Factors associated with work-life balance and productivity before and during work from home

Abstract

Objectives: Considering the prevailing work from home (WFH) arrangement globally due to COVID-19, this paper aims to compare job-related and psychosocial factors before and during WFH setup; and to determine the relationship of these factors to work-life balance (WLB) and productivity.Methods:A total 503 employees from 46 institutions answered the online questionnaire, 318 of whom met the inclusion criteria. Paired t test and structural equation modeling (SEM) with multigroup analysis were used for the statistical analyses. Results: Psychological detachment (PD), sleep, stress, social support (SS), WLB, and productivity declined during WFH. SEM showed that PD significantly influenced stress and sleep, subsequently affecting productivity. SS significantly helped the participants maintain WLB.Conclusion:The key to increasing productivity and WLB during WFH is to foster PD and SS among employees.