
PI: Amin Yazdani, PhD, CSP
PI: Jodi Oakman, PhD
Research team: Amy Hackney, PhD; Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, PhD; Katrina Lambert, PhD; Marcus Yung, PhD
Webinars: CISWP YouTube channel
Working in the digital economy: A scoping review of the impacts of work from home arrangements on personal and organizational performance and productivity
Aligning work from home (WFH) with the business goals of organizations may help catalyze awareness from decision-makers and serve to implement WFH policies effectively.
Funding agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Knowledge Synthesis Grant
Status: Completed (2020-2022)
Working from home (WFH) has been associated with several physical and mental health outcomes. However, there is no study that have comprehensively reviewed the literature on the impact of WFH arrangements on organizational and personal performance and productivity. Traditionally, from a business and managerial perspective, organizational and individual worker performance and productivity are powerful agendas that receive more resources and attention than is traditionally bestowed on health and safety issues. Aligning WFH with the business goals of organizations may help catalyze awareness from decision-makers and serve to effectively implement WFH policies. The objective of this study is to synthesize current knowledge on the impact of WFH arrangements on personal and organizational performance and productivity.
Major findings: Overall, WFH can have positive impacts on personal and organizational productivity and performance. Productivity and performance appear to be impacted differently in WFH situations that are mandatory, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current literature focuses more heavily on how WFH impacts productivity than performance. Further, there is greater emphasis on the effects at the personal-level compared to the organizational-level. There was large variability in metrics used across studies to evaluate the impact of WFH.
Implications: When developing a WFH program, organizations should keep mind that WFH is not a one-size-fits-all arrangement. The positive and negative implications of WFH programs on productivity and performance can vary significantly depending on the type of arrangement (e.g., full-time, part-time, mandatory, or optional). Prior to the pandemic, research on WFH showed positive impacts on both organizational and personal productivity and performance. However, far less conclusive impacts were observed when reviewing WFH during the pandemic. These results suggest external factors (e.g., supervision of children, impacts of lockdowns) should be considered when evaluating the effectiveness of a WFH program when it is mandatory. Setting clear goals and expectations for managing the workload of WFH is imperative, as overworking (i.e., work intensification) can be an issue, particularly in times of public health crises. Our results suggests that organizations should consider creating several types of WFH programs for employees that meet different needs.
PI: Amin Yazdani, PhD, CSP
CO-I: Jodi Oakman, PhD; ; Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, PhD; Marcus Yung, PhD
Research team: Amy Hackney, PhD
Reports: Working in the Digital Economy: A Scoping Review of the Impact from Home Arrangements on Personal and Organizational Performance and Productivity (pdf).
Webinars: CISWP YouTube channel
Peer-reviewed studies: Hackney, A., Yung, M., Nowrouzi-Kia, B., Oakman, J., & Yazdani, A. (2021). Working in the digital economy: A systematic review of the impact of work from home arrangements on personal and organizational performance and productivity. Submitted.