Work

Experience and Intensity of Telework: Links with Well-being after a Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic in France

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Implemented on a massive scale during the Covid-19 pandemic, telework is now an established form of work organization, but its effects on workers’ well-being remain a subject of debate. Drawing on data from a longitudinal survey representative of the French population (EpiCov), this article uses sequence analysis to retrace the work patterns of almost 40,000 people in paid employment and their recourse to telework during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in France. It also uses regressions to examine the repercussions on people’s work-life balance and mental health during a period of calm in the pandemic (summer 2021) when working conditions returned almost to normal. In this context, teleworking had a strongly positive impact on the work-life balance, with beneficial effects that increased with the number of days spent working from home. The benefits were greater for women and for parents, and were independent of telework experience before the pandemic. On average, telework does not seem to have affected the risk of depression or anxiety.

Source: HAL

Authors: Reboul, Elena, Pailhé, Ariane, Counil, Emilie

Institutions: Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Centre d'études de l'emploi et du travail, Institut national d'études démographiques

Language: English

Topic: Work-Family Balance Challenges

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: green

Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche

Award: Telework, gender inequalities and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic