Working from home and well-being.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Working from home (WFH) presents multifaceted impacts on employee performance, productivity, health, and overall well-being.
• Understanding these effects is crucial for optimizing remote work environments and employee support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the well-being of remote workers over six months using Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA).
• To gather self-reported data on participants' well-being through surveys and scales administered via a mobile application.

Main Methods:

• 72 participants used Garmin smartwatches paired with the mEMA app for survey notifications.
• Data collection included daily (C-VAS, JPH/P-VAS), weekly (EWL, Flourishing Scales), and monthly (CWC) assessments.

Main Results:

• Millennials and Gen Z with dedicated home offices and ≤3 daily breaks reported higher life satisfaction.
• Pain discomfort reduced life satisfaction for most groups, except those taking ≤3 breaks.
• Less flexible work hours negatively impacted life satisfaction for those taking ≥4 daily breaks.

Conclusions:

• Remote work well-being is influenced by a complex interaction of factors including work flexibility and breaks.
• Work flexibility, work-life balance, and stress management are key to positive remote work outcomes.
• Tailored support strategies are essential for diverse subgroups of remote workers.