Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic entailed stay-at-home orders that prohibited normal daily activities such as going to work. This study aimed to explore how employees experienced working from home during COVID-19 and what it meant to their wellbeing, work performance and work-life balance. Methods: Qualitative study based on Ricoeur’s hermeneutic-phenomenological approach. Data was collected during the spring 2021 and consisted of interviews with open questions. Three female participants from a large educational institution in Denmark were included. Results: Working non-voluntarily from home was associated with six themes. Working from home reduced the preparedness for work, working from home demands a new structure of the workplace, Structure of time when working from home is promoted by a cohabiting family, The difficult balance between disturbance and stimulation when working from home, The meaning of isolation for task solving and interaction when working from home, and Outreach management as a cohesive force. Conclusion: For the employee, the flexibility of being able to organize everyday life according to family and personal needs, the employee needs colleagues and the employee wants immersion in the working tasks. The leader can be an aware of the immersion and interaction between employees when working from home. Furthermore, the leader must be visible physically and virtually and create a working environment at home and at the physical working place considering personality type of employees.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | International Journal of Nursing and Health Care Research |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 1494 |
| ISSN | 2688-9501 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 19 Jan 2024 |
Keywords
- Covid -19
- Working from home
- Well-being
- Work-life-balance
- Work performance
- Sustainability