These findings provide insight from a novel dataset into how the nature of work has changed for a large sample of knowledge workers. This study focuses on how the nature of work has changed for this cohort. On a personal level, although I always appreciated the camaraderie and interpersonal nature of the physical w*rk place, I would have jumped at the chance to have at least a single day of my week w*rking remotely.
https://www.nber.org/papers/w27612.pdf
Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on employee's digital communication patterns through an event study of lockdowns in 16 large metropolitan areas in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Compared to pre- pandemic levels, though there have been increases in the number of meetings per person, the net effect is that people spent less time in meetings per day (-11.5 percent) in the post- lockdown period. We also find significant and durable increases in length of the average workday (+8.2 percent, or +48.5 minutes).
The average length of meetings decreased to such an extent that the collective amount of time employees spent in meetings decreased, even though the total number of meetings and the total number of attendees in those meetings increased over the same period.
Employee’s attention span may be additionally strained by challenges specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as taking care of children who are not in school. The lockdown introduced a host of new problems requiring unplanned, emergent coordination, much of which could be addressed through impromptu interaction if everyone were in the same office.
It is unclear if this increase in average workday span represents a benefit or drawback to employee well-being. On one hand, the flexibility to choose one’s working hours to accommodate household demands may empower employees by affording them some freedom over their own schedule. On the other hand, the change in work schedule may be a consequence of a blurred distinction between work and personal life, in which it becomes easy to overwork due to the lack of clear delineation between the office and home.
https://www.nber.org/papers/w27612.pdf
Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on employee's digital communication patterns through an event study of lockdowns in 16 large metropolitan areas in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Compared to pre- pandemic levels, though there have been increases in the number of meetings per person, the net effect is that people spent less time in meetings per day (-11.5 percent) in the post- lockdown period. We also find significant and durable increases in length of the average workday (+8.2 percent, or +48.5 minutes).
The average length of meetings decreased to such an extent that the collective amount of time employees spent in meetings decreased, even though the total number of meetings and the total number of attendees in those meetings increased over the same period.
Employee’s attention span may be additionally strained by challenges specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as taking care of children who are not in school. The lockdown introduced a host of new problems requiring unplanned, emergent coordination, much of which could be addressed through impromptu interaction if everyone were in the same office.
It is unclear if this increase in average workday span represents a benefit or drawback to employee well-being. On one hand, the flexibility to choose one’s working hours to accommodate household demands may empower employees by affording them some freedom over their own schedule. On the other hand, the change in work schedule may be a consequence of a blurred distinction between work and personal life, in which it becomes easy to overwork due to the lack of clear delineation between the office and home.
