Where does work belong anymore? The impact of the COVID19 pandemic on working in the UK
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Newcastle University Business School
Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced companies to embrace home-based working (HBW) at such speed that they have had little opportunity to consider the impact on their workers. It can be argued that the crisis has led to the most significant, intensive social experiment of digital, HBW that has ever occurred. The current situation, which involves the whole household being based at home, is an unprecedented challenge which may be at least an intermittent fixture, for the next eighteen months (BBC Futures, 25/03/20).
The press have suggested that this revolution "might also offer an opportunity for many companies to finally build a culture that allows long-overdue work flexibility ...many employees for companies who have sent all staff home are already starting to question why they had to go into the office in the first place" (The Guardian, 13/02/20). These optimistic takes on the current patterns of work focus on HBW's emancipatory potential, offering flexibility, the lubrication of work and family responsibilities and the promise of increased productivity. Yet, this new world order, where the home becomes a multi-occupational, multi-person workplace and school, not only challenges boundaries but also conceptions of the domestic space.
The impact of homeworking is likely to present significant variation depending on organisational support, the worker's role, socio-economic status, employment status, as well as household composition and size of living space. There are significant concerns regarding intensified HBW, including poor work-life balance, enhanced domestic tensions and disproportionately negative impacts on those in lower socio-economic groupings. Moreover, HBW increases the proportion of time women (most often) spend on housework and childcare, reproducing and reinforcing gender roles within the new 'work-space'
We will examine in-depth this radical shift in working arrangements and how it impacts on the wellbeing and productivity of workers and their households. Using a combination of in-depth interviews with sixty participants, representing the spectrum of this novel group of homeworkers, as well as a large-scale survey, this project (Working@Home) will provide unrivalled insights into the experience of home-working for the UK population and will serve as a permanent record of the lives of citizens in this unprecedented time.
The research will be key in understanding the expectations that organisations have placed on workers, as well as the robustness of support systems that have been put in place, taking into account the rapid advancement of home working systems with almost no preparation and only limited existing support structures or expertise. The findings will provide a benchmark for the resilience of both individuals and businesses and demonstrate the potential for the robustness of the infrastructure in the return to a 'new normal' after the crisis.
In order to ensure that the findings from the project are accessible to all, we are developing a website (workingathome.org.uk) that will host up to date information on the progress of the project, details of the project team, guidance for participants as well as information regarding our webinar series. The project aims to produce guidance to individuals, organisations and policy makers on how to best manage the ongoing medical emergency from a home-working perspective as well as providing guidance for any future pandemic scenario.
The press have suggested that this revolution "might also offer an opportunity for many companies to finally build a culture that allows long-overdue work flexibility ...many employees for companies who have sent all staff home are already starting to question why they had to go into the office in the first place" (The Guardian, 13/02/20). These optimistic takes on the current patterns of work focus on HBW's emancipatory potential, offering flexibility, the lubrication of work and family responsibilities and the promise of increased productivity. Yet, this new world order, where the home becomes a multi-occupational, multi-person workplace and school, not only challenges boundaries but also conceptions of the domestic space.
The impact of homeworking is likely to present significant variation depending on organisational support, the worker's role, socio-economic status, employment status, as well as household composition and size of living space. There are significant concerns regarding intensified HBW, including poor work-life balance, enhanced domestic tensions and disproportionately negative impacts on those in lower socio-economic groupings. Moreover, HBW increases the proportion of time women (most often) spend on housework and childcare, reproducing and reinforcing gender roles within the new 'work-space'
We will examine in-depth this radical shift in working arrangements and how it impacts on the wellbeing and productivity of workers and their households. Using a combination of in-depth interviews with sixty participants, representing the spectrum of this novel group of homeworkers, as well as a large-scale survey, this project (Working@Home) will provide unrivalled insights into the experience of home-working for the UK population and will serve as a permanent record of the lives of citizens in this unprecedented time.
The research will be key in understanding the expectations that organisations have placed on workers, as well as the robustness of support systems that have been put in place, taking into account the rapid advancement of home working systems with almost no preparation and only limited existing support structures or expertise. The findings will provide a benchmark for the resilience of both individuals and businesses and demonstrate the potential for the robustness of the infrastructure in the return to a 'new normal' after the crisis.
In order to ensure that the findings from the project are accessible to all, we are developing a website (workingathome.org.uk) that will host up to date information on the progress of the project, details of the project team, guidance for participants as well as information regarding our webinar series. The project aims to produce guidance to individuals, organisations and policy makers on how to best manage the ongoing medical emergency from a home-working perspective as well as providing guidance for any future pandemic scenario.
