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Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges

Author

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  • Aczel, Balazs

    (Eotvos Lorand University)

  • Kovacs, Marton
  • van der Lippe, Tanja
  • Szaszi, Barnabas

Abstract

The flexibility allowed by the mobilization of technology disintegrated the traditional work-life boundary for most professionals. Whether working from home is the key or impediment to academics’ efficiency and work-life balance became a daunting question for both scientists and their employers. The recent pandemic brought into focus the merits and challenges of working from home on a level of personal experience. In this study, we surveyed academics while working from home and found that the pandemic lockdown decreased the work efficiency for almost half of the researchers but around a quarter of them were more efficient during this time compared to the time before. Based on the gathered personal experience, 70% of the researchers think that in the future they would be similarly or more efficient than before if they could spend more of their work-time at home. They indicated that in the office they are better at sharing thoughts with colleagues, keeping in touch with their team, and collecting data, whereas at home they are better at working on their manuscript, reading the literature, and analysing their data. Taking well-being also into account, 66% of them would find it ideal to work more from home in the future than they did before the lockdown. These results draw attention to how working from home is becoming a major element of researchers’ life and that we have to learn more about its influencer factors and coping tactics in order to optimise its arrangements.

Suggested Citation

  • Aczel, Balazs & Kovacs, Marton & van der Lippe, Tanja & Szaszi, Barnabas, 2020. "Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges," MetaArXiv 52ezd, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:metaar:52ezd
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/52ezd
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kyle R. Myers & Wei Yang Tham & Yian Yin & Nina Cohodes & Jerry G. Thursby & Marie C. Thursby & Peter Schiffer & Joseph T. Walsh & Karim R. Lakhani & Dashun Wang, 2020. "Unequal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientists," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(9), pages 880-883, September.
    2. Sungdoo Kim & Elaine Hollensbe, 2017. "Work interrupted: a closer look at work boundary permeability," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 40(12), pages 1280-1297, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chiara Ghislieri & Domenico Sanseverino & Tindara Addabbo & Vincenzo Bochicchio & Rosy Musumeci & Ilenia Picardi & Patrizia Tomio & Gloria Guidetti & Daniela Converso, 2022. "The Show Must Go On: A Snapshot of Italian Academic Working Life during Mandatory Work from Home through the Results of a National Survey," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-22, March.

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