Does working from home make us overworked, less effective, and less fit?

As COVID numbers continue to rise, you may find yourself back at work at your kitchen table or home office.

Key points:

• A study found people’s experiences of working from home were more negative than positive
• Respondents reported fatigue, blurred boundaries, and weight gain
• Researchers say the study reveals opportunities for employers to embark on effective work-from-home strategies

There are benefits – travel is hard to beat, for one – but research from La Trobe University found most people have negative experiences when working from home.

Those surveyed said the line between work and home life was blurred and they felt isolated from their peers.

According to the lead researcher, Associate Professor Jodi Oakman, many respondents also reported fatigue and said their fitness was compromised.

“When you go to work, you have a lot of incidental movement – you walk to a meeting, you walk to public transport, you get an extra step, whereas at home there is very little,” he says.

But it’s not all bad news. Several people surveyed reported positively from staying away from the office.

“Works that require deep thinking and work without distractions really benefit from working from home,” Professor Oakman said.

“People who do research, academics, people who develop policies, that kind of stuff — when they’re doing work that doesn’t require part of the interaction — really benefit from being at home.

“But just like when people need input from others, in the office it’s a good environment.”

A new approach to work

Despite the survey findings, the answer may not be simply a rush back to the office.

Associate Professor Oakman said the research offers employers insight into how to keep employees happy and productive.

“We know if [employers] communicate well, provide very clear job role descriptions — so people are clear about what they need to do and when — these things really help,” he says.

“So we really have to move away from just focusing on people’s workstations.

“That’s important, but really it’s only part of the equation. It’s all the other factors that affect people’s health and well-being that are really just as important or more important.”

Sally McManus of ACTU said workers should have the opportunity to work from home while COVID cases remain high.(provided)

Unions and medical experts are calling for flexibility allowing workers to stay home whenever they want, especially during the Omicron wave.

For now, there are no state or federal health orders providing worker protection — it all depends on the individual business.

And unless you’re negotiating your contract during the pandemic, it’s unlikely that working from home isn’t even a consideration.

Australian Trade Union Council Secretary Sally McManus said forcing people back into the office was unwise in the current health climate.

“I think any good employer today, until this tide recedes, should allow their workers to work from home, as they have done at various times over the last two years,” he said.

Drove away from the office

Phil Sylvester, who works in communications in Sydney, has spent most of the last two and a half years at home and he loves it.

“The balance I can do is really good,” he said.

“I mean, I still have school-age kids, so pick-up and after-school sports are easier too.”

He says it’s one thing if you’re working on a project together, but otherwise it’s not worth the trip.

“If you think deeply, there’s no point in dragging your carcass downtown to sit in a booth and not talk to anyone,” he said.

“You’d better do it from home and save yourself the pain.”

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