Impact of Work from Home on Employee Work and Life

Abstract

Work from Home has become an increasingly common working mode in the modern working environment. The COVID-19 pandemic moved a significant shift to working from home (WFH), and it has become the only option for many industries to keep their business running. This sudden shift makes us wonder whether home working is a positive or negative change. However, many studies have analyzed the economic benefits and productivity impacts of telecommuting. There is still a limited exploration of how it affects employees' quality of life, work-life balance, family relationships, and mental health. The research aims to examine the impact of home from work on employees' quality of life and its acceptance. First, I explored employees' acceptance of telecommuting and its possible implications for work-personal life balance. Then, I examined whether prolonged time spent with family in a home-based work environment strengthened parent-child and couple bonds or increased relationship friction and tension. Ultimately, this study assessed home-based work's positive and negative effects on employee mental health and identified key factors that may increase or decrease psychological stress. While the economic and productivity benefits of telecommuting have received extensive research attention, there is a gap in how it affects employee quality of life. This research provides novel and in-depth analyses in this area. It suggests strategies for companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders to meet employees' needs better and, in turn, enhance their job satisfaction and productivity. Given that home-based work is becoming an ongoing work pattern, a deeper understanding of its long-term impact on employees' quality of life will provide valuable insights for society to help them adapt more smoothly to this work pattern.