Pirzadeh, P and Lingard, H (2021) Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: Health and well-being of project-based construction workers. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 147(6): 04021048, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
In the ongoing attempt to prevent the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus and flatten the curve, governments and employers have encouraged (and in some cases required) workers to work at home. This sudden widespread shift to home-based teleworking was not anticipated. Consequently, the ability to make provisions to ensure the health and safety of workers was limited. Further, in many cases, the shift to working at home has been involuntary and likely to continue for an extended period. The study presented in this paper aimed to examine the health and well-being experiences in a sample of professional/managerial workers who were engaged in teleworking as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic situation developed. Data were collected from workers in the Australian construction industry who were required to work from home on alternate weeks to reduce the number of people in project offices. A multiwave survey was conducted at three construction projects. Longitudinal analysis of the data indicated a consistent gradual decline in the mental well-being of participants. The analysis identified a positive and significant relationship between work-life satisfaction and mental well-being and indicated that the effects of work hours, work pressure, work engagement, and work-life interference on mental well-being were mediated by the extent to which participants were satisfied with their work-life balance. Combining these results with qualitative comments made by participants helped to understand their varying experiences during the pandemic and the impact on their mental well-being. The results highlight the importance of considering work-life satisfaction and creating opportunities for improved work-family balance when designing teleworking arrangements. The paper contributes to knowledge and practice by providing the evidence that helps organizations to maximize the health benefits and reduce the risks associated with home-based working during (and potentially beyond) the pandemic.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; COVID-19; mental well-being; pandemic; work from home; work-life satisfaction |
| Index terms: | work-life balance, coronavirus, construction industry, construction worker, pandemic, evidence, well-being, construction project, health and safety, longitudinal analysis, COVID-19, survey, life satisfaction, health and wellbeing |
| Subjects: | health risk and incident analysis, management, production management, health safety and environment, health conditions and diseases, sociology, industry analysis, data collection methods, evaluation and assessment methods, mental health and wellbeing, practitioner, data analysis and analytics |
| Topics: | Urban Studies, Human Resources, Roles and Professions, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Project Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here