Work

Individual differences in perceived changes and impacts on well-being of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines how individual differences in employees’ demographic and other personal factors, such as personality, physical workspace, and pandemic-induced changes in employees’ personal and professional lives shaped their subjective wellbeing, productivity and overall flourishing (Flourishing Index, FI) under working-from-home (WFH) conditions. A cohort of 602 individuals employed by a business entity in Bangkok, Thailand were surveyed. Analysis of survey responses using Factor Analysis of Mixed Data (FAMD) revealed underlying interactions between variables that reflected differences in FI scores and work-related perceptions. Among the five principal dimensions, demographic characteristics like age, marital status, and work-related changes contributed most to the first principal domain of happiness and life satisfaction, while personal affects, emotional changes, and satisfaction with their job and the indoor environment had a stronger influence on the second domain, mental and physical health. Additionally, Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Component (HCPC) was used to group individuals with similar characteristics based on the FAMD. Results showed that individuals who enjoyed higher wellbeing ratings while WFH tended to be male, above 35 years old, of a higher employment tier, and married or living with a partner. The study reveals the importance of individual characteristics in the lived experience of WFH on wellbeing. It also shows how the FI can be used as a performance indicator of job satisfaction that incorporates worker’s wellbeing and thereby offers a new management tool as the workplace transforms into WFH and hybrid models.

Source: Building and Environment

DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111984