Researchers from University College London found that remote work did not only have a negative impact on people’s mental state at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Study published magazine PLO drug.
“We pooled the results of seven longitudinal datasets to explore the relationship between working from home and mental health over three different time periods: April-June 2020 (first curfew), July-October 2020 (loose anti-COVID measures) and November 2020-March 2021. (second quarantine). In total, we analyzed the data of more than 10 thousand participants at each stage,” he said.
The authors obtained data on the workplace, psychological state, and social well-being of all participants. The results showed that there was no difference between those who worked from home and those who traveled to the office for the first and second semesters. Both samples performed well. However, recently, full or partial remote work has been associated with higher levels of psychological stress and loneliness.
“Maybe working from home during the first quarantine period was new for some people, and during the second quarantine period, everyone was already fed up with it. The lack of negative impact when restrictions are relaxed shows that working from home no longer harms employees’ mental health. But we need more research to confirm this,” the authors write.
Researchers also found that working women, whether they work from home or not, experience a higher risk of psychological stress and lower life satisfaction compared to male workers. This mirrors another study that found that women’s mental health had dropped disproportionately amid the pandemic.