It’s not that bad! Perceived Stress of Knowledge Workers During Enforced Working from Home Due to COVID-19

Jana Mattern, Simon Lansmann, Joschka Andreas Hüllmann

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In March 2020, many organizations requested their employees to work from home to reduce their employees’ risk of a COVID-19 infection. Research has suggested that working from home increases perceived stress due to blurring boundaries between work and private life. We examine whether this finding also holds for “enforced working from home” (EWFH) due to COVID-19 based on a four-week diary study in April and May 2020 with 37 participants from a German university.We suggest psychological detachment and communication overload as explaining variables for the relationship between EWFH and perceived stress. Our data show that EWFH leads neither to an inability to detach nor to communication overload. Similarly, EWFH does not increase participants’ stress level. The findings show that working from home is a viable option for the future and that specifics of the EWFH setting, such as wide organizational support, can improve the working from home experience.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationInnovation Through Information Systems
Subtitle of host publication Volume I: A Collection of Latest Research on Domain Issues
EditorsFrederik Ahlemann, Reinhard Schütte, Stefan Stieglitz
PublisherSpringer
Pages263-279
Number of pages17
Volume1
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-030-86790-4
ISBN (Print)978-3-030-86789-8
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes
Event16th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) - Universität Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
Duration: 9 Mar 202111 Mar 2022

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation
PublisherSpringer
Volume46
ISSN (Print)2195-4968
ISSN (Electronic)2195-4976

Conference

Conference16th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI)
Abbreviated titleWI2021
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityDuisburg
Period9/03/2111/03/22

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