Editing Remote work (section)

=== Remote work during COVID-19 ===
A 2020 study of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] estimated that 93% of world workers lived in countries with some sort of workplace closure. This figure was composed of: 32% living in countries with required closures for ''all'' but essential workplaces; 42% in countries where specific firms or worker categories had been closed; and 19% in countries with only recommended workplace closures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 8, 2024 |title=ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work. Fifth edition |url=https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_749399.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108153534/https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_749399.pdf |archive-date=January 8, 2024 |access-date=January 8, 2024 |website=ILO Monitor on the world of work}}</ref>

The extensive use of remote work under COVID-19 constituted a major organizational transformation. However, the implementation of remote work during COVID-19 was hurried, and new technologies and operating systems had to be implemented without previous testing or training.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kelly Jackson |first=Marice |date=March 2022 |title=Working remotely: How organizational leaders and HRD practitioners used the experiential learning theory during the COVID-19 pandemic? |journal=New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=44–48 |doi=10.1002/nha3.20351 |pmc=9349552}}</ref> Organizations reported concerns about losses in culture and productivity whilst workers were more concerned about declines in social interactions,<ref name="Majumdar20">{{Cite journal|doi=10.1080/07420528.2020.1786107 |title=COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: Cause of sleep disruption, depression, somatic pain, and increased screen exposure of office workers and students of India |date=2020 |last1=Majumdar |first1=Piya |last2=Biswas |first2=Ankita |last3=Sahu |first3=Subhashis |journal=Chronobiology International |volume=37 |issue=8 |pages=1191–1200 |pmid=32660352 |s2cid=220522398 }}</ref> internet connectivity and increased workload.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Marzban |first1=Samin |last2=Durakovic |first2=Iva |last3=Candido |first3=Christhina |last4=Mackey |first4=Martin |date=2020 |title=Learning to work from home: experience of Australian workers and organizational representatives during the first Covid-19 lockdowns |journal=Journal of Corporate Real Estate |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=203–222 |doi=10.1108/JCRE-10-2020-0049 |s2cid=235900948 |doi-access=free |hdl=11343/267996}}</ref> Additionally, 25% of remote-working Americans were resistant to employer mandates to return to in-office work.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Workers are refusing to return to the office, and they are ready to face the consequences |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/workers-are-refusing-to-return-to-the-office-and-they-are-ready-to-face-the-consequences/ |access-date=November 10, 2022 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}</ref>

The abrupt transition to remote work during the pandemic led to an increase in both physical and mental health issues among workers; a lack of dedicated workspaces and distractions from others in the home were common negative influences on health and well-being, while effective communication with coworkers was supportive of health and well-being.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1097/JOM.0000000000002097 |title=Impacts of Working from Home During COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical and Mental Well-Being of Office Workstation Users |date=2021 |last1=Xiao |first1=Yijing |last2=Becerik-Gerber |first2=Burcin |last3=Lucas |first3=Gale |last4=Roll |first4=Shawn C. |journal=Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine |volume=63 |issue=3 |pages=181–190 |pmid=33234875 |pmc=7934324 }}</ref> The transition also increased the amount of time that individuals spent sitting at a workstation by up to two hours more per day, yet, most workers indicated being as productive working remotely as compared to office work before the pandemic.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.3233/WOR-210301 |title=Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impact on office worker productivity and work experience |date=2021 |last1=Awada |first1=Mohamad |last2=Lucas |first2=Gale |last3=Becerik-Gerber |first3=Burcin |last4=Roll |first4=Shawn |journal=Work |volume=69 |issue=4 |pages=1171–1189 |pmid=34420999 |s2cid=237268855 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Supporting workers to identify effective approaches for boundary management between home and work across physical spaces, social interactions, and use of time are critical.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1177/15394492211033830 |title=Negotiating Time and Space when Working from Home: Experiences During COVID-19 |date=2021 |last1=Fukumura |first1=Yoko E. |last2=Schott |first2=Joseph M. |last3=Lucas |first3=Gale M. |last4=Becerik-Gerber |first4=Burcin |last5=Roll |first5=Shawn C. |journal=Otjr: Occupation, Participation and Health |volume=41 |issue=4 |pages=223–231 |pmid=34315290 |s2cid=236472297 }}</ref> Research suggests that remote work can lead to increased employee satisfaction and productivity, but may also create challenges in team cohesion.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-12-19 |title=Research: The Growing Inequality of Who Gets to Work from Home |url=https://hbr.org/2023/12/research-the-growing-inequality-of-who-gets-to-work-from-home |access-date=2025-04-30 |work=Harvard Business Review |language=en |issn=0017-8012}}</ref>

The transition to remote work during the pandemic highlighted the importance of access and equity among individual workers to support productivity and well-being. The remote work arrangement during COVID-19 was better for higher-paid and higher-management personnel in terms of productivity and reported well-being; whereas individuals at the bottom end of the earning spectrum experience reduced remuneration.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barrero |first1=Jose Maria |last2=Bloom |first2=Nicholas |last3=Davis |first3=Steven |date=April 2021 |title=Why Working from Home Will Stick |journal=NBER Working Paper Series |location=Cambridge, MA |publisher=National Bureau of Economic Research |doi=10.3386/w28731 |id=Working Paper 28731 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Utility bills also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in an inconsistent manner. Utility bills for minorities and lower income individuals were more likely to increase because they lived in housing that was older, with less effective [[Building insulation|insulation]] and without [[Efficient energy use#Appliances|energy-efficient appliances]]. The increase in electricity also came due to the people using their utilities at different times of the day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Calma |first=Justine |date=August 2, 2022 |title=The uneven energy costs of working from home |url=https://www.theverge.com/23274595/work-from-home-wfh-energy-bills-utility |access-date=December 3, 2022 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref>

A 2024 PNAS study found that remote work dispersed economic activity away from city centers, in particular in cities with high levels of remote work.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ramani |first1=Arjun |last2=Alecdo |first2=Joel |last3=Bloom |first3=Nicholas |date=2024 |title=How working from home reshapes cities |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=121 |issue=45 |pages=e2408930121 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2408930121 |pmid=39471226 |pmc=11551397 |bibcode=2024PNAS..12108930R |issn=0027-8424}}</ref>