NSF Award
2419912
Technology first spurred a telecommuting movement in the 1970s. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the movement into highspeed. The future of work includes a substantial number of workers who will work from home. Moreover, organizations continue to grapple with how to meet business demands while also accommodating employees who wish to work remotely. These changes have prompted the need to better understand fully remote and hybrid (i.e., some days in the office and some days from home) work modes and the needs of those who work from home. As such, the project team is analyzing existing daily time use data as well as collecting additional data intended to shine a light on how the location of work alters daily activities (e.g., exercise, sleep), transitions (e.g., switching from work to nonwork roles), and overall employee wellbeing. The findings will be used to provide actionable insights to managers and inform the development of interventions to support remote workers.<br/> <br/>The project’s objective is to reveal a better understanding of the day-to-day experiences associated with hybrid work and how those experiences differ from work done away from home. The project involves two studies. Study 1 is a time use study based on data from the American Time Use Study that enables the research team to examine time use (activity and location) sequence patterns and transitions in 15-minute increments across the course of a 24-hr period. Study 2 is a 10-day experience sampling study that includes multiple psychological assessments per day, coupled with objective metrics collected via wearable devices that aims to capture features of the work environment, job, and individual, as well as within-person day-to-day transitions and daily wellbeing. Results from the research will contribute to the understanding of challenges and benefits associated with the location of work and have practical implications for organizations and managers.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
