The impact of home office on employee productivity and work balance

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The implementation of the home office has changed the organization of work not only during the pandemic but also permanently, so it is considered challenging to explore the effects on work processes and the value orientation of employees. This study aims to identify the employees’ subjective perceptions of work productivity, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of home office during each wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, by taking into account the views of each generational cohort. The paper analyzes the effects of the home office on employee productivity in Slovak firms and its impacts on private life. Descriptive statistical methods were used to process the data obtained by questionnaire survey, conducted in several phases from September 1, 2020, till August 20, 2022, on a sample of 1167 respondents reached by random selection. The questionnaire was distributed through social network sites and targeted at people who use information and communication technologies, which is a requirement of the home office. The hypothesis was verified using the chi-square test. Based on the survey results, workers who use home offices feel isolated and prefer a combined form of work; they lack social contact, which reflects negatively on their mental health. The combined form of work also significantly impacts the sustainability of work productivity. The study recommends that organizations ensure work-life balance, understanding the particular generations working within the home office.

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    • Figure 1. The way the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has affected the income of employees
    • Figure 2. The use of home office (or remote) by employees in the observed period
    • Figure 3. Home office work productivity during the pandemic outbreak
    • Figure 4. Labor productivity perception
    • Figure 5. Home office benefits from the perspective of generations
    • Figure 6. Home office drawbacks from the perspective of generations
    • Table 1. Questionnaire surveys on home office issues
    • Table 2. How long have you had experience with home office work?
    • Table 3. Labor productivity perception
    • Table 4. Labor productivity perceptions during the particular waves
    • Conceptualization
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková
    • Data curation
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková
    • Formal Analysis
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková, Marcel Kordoš
    • Funding acquisition
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková, Marcel Kordoš
    • Investigation
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková, Marcel Kordoš
    • Methodology
      Adriana Grenčíková, Marcel Kordoš
    • Project administration
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková
    • Resources
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková
    • Supervision
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková, Marcel Kordoš
    • Validation
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková, Marcel Kordoš
    • Writing – original draft
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková
    • Writing – review & editing
      Adriana Grenčíková, Jana Španková, Marcel Kordoš
    • Visualization
      Jana Španková