Working from home under the Covid-19 pandemic and psychosocial wellbeing
The current pandemic situation with the corona virus disease (Covid-19), has forced organizations to take measures in the workplace to limit the spread of the virus while maintaining a normal work pace. Some organizations around the world have moved to teleworking because of the virus where the immediate transition may prove to be challenging for both employees and managers in different ways. Thus, the project seeks to explore the experiences of individuals who are required to work from home as a result of Covid-19 both from the employee’s perspective and the manager’s perspective.
Concluded
Start
2020-10-01
Conclusion
2023-06-30
Main financing
Research area
Project manager at MDU
Describiton of the project
The project focuses on employees and managers who work full time from home, and managers whose subordinates work full time from home. It further explores how employees are managing work life balance and mental well-being and how managers are maintaining and stimulating their employees work activity and work environment while teleworking.
The aim of this project is to explore the experiences of individuals who are required to work from home as a result of covid-19 both from the employee’s perspective and the manager’s perspective. The project will be articulated by first gathering information on how individuals are currently experiencing working from home and how this has impacted on their work life and wellbeing so far.
The project will adapt an integration of both qualitative and quantitative methods which would be carried out in 4 phases - The pre-study, Questionnaire surveys, Telephone Interview and A follow up retrospective Survey. Results will provide a better understanding on how employees and managers handle working from home, how the immediate transition as a result of the Covid-19 has impacted their mental health and wellbeing as well as how employees have redesigned their boundaries between their professional and personal life during the pandemic as well as the role of the managers during the pandemic.
Goal of the project
The project intends to understand how employees and managers handle working from home, and how the immediate transition as a result of the Covid-19 has impacted their mental health and wellbeing as well as how employees have redesigned their boundaries between their professional and personal life during the pandemic. In addition, the result would emphasize the role the managers played (positive or negative) in the transition to enhance connection between team members and employees, to combat the burnout and psychological challenges associated with the transition and how it impacted productivity. The results will be relevant for employees and managers who are required to work from home regularly in the future.
Publications
- Omorde, A., Berglund, R. & Backström, T. (2022) The experience of teleworking on health and wellbeing under covid-19 pandemic.
External link. - Omorede, A, Berglund, R. & Backström, T. (2022). Employee work requirements, leadership, support and performance: the buffering role of mental health. Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic (funded by AFA). External link.
- Backström, T, Berglund, R. & Omorede, A. (2022). Creativity at a distance. External link.
- Omorede, A, Berglund, R. & Backström, T. (2022) Employee productivity during COVID-19 in Sweden. External link.
