The relationship between homeworking during COVID-19 and both, mental health, and productivity: a systematic review
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: As of March 2020, the UK public were instructed to work from home where possible and as a result, nearly half of those in employment did so during the following month. Pre-pandemic, around 5% of workers chose to work from home; it was often seen as advantageous, for example due to eliminating commuting time and increasing flexibility. However, homeworking also had negative connotations, for example, blurred boundaries between work and home life due to a sense of constant connectivity to the workplace. Understanding the psychological impact of working from home in an enforced and prolonged manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic is important. Therefore, this review sought to establish the relationship between working from home, mental health, and productivity. METHODS: In January 2022, literature searches were conducted across four electronic databases: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo and Web of Science. In February 2022 grey literature searches were conducted using Google Advanced Search, NHS Evidence; Gov.uk Publications and the British Library directory of online doctoral theses. Published and unpublished literature which collected data after March 2020, included participants who experienced working from home for at least some of their working hours, and detailed the association in terms of mental health or productivity were included. RESULTS: In total 6,906 citations were screened and 25 papers from electronic databases were included. Grey literature searching resulted in two additional papers. Therefore, 27 studies were included in this review. Findings suggest the association between homeworking and both, mental health and productivity varies considerably, suggesting a complex relationship, with many factors (e.g., demographics, occupation) having an influence on the relationship. CONCLUSION: We found that there was no clear consensus as to the association between working from home and mental health or productivity. However, there are indications that those who start homeworking for the first time during a pandemic are at risk of poor productivity, as are those who experience poor mental health. Suggestions for future research are suggested.
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A wealth of research on WFH since the COVID-19 pandemic indicates WFH has the potential to improve well-being, job satisfaction and productivity for some, but can also introduce challenges such as difficulties maintaining work-life balance.
“A wealth of research on WFH since the COVID-19 pandemic indicates WFH has the potential to improve well-being, job satisfaction and productivity for some, but can also introduce challenges such as difficulties maintaining work-life balance [12,20].”
From Homeworking experiences of neuro-divergent workers: systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as [20]
Lack of commuting was perceived as a benefit for some but a challenge for others who liked the routine and exercise; previous reviews on WFH in the general population have only noted the benefits of not commuting.
“Lack of commuting was perceived as a benefit for some but a challenge for others who liked the routine and exercise; previous reviews on WFH in the general population have only noted the benefits of not commuting [12,20].”
From Homeworking experiences of neuro-divergent workers: systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as [20]
Many of our findings echo studies of homeworking in the general population.
“Many of our findings echo studies of homeworking in the general population [12,20,65].”
From Homeworking experiences of neuro-divergent workers: systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as [20]
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References 58 · Cited by 39
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- [12]Popay J, Roberts H, Sowden A, Petticrew M, Arai L, Rodgers M, Britten N, Roen K, Duffy S. Guidance on the conduct of narrative synthesis in systematic reviews. A product from the ESRC methods programme Version. 2006;1(1):b92.
- [60]Oakman J Kinsman N Stuckey R Graham M Weale V A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: how do we optimise health? BMC Public Health 2020 20 1 1 13 10.1186/s12889-020-09875-z 33256652 PMC7703513 · DOI
- Authors
- Hall, C. E., Davidson, L., Brooks, S. K., Greenberg, N., & Weston, D.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Sussex (GB)
- UK Health Security Agency (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Hall, Charlotte E.
- Venue
- BMC Psychology
- Published
- 2023-06-27
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 188-188
- ISSN
- 2050-7283 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10294311
- OpenAlex
- W4382344693
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 3
- FWCI
- 2.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR200890)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Work-Family Balance Challenges
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
- Keywords
- home office, working from home, COVID-19 pandemic, mental health, productivity, work-life boundaries, occupational stress, remote work
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Humans, Mental Health, Workplace, Pandemics
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