"Some 40% of homeworkers say their mental health has worsened during the pandemic, according to a preliminary analysis of a survey of more than 3,000 people, most of whom normally work in office environments.

Strathclyde Business School, the University of Manchester, and the Scottish TUC (STUC) carried out the survey with the support of unions including the Unite general union, the UNISON and PCS public services unions, and the CWU communication workers' union.

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said that, while for many working from home (WFH) has been a generally positive experience, significant numbers of workers have experienced work intensification and stress over the past year. Those in the Covid-19 and working from home survey were evenly split on whether they could effectively wind down after a day of working from home, with 37% reporting problems. Some evidence also suggests WFH is more likely to induce workers to work when ill, compared to being in the workplace. Almost half (49%) reported they were more likely to do so.

The study found almost two-fifths (37%) of workers said their physical health was not as good. Of those whose health had worsened, the most common reasons were mental health, stress and muscular-physical fatigue. And it found “compelling evidence” that working from home is not desirable for a significant minority.

“The reasons are many and complex, but include inadequate domestic workstation arrangements, space constraints, compromised work-life balance, gendered experiences of domestic and household burdens and loneliness and isolation,” said report co-author Strathclyde Business School professor Phil Taylor. “Employers will need to accommodate, and unions to represent, multiple, often contrasting, worker interests and preferences. The development of agile or hybrid arrangements should follow best practice by being fully negotiated with unions,” he concluded."

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