Nearly two out of three people report new health issues due to working at home, the newly released study says. The health risks are greater for women and parents of toddlers and infants.

Contacts: Amy Blumenthal (917) 710-1897 or amyblume@usc.edu or Gary Polakovic (323) 527-7770 or polakovi@usc.edu

What impact has working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic had on our health? In a new study, researchers from USC have found that working from home has negatively impacted our physical health and mental health, increased work expectations and distractions, reduced our communications with co-workers and ultimately lessened our productivity.

The study finds that time spent at the workstation increased by approximately 1.5 hours, while most workers are likely to have less job satisfaction and increased neck pain when working from home. It also illustrates the differential impact of working from home for women, parents, and those with higher income.

Nearly 1,000 respondents participated in the survey regarding the impact of working from home on physical and mental well-being. The authors are doctoral student Yijing Xiao, Burcin Becerik-Gerber, Dean’s professor of civil and environmental engineering, Gale Lucas, a research assistant professor at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies and Shawn Roll, associate professor of occupational science and cccupational therapy.

The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Becerik-Gerber and Lucas are co-directors of The Center for Intelligent Environments, part of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. 

The survey was conducted during the early days of the pandemic. Responses regarding lifestyles, home office environments, and physical and mental well-being revealed the following about that first phase of the pandemic’s “work from home” period:

• More than 64% of respondents claimed to have one or more new physical health issues.
• Nearly 75% of those surveyed experienced one new mental health issue.
• Female workers with annual salary less than $100,000 were more likely than male workers or workers with higher income to report two or more new physical and mental health issues.
• Female workers had higher incidence of depression.
• Parents with infants tended to have better mental well-being but also a higher chance of reporting a new mental health issue.
• Having toddlers was affiliated with physical well-being but was also associated with more physical and mental health issues.
• Living with at least one teenager lowered the risk of new health issues.
• Nearly three-quarters of workers adjusted their work hours and more than one-third reported scheduling their work hours around others.
• Workers who adjusted their work hours or schedule work around others were more likely to report new physical or mental health issues.
• Pets did not appear to have impact on physical or mental health.
• Workers decreased overall physical activity and physical exercise, combined with increased overall food intake.
• Decreased physical and mental well-being was correlated with increased food or junk food intake.
• Only one-third had a dedicated room for their work at home; at least 47.6% shared their workspace with others.

The authors suggest that having a dedicated work-from-home space would mitigate a number of negative impacts.

Becerik-Gerber, the study’s corresponding author, said, “The quality of your home workspace is important; having a dedicated workspace signals to others that you are busy, and minimizes the chances of being distracted and interrupted. Increased satisfaction with the environmental quality factors in your workspace, such as lighting, temperature, is associated with a lower chance of having new health issues. In addition, knowing how to adjust your workspace helps with physical health.” 

The work was supported by a National Science Foundation grant (1763134).

Illustration credit: Shutianyi Li​