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. 2021 Nov 1;47(8):619-627.
doi: 10.5271/sjweh.3983. Epub 2021 Oct 29.

Working from home: mismatch between access and need in relation to work-home interference and fatigue

de Wind Astrid  1 , Debby Gj Beckers, Hylco H Nijp, Wendela Hooftman, Angela Gem de Boer, Sabine Ae Geurts
Affiliations

Working from home: mismatch between access and need in relation to work-home interference and fatigue

de Wind Astrid et al. Scand J Work Environ Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: Working from home (WfH) is a promising practice that may enable employees to successfully and sustainably combine work and private life. Yet, not every employer facilitates WfH and not every employee has similar needs concerning the practice. The current study aims to examine the association of a WfH mismatch with work-home interference (WHI) and fatigue.

Methods: Data on WfH, WHI, and fatigue of a quasi-representative sample of 2374 Dutch employees in 2012/13 and a follow-up measurement one year later were used. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses were conducted to investigate the cross-sectional and temporal associations between WfH mismatch on the one hand and (changes in) time-based and strain-based WHI and fatigue on the other hand.

Results: In the cross-sectional analyses, WfH mismatch was significantly associated with higher time-based WHI (B=0.13), strain-based WHI (B=0.17) and more fatigue (B=0.32). WfH mismatch was not associated with changes in these outcomes after one year of follow-up.

Conclusions: A tailored WfH organizational policy, in which employees' need for working from home is taken into account, may be a fruitful approach to utilize WfH as a way for employees to successfully and sustainably combine work and private life to its full potential.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of the study sample. * Numbers related to specific exclusion criteria do not add up to the total number of exclusions because people may be excluded for several overallping critera.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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