This is not the latest version of this item. You can find the latest version here.
A systematic review of working conditions and occupational health in home office
Publication date
2022
Authors
Wütschert, Milena Sina
Romano-Pereira, Diana
Suter, Livia
Schulze, Hartmut
Elfering, Achim
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
IOS Press
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In times of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees around the world may be practicing part-time telework at home. Little is known about the working conditions at home and its impact on the employee’s occupational health. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review examines the working conditions at employees’ homes, the work-related disorders associated with working from home, organizations’ perceptions of ergonomics at home and how they support their teleworkers. METHODS: A search of electronic databases (Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, Google Scholar, Open Grey, Pedro, PsychInfo, PubPsych, Scopus and Web of Science) was performed. Twelve studies were included in this review. RESULTS: The findings highlight the lack of ergonomic working conditions for home-based teleworkers. Furthermore, the results underline organizations’ lack of awareness regarding home-based policies, ergonomics programs and the health-related consequences associated with the absence of ergonomic support. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that home-based teleworkers have increased health risks. This assumption is substantiated by the fact that most of the included studies reported teleworkers who have experienced musculoskeletal issues. These results underline the necessity for implementing ergonomic design recommendations, especially for working at home. Further research is needed to understand the impact of ergonomics programs and workplace design for working at home.
Description
Keywords
Home-based telework, work policy, ergonomic, remote work
Citation
DOI of the original publication
Citation
WÜTSCHERT, Milena Sina, Diana ROMANO-PEREIRA, Livia SUTER, Hartmut SCHULZE und Achim ELFERING, 2022. A systematic review of working conditions and occupational health in home office. Work. 2022. Bd. 72, Nr. 3, S. 839–852. DOI 10.3233/WOR-205239. Verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-205239