Digital Stress. Effects of Different Intensities of Working From Home on Workers' Health.

Abstract

Because hybrid and remote work models have exponentially expanded with digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines how different intensities of WFH impact workers' health. Drawing on the job demands-resources model, we applied two-way analysis of variance and regression models to the sixth European Working Conditions Survey to examine how the type and magnitude of WFH effects on health depend on its intensity. A key aspect in relation to remote work is the frequency with which the worker carries out this type of work, with best results among those WFH only several times a month, for women, and several times a week, for men. Reasonable intensity of WFH may have beneficial effects on health, but these positive effects are reduced when working fully home-based.