Remote working and experiential wellbeing: A latent lifestyle perspective using UK Time Use Survey before and during COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACTMental health in the UK had deteriorated compared with pre-pandemic trends. Existing studies on heterogenous wellbeing impacts of COVID-19 tend to segment population based on isolated socio-economic and demographic indicators, typically gender, income and ethnicity, while a more holistic understanding of such heterogeneity among the workforce seems lacking. This study addresses this gap by 1) combining UK time use surveys collected before and during COVID-19, 2) identifying nuanced lifestyles within three working mode groups (commuters, homeworkers and hybrid workers) using latent class model, and 3) quantifying heterogeneous experiential wellbeing (ExWB) impacts across workers of distinct lifestyles. It was found that the direction and magnitude of ExWB impact were not uniform across activity types, time of day and lifestyles. ExWB impact outside of usual working hours (before 6am and after 6pm) was consistently negative for all lifestyles. In contrast, the direction of ExWB impact during usual working hours (6am-6pm) varied in accordance with lifestyle classifications. Specifically, ExWB decreased for all homeworkers but increased significantly for certain hybrid workers. Magnitude of ExWB impact correlated strongly with lifestyle: the optionality of choosing one’s place of work and the associated ability to travel during the pandemic seemed to improve ExWB. To understand the significant heterogeneity in ExWB outcomes, a spatial-temporal conceptualisation of working flexibility is developed to explicate the strong yet complex correlations between wellbeing and lifestyles. Whilst greater spatio-temporal flexibility is generally linked to increase in workers’ ExWB, there is preliminary evidence of a flexibility threshold – above which the marginal ExWB increase would diminish and even become negative. The implications to post-pandemic “back-to-work” policies are 1) shifting policy focus from simplistic workplace choice to spatial-temporal optionality (i.e. lifestyle choice), and 2) providing wider support for lifestyle adaptation and transitions.