The challenge
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of working from home has increased considerably and is likely to stay above pre-pandemic levels in the long term. More research is needed that assesses the benefits and drawbacks of this work arrangement for workers and their families.
The research
The project investigates the effects of working from home on a range of different worker outcomes, including job satisfaction, commuting time, health, and work-family conflict. It primarily utilises longitudinal data from the Australian HILDA Survey, alongside German survey data such as the BiBB/BAuA Employment Survey.
The impact
Our findings so far suggest mostly positive effects of working from home for worker well-being, but the effects depend on the extent of working from home, gender, parental status and other factors. The insights from this project will support employers and policy makers in developing strategies to enhance the well-being of the increasing number of people working from home.
Our researchers
Melbourne Institute - Inga Lass, Mark Wooden
Our partners
Federal Institute for Population Research
Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training
Publications
- Working from home and health complaints: on the difference between telework and informal overtime at home
- Working from Home, Covid-19, and Job Satisfaction
- Working From Home and Work-Family Conflict: The Importance of Role Salience
- To what extent does working from home lead to savings in commuting time? A panel analysis using the Australian HILDA Survey
- Working from home and work-family conflict
- Who Works from Home After the Pandemic?
- Working from home: The Australian Experience
- Book chapter, Laß, I. & Rüger, H. (2024): Homeoffice und das Wohlbefinden von Eltern während der Coronapandemie [Working from home and parental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic]. In: StBA/WZB/BiB (edit.), Sozialbericht 2024. Ein Datenreport für Deutschland, Bonn, 168-171