Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 10, 2025
Author Spotlight: Investigating the Effects of Mind-Body-Movement Practices on Brain Function
Published on: January 26, 2024
I Don't Want to Go Back: Examining the Return to Physical Workspaces During COVID-19
Zihan Liu1, Drake Van Egdom, Rhona Flin
1Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas (Ms Liu, Mr Van Egdom, Dr Spitzmueller); Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland (Dr Flin); Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Canada (Dr Spitzmueller); College of Medicine, University of Houston, Houston, Texas (Dr Adepoju); and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas (Dr Krishnamoorti).
Objective:
We study employee perspectives on return to physical workspaces to ultimately inform employers' and policy makers' decision making around the return to work during COVID-19.
Methods:
We tested the three-component conceptual model using survey data collected in the United States in May 2020 from samples of energy workers (N = 333).
Results:
Women, non-Caucasians, and employees living in multi-generational households were less willing to return. Concerns about childcare were negatively related to willingness to return, whereas organizational strategies for mitigating COVID-19 transmission at work were positively related to willingness to return. COVID-19 infections in an employees' network were also negatively related to employees' willingness to return.
Conclusions:
Blanket policies may miss the nuanced needs of different employee groups. Employers and policy makers should adopt flexible approaches to ensure a return to workspaces that addresses employee concerns and needs.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Virtual Work
In static equilibrium, a body can experience an imaginary or virtual movement, such as displacement or rotation. The virtual work done by a force is equal to the dot product of force and virtual displacement in the direction of the force. When it comes to virtually rotating a...
02:30Quantifying Work
01:17Classification of Illness
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe...
01:30Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...