IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i14p7329-d590925.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Working from Home: Is Our Housing Ready?

Author

Listed:
  • Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches

    (Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IETcc-CSIC), 28033 Madrid, Spain)

  • Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín

    (Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain)

  • Ignacio Oteiza

    (Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IETcc-CSIC), 28033 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the precautionary measures applied globally (lockdowns and curfews) have impacted homes, including work. Working from home (WFH) has emerged as a growing trend in the post-pandemic era. The research question was: Are our homes ready for teleworking? To respond, a national prospective mixed approach was launched for Spanish households during the spring 2020 lockdown, using two online questionnaires, one quantitative and the other qualitative. Through a survey, photographs, and narratives, the study evaluates the perceived adequacy of telework spaces and their specific characteristics, the availability of digital resources and the internet. A total of 1800 surveys and over 200 images and texts related to telework environments were obtained. The results suggest that the adequacy of these spaces was insufficient for more than a quarter of the homes. Also, strong relations between the perceived workspace adequacy and a social status or stability of homes were shown and validated, despite other sociodemographic features, the home composition or habitat were not related. Some other variables statistically significant were occupation regime, type and surface of dwellings; their indoor environmental quality; the availability of exclusive spaces for teleworking; quality of digital resources; and the specific space features. The analysis was completed with qualitative insights through photos and texts. Telework, lived in this context as an experiment, needs this reflection from an environmental, resource-availability, and ergonomic point of view.