Organisations
Publications
Mallett O
(2020)
Where does work belong anymore? The implications of intensive homebased working
in Gender in Management: An International Journal
Marks A
(2023)
The Great Resignation in the UK - reality, fake news or something in between?
in Personnel Review
Description | Women were disproportionately impacted by COVID driven homeworking COVID increased the pace of work for most white collar employees and has had detrimental impact on wellbeing The majority of workers wish to reduce working hours The majority of workers wish to work in part at home and partly in the office (hybrid) Organisations reduced support after early stages of the pandemic Technology was one of the key factors leading to poor wellbeing Many people missed their daily commute |
Exploitation Route | It is clear that employees wish to work from home part of the week but they are constrained by the intensity of work that technology facilitates. The enhanced use of Zoom and Teams etc has made the standard working day unsustainable due to the pace and intensity of work. Hence, the central outcome that we would like to be taken forward from this research is a clear re consideration of working hours, taking into account the modern work environment. |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Retail |
URL | http://www.workingathome.org.uk |
Description | This is the same impact as the other reporting on this grant (Newcastle). We have had extensive engagement with policy experts including oral evidence to House of Lords, Sinnead, Council of Europe. We have also advised to companies such as DAS office furniture and mScore meeting software, |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy |
Impact Types | Economic,Policy & public services |
Description | All Party Parliamentary Group on Future of Work |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Impact | Influence MPs and Policy in improvements in thinking on hybrid working |
URL | https://www.futureworkappg.org.uk |
Description | Case Study Contribution to the Scottish Government's commissioned report on Digital Ethics - Employment and the Economy |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Description | Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development of PACE (the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe)- hearing on "The future of work" on 17 March 2022 (2 p.m.). |
Geographic Reach | Europe |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Impact | This will hopefully improve employment accross Europe |
Description | Invited to give oral evidence to The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee inquiry into the Welsh Government's proposal on remote working |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
URL | https://business.senedd.wales/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=11076&EVT=101&DT=M |
Description | July 2022 - Oral evidence on the Four-day week to The Welsh Parliament's Petitions Committee |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Impact | Trial in Wales for the 4 day week |
URL | https://senedd.wales/media/4k2f3as5/cr-ld15618-e.pdf |
Description | Oral evidence to the House of Lords Covid-19 committee |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/event/3473/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/ |
Description | Review of Post Research Briefing Horizon Scanning |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Description | Written Evidence to the House of Lords Covid-19 Commitee |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
URL | https://www.workingathome.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/HofL-final_-working-at-home.pdf |
Description | 'It just doesn't stop!' Do we need a new law to ban out-of-hours emails? - Interview for the front page of the Guardian G2 section |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview on how the pandemic has increased the pressure to respond to out of hours emails |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jun/29/it-just-doesnt-stop-do-we-need-a-new-law-to-ban-out-of... |
Description | An article for The Conversation - Return to overview Why the four-day week is not the solution to modern work stress |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was a piece based on some of the ideas from our project, discussing the changes in working hours. There was a significant readership (43,086 reads) and many re publications. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://theconversation.com/why-the-four-day-week-is-not-the-solution-to-modern-work-stress-167721 |
Description | An interview for BBC Worklife on working unpaid overtime |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An interviews for BBC worklife on unpaid overtime |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211013-how-working-unpaid-hours-became-part-of-the-job?ocid=t... |
Description | Contribution to a New Year piece for BBC worklife on hybrid work |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was a major piece for BBC Worklife on the future of work |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220104-future-of-work-2022 |
Description | Interview for BBC worklife on worker power |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An interview for BBC on changes in worker power post pandemic |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220210-can-newfound-worker-power-change-the-workplace-for-goo... |
Description | Interview for national news |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An interview for an article looking at the uncertainty of returning to work |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.wired.co.uk/article/return-to-office-uncertainty |
Description | Interview for the US Radio Station Marketplace |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | An interview with a major US Business radio station |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.marketplace.org/2021/10/05/why-some-companies-are-cutting-back-the-40-hour-workweek/ |
Description | Interview with BBC Worklife on the 'Great Resignation' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview with BBC Worklife on the Great Resignation |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211201-the-workers-picking-up-the-slack-du-the-great-resignat... |
Description | Speaker annual Technology Leadership Summit - leadership priorities for the future of work; exploring the long-term impact of the transition to the hybrid workplace / new ways of working, and reflecting on some of the key considerations leaders should focus on to help support their team effectively and optimise productivity and outcomes. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Speaking to a professional audience about findings from the project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.digitleaders.com |
Description | Speaker for Kent County Council on Future Workplaces |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A presentation for an event run by Kent County Council on Future Workplaces to senior managers with the council |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | article for the independent newspaper |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An article on the working week for the independent newspaper |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/four-day-week-reduce-work-stress-b1921322.html |