Effects of home-sourced sensory disturbances on the work from home experience: A work-home boundary perspective

The modern work from home (WFH) arrangement presents a unique paradox, offering workers the freedom to customize their workspace while simultaneously exposing them to potential negative effects from the blending of home and work domains, particularly through sensory disturbances from nonwork sources.

We examine the relationships between spatial variables within home workspaces (home workspace size, location, and depth) and employees' self-reported sensory (visual, auditory, olfactory) experiences from the home domain. We explore how these sensory experiences relate to two key negative worker outcomes and consider how these outcomes may relate to an individual's future intention to work from home. Additionally, we integrate boundary theory to explain the interplay between home and work domains.

199 administrative staff workers were recruited through email solicitations to participate in an online survey. After giving informed consent, participants provided demographic, workspace-related, and attitudinal data. Data was gathered between August and September 2022.

Results show that individuals working in their kitchen and open areas of the home reported more visual disturbances than individuals working in enclosed areas. Larger workplaces were also associated with fewer auditory disturbances. In turn, visual and auditory disturbances were associated with increased stress and home-to-work boundary violations, which had a negative relationship with future work-from-home intentions.

The findings highlight the importance of optimizing the spatial configuration of home workspaces to minimize the impact of sensory disturbances on stress and work-home boundaries, thereby supporting a more sustainable work-from-home experience.