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Adopting telework: The causal impact of working from home on subjective well‐being

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  • Guillaume Gueguen
  • Claudia Senik

Abstract

We study the impact of work from home (WFH) on subjective well‐being during the Covid period, where self‐selection of individuals into telework is ruled out, at least part of the time, by stay‐at‐home orders. We use a difference‐in‐differences approach with individual fixed effects and identify the specific impact of switching to telecommuting, separately from any other confounding factor. In particular, our identification strategy avoids the influence of interpersonal heterogeneity by exploiting the multiple entries into WFH, by the same individuals, at different times. On average over the period, switching to WFH, especially full‐time, worsens mental health. We also find a positive but imprecisely measured impact of part‐time WFH on life satisfaction. However, this hides a dynamic evolution, whereby the initial deterioration gives place to an adaptation process after a couple of months. We also uncover a particularly pronounced fall in subjective well‐being of women with children, especially in the first months; this could be associated with home‐schooling.

Suggested Citation

  • Guillaume Gueguen & Claudia Senik, 2023. "Adopting telework: The causal impact of working from home on subjective well‐being," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(4), pages 832-868, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:61:y:2023:i:4:p:832-868
    DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12761
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    2. Claudia Senik & Andrew E. Clark & Conchita D’Ambrosio & Anthony Lepinteur & Carsten Schröder, 2024. "Teleworking and life satisfaction during COVID-19: the importance of family structure," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 1-24, March.
    3. Anna Kurowska & Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska & Tsegachew Degu Kasegn & Bartłomiej Rokicki, 2025. "Life and Work-life Balance Satisfaction Among Parents Working From Home: the Role of Work-time and Childcare Demands," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 20(3), pages 1315-1338, June.
    4. Cowan, Benjamin & Jones, Todd R., 2025. "Social Substitution? Time Use Responses to Increased Workplace Isolation," IZA Discussion Papers 18112, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Esposito, P. & Mendolia, S. & Scicchitano, S. & Tealdi, C., 2024. "Working from home and job satisfaction: The role of gender and personality traits," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1382, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Bilgrami, Anam, 2026. "Beyond lockdowns: work-from-home, mental health, and the moderating roles of intensity, job control and social support," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1702, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. Bertoni, Marco & Cavapozzi, Danilo & Pasini, Giacomo & Pavese, Caterina, 2025. "The causal effect of working from home on mental health of 50+ Europeans," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
    8. Meredith M. Paker, 2025. "Review of periodical literature for 2023: (vi) 1945 to present," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 78(1), pages 387-397, February.
    9. Yue Qian & Wen Fan, 2026. "Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Make It Worse? Working from Home and Affective Well-Being at the Intersections of Parental Status and Occupation," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 79(2), pages 310-332, March.
    10. Kayoko Ishii & Isamu Yamamoto, 2025. "Correction: Trends in Income and Well-Being Inequality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 179(1), pages 583-591, August.
    11. Hennecke, Juliane & Knabe, Andreas, 2025. "Homebound Happiness? Teleworkability of Jobs and Emotional Well-Being During Labor and Non-labor Activities," IZA Discussion Papers 17634, IZA Network @ LISER.
    12. Mehrzad B. Baktash, 2026. "Home Alone: Work from Home and Loneliness," Research Papers in Economics 2026-04, University of Trier, Department of Economics.
    13. Philippe Askenazy & Ugo Di Nallo & Ismaël Ramajo & Conrad Thiounn, 2025. "Teleworking in the French private sector: a lasting but heterogenous shift shaped by collective agreements (2019- 2024)," Working Papers hal-05291266, HAL.
    14. Rodrigo Montero & Natalia Bernal, 2024. "Gender and Well-Being Disparities Among People who Work from Home in Chile," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 1-22, August.
    15. Jirjahn, Uwe & Rienzo, Cinzia, 2025. "Working from Home and Mental Health: Giving Employees a Choice Does Make a Difference," IZA Discussion Papers 18187, IZA Network @ LISER.
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