Suggested Citation

  • Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches & Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín & Ignacio Oteiza, 2021. "Working from Home: Is Our Housing Ready?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-28, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:14:p:7329-:d:590925
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/14/7329/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/14/7329/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches & Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín, 2021. "Confined Students: A Visual-Emotional Analysis of Study and Rest Spaces in the Homes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Palomino, Juan C. & Rodríguez, Juan G. & Sebastian, Raquel, 2020. "Wage inequality and poverty effects of lockdown and social distancing in Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    3. Silva-C, Alejandro & Montoya R, Iván A. & Valencia A, Jhoany A., 2019. "The attitude of managers toward telework, why is it so difficult to adopt it in organizations?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    4. Maribel Jaimes Torres & Mónica Aguilera Portillo & Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches & Ignacio Oteiza & Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín, 2021. "Habitability, Resilience, and Satisfaction in Mexican Homes to COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-36, June.
    5. Hynes, Mike, 2016. "Developing (tele)work? A multi-level sociotechnical perspective of telework in Ireland," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 21-31.
    6. Kodama, Mitsuru, 2020. "Digitally transforming work styles in an era of infectious disease," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    7. Cook, Simon, 2021. "Geographies of run-commuting in the UK," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    8. Bender, Kimberly & Barman-Adhikari, Anamika & DeChants, Jonah & Haffejee, Badiah & Anyon, Yolanda & Begun, Stephanie & Portillo, Andrea & Dunn, Kaite, 2017. "Asking for Change: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a manualized photovoice intervention with youth experiencing homelessness," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 379-389.
    9. Groen, Bianca A.C. & van Triest, Sander P. & Coers, Michael & Wtenweerde, Neeke, 2018. "Managing flexible work arrangements: Teleworking and output controls," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 727-735.
    10. Haddad, Hebba & Lyons, Glenn & Chatterjee, Kiron, 2009. "An examination of determinants influencing the desire for and frequency of part-day and whole-day homeworking," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 124-133.
    11. Melo, Patrícia C. & de Abreu e Silva, João, 2017. "Home telework and household commuting patterns in Great Britain," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 1-24.
    12. Kazekami, Sachiko, 2020. "Mechanisms to improve labor productivity by performing telework," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(2).
    13. Matteo Sostero & Santo Milasi & John Hurley & Enrique Fernandez-Macias & Martina Bisello, 2020. "Teleworkability and the COVID-19 crisis: a new digital divide?," JRC Working Papers on Labour, Education and Technology 2020-05, Joint Research Centre.
    14. Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches & Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín & Ignacio Oteiza, 2021. "Behavior Patterns, Energy Consumption and Comfort during COVID-19 Lockdown Related to Home Features, Socioeconomic Factors and Energy Poverty in Madrid," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sónia Magalhães & Joselina Barbosa & Elisabete Borges, 2022. "Presenteeism in Non-Academic Staff in a Public University Context: Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Reasons to Work While Sick during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-12, November.
    2. Kokoro Natomi & Haruka Kato & Daisuke Matsushita, 2022. "Work-Related Stress of Work from Home with Housemates Based on Residential Types," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Jun Yu & Yihong Wu, 2021. "The Impact of Enforced Working from Home on Employee Job Satisfaction during COVID-19: An Event System Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-22, December.
    4. Shawana Fazal & Sobia Masood & Farrukh Nazir & Muhammad Iqbal Majoka, 2022. "Individual and Organizational Strategies for Promoting Work–Life Balance for Sustainable Workforce: A Systematic Literature Review from Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-33, September.
    5. Tiago F. A. C. Sigahi & Paul H. P. Yeow & Andrew Thatcher, 2023. "Advancing Sustainability in the Future of Work through the Design of Post-Pandemic Work-from-Home Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-21, October.
    6. Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín & José Antonio López-Bueno & Ignacio Oteiza & Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches, 2021. "Routines, Time Dedication and Habit Changes in Spanish Homes during the COVID-19 Lockdown. A Large Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Alessandro Morganti & Andrea Brambilla & Andrea Aguglia & Andrea Amerio & Norberto Miletto & Nicolò Parodi & Chiara Porcelli & Anna Odone & Alessandra Costanza & Carlo Signorelli & Gianluca Serafini &, 2022. "Effect of Housing Quality on the Mental Health of University Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-11, March.
    8. Simone Donati & Gianluca Viola & Ferdinando Toscano & Salvatore Zappalà, 2021. "Not All Remote Workers Are Similar: Technology Acceptance, Remote Work Beliefs, and Wellbeing of Remote Workers during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-19, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fernando de Frutos & Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches & Carmen Alonso & Fernando Martín-Consuegra & Borja Frutos & Ignacio Oteiza & Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín, 2021. "Indoor Environmental Quality and Consumption Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Twelve Social Dwellings in Madrid, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-45, July.
    2. Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín & José Antonio López-Bueno & Ignacio Oteiza & Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches, 2021. "Routines, Time Dedication and Habit Changes in Spanish Homes during the COVID-19 Lockdown. A Large Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Waynika Tanpipat & Huey Wen Lim & Xiaomei Deng, 2021. "Implementing Remote Working Policy in Corporate Offices in Thailand: Strategic Facility Management Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-22, January.
    4. Toshihiro Okubo, 2024. "Non‐routine tasks and ICT tools in telework," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 38(2), pages 177-202, June.
    5. Okubo, Toshihiro, 2022. "Telework in the spread of COVID-19," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    6. Asmussen, Katherine E. & Mondal, Aupal & Bhat, Chandra R. & Pendyala, Ram M., 2023. "On modeling future workplace location decisions: An analysis of Texas employees," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    7. Asmussen, Katherine E. & Mondal, Aupal & Batur, Irfan & Dirks, Abbie & Pendyala, Ram M. & Bhat, Chandra R., 2024. "An investigation of individual-level telework arrangements in the COVID-era," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    8. Stefanie Stantcheva, 2022. "Inequalities in the times of a pandemic," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 37(109), pages 5-41.
    9. A. Cetrulo & D. Guarascio & M. E. Virgillito, 2022. "Working from home and the explosion of enduring divides: income, employment and safety risks," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(2), pages 345-402, July.
    10. Elldér, Erik, 2020. "Telework and daily travel: New evidence from Sweden," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    11. Amaya Erro-Garcés & Begoña Urien & Giedrius Čyras & Vita Marytė Janušauskienė, 2022. "Telework in Baltic Countries during the Pandemic: Effects on Wellbeing, Job Satisfaction, and Work-Life Balance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-15, May.
    12. Constantin Aurelian Ionescu & Melinda Timea Fülöp & Dan Ioan Topor & Mircea Constantin Duică & Sorina Geanina Stanescu & Nicoleta Valentina Florea & Mariana Zamfir & Mihaela Denisa Coman, 2022. "Sustainability Analysis, Implications, and Effects of the Teleworking System in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    13. Zhang, Shihang & Moeckel, Rolf & Moreno, Ana Tsui & Shuai, Bin & Gao, Jie, 2020. "A work-life conflict perspective on telework," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 51-68.
    14. Irene Manzini Ceinar & Ilaria Mariotti, 2021. "Teleworking In Post-Pandemic Times:May Local Coworking Spaces Be The Future Trend?," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 15(1), pages 52-76, JUNE.
    15. João de Abreu e Silva, 2022. "Residential preferences, telework perceptions, and the intention to telework: insights from the Lisbon Metropolitan Area during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(S1), pages 142-161, November.
    16. Andrew Hook & Victor Court & Benjamin K Sovacool & Steven Sorrell, 2020. "A Systematic Review of the Energy and Climate Impacts of Teleworking," Working Papers hal-03192905, HAL.
    17. Blázquez, Maite & Herrarte, Ainhoa & Moro-Egido, Ana I., 2023. "Gender differences in the effect of teleworking on job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    18. Minh Hieu Nguyen, 2021. "Factors influencing home-based telework in Hanoi (Vietnam) during and after the COVID-19 era," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 3207-3238, December.
    19. Björn Döhring & Atanas Hristov & Christoph Maier & Werner Roeger & Anna Thum-Thysen, 2021. "COVID-19 acceleration in digitalisation, aggregate productivity growth and the functional income distribution," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 571-604, July.
    20. Kawaguchi, Daiji & Motegi, Hiroyuki, 2021. "Who can work from home? The roles of job tasks and HRM practices," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:14:p:7329-:d:590925. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.