Part-time or full-time teleworking? A systematic review of the psychosocial risk factors of telework from home

Abstract

ABSTRACTSince the start of the Coronavirus pandemic thousands of people have experienced teleworking and this practice is becoming increasingly commonplace. Systematic reviews can yield evidence and information to help inform the development of policies and regulations, the aim of this study was to highlight the differences in exposure to psychosocial risk factors for health between part-time and full-time teleworking from home. The protocol of the systematic review of the literature was registered on PROSPERO 2020 platform - International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (number CRD42020191455), according to the PRISMA statement guidelines. The key words “telework” and frequency (“part-time” or “full-time”), together with their synonyms and variations, were searched. Independent researchers conducted the systematic search of 7 databases: Scopus, SciELO, PePSIC; PsycInfo, PubMed, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) and Web of Science. Of the 638 articles identified from 2010 to June 2021, 32 were selected for data extraction. The authors evaluated the risk of bias and quality of evidence of the studies included using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The results were categorized into 7 dimensions of psychosocial risk factors: work intensity and working hours; emotional demands; autonomy; social relationships at work; conflict of values, work insecurity and home/work interface. The results revealed scant practice of full-time teleworking prior to the pandemic. Regarding the psychosocial risk factors found, differences were evident before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. For part-time and full-time telework prior to the pandemic, the dimensions of intensification of work and working hours, social relationships at work, and the home-work interface were the most prominent factors. However, in studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic where teleworking was mostly performed full-time, there was an increase in focus on emotional demands and the home-work interface, and a reduction in the other dimensions.