Working from Home: A review of the academic literature

A review by researchers at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and King’s College London of 1,930 items of academic literature on post-pandemic workplaces has found that working from home allows people to eat more healthily, feel less stressed and have lower blood pressure. 

Additionally, they are less likely to take time off sick, tend to work longer hours and to work evenings and weekends. 

However, remote workers are also more likely to eat snacks, drink more, smoke more and put on weight, People on higher incomes often enjoyed home working more, but those with more responsibilities at home such as childcare or housework – often women and those living alone – tended to be more stressed. 

Additional Material:

• Observer article featuring this study
  

Prof Neil Greenberg, a psychiatrist at King’s College London and one of the study’s authors, observed: 

“There’s a great adage in science that at some point, we need to stop admiring the problem and actually think about solutions . . . We know quite a lot now. So, we need to ask ‘what is the best training for an individual who’s going to become a partial homeworker?’ What we don’t need to do is to ask ‘would it be helpful to train someone to homework?’ The answer is clearly yes.”