Telework and Employee Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Two-Wave Survey of Employees at a Texas Health Sciences University: Teletrabajo y bienestar de los trabajadores durante la pandemia COVID-19: una encuesta en dos rondas en una universidad de ciencias de la salud en Texas

Details

• Journal Article:
  Archivos de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales
• Personal Author:
  Choi, Aro N. ; Gimeno Ruiz de Porras, David ; Guidry, Monica K. ; Ríos, Janelle ; Perez, Francisco ; Emery, Robert J. ; Ostrosky-Zeichner, Luis ; Delclos, George L.
• Description:
  Introduction: In the United States (U.S.), the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the incorporation of telework at academic institutions, but its effect on employee well-being has been insufficiently studied. This study aimed to identify telework-related risk factors and assess their associations with employee well-being during the pandemic. Methods: This repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted at a large U.S. based health sciences university in two waves: the first wave survey was conducted in May 2020 (n=1,648) and the second wave survey in October 2020 (n=932). Survey-weighted logistic regressions were used to estimate the associations of telework-related risk factors with poor well-being, measured by the 5-item World Health Organization (WHO) Well-Being Index. Results: Loneliness and personal health and safety concerns were associated with poor well-being in both waves. The effect of loneliness on poor well-being was amplified when employees needed support, indicating an interaction. Faculty were less likely to have poor well-being than staff personnel in the second wave. Conclusions: Telework may have advantages, but adverse effects are common. Employment policies should address the telework-related risk factors to improve employee well-being for future public health pandemics. Resumen: Introducción: En Estados Unidos, la pandemia de COVID-19 aceleró la adopción del teletrabajo en las instituciones académicas; sin embargo, su impacto en el bienestar de los empleados ha sido insuficientemente estudiado. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar los factores de riesgo asociados al teletrabajo y analizar su relación con el bienestar de los empleados durante la pandemia. Métodos: Realizamos una encuesta en una gran universidad estadounidense de ciencias de la salud, en dos oleadas: la primera en mayo de 2020 (n=1.648) y la segunda en octubre de 2020 (n=932). Se emplearon regresiones logísticas ponderadas para estimar las asociaciones entre factores de riesgo relacionados con el teletrabajo y el bajo nivel de bienestar, medido mediante el Índice de Bienestar de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (5 ítems). Resultados: La soledad y las preocupaciones por la salud y la seguridad personal se asociaron con un bajo nivel de bienestar en ambas oleadas. El efecto de la soledad sobre un nivel de bienestar bajo se intensificó cuando los empleados manifestaban necesidad de apoyo, indicando la presencia de una interacción significativa. En la segunda oleada, el personal docente presentó menor probabilidad de bajo bienestar en comparación con el personal administrativo. Conclusiones: Aunque el teletrabajo ofrece ventajas, asimismo puede tener efectos adversos. Las políticas laborales deberían abordar aquellos factores de riesgo asociados al teletrabajo para mejorar el bienestar de los trabajadores en futuras pandemias. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • COVID-19
  • Occupational Health
  • Psychological Well-Being
  • Safety
  • Teleworking
• Keywords:
  • COVID-19
  • Work arrangements
  • Well-being
  • Employee health
  • Cross sectional studies
  • Risk factors
  • Modalidades de trabajo
  • Bienestar
  • Salud de los empleados
  • Factores de riesgo
  More +
• ISSN:
  1138-9672
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Dallas Region OSHA ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  18 pdf pages
• Volume:
  28
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071752
• Citation:
  Arch Prev Riesgos Labor 2025 jul; 28(3):19-36
• Contact Point Address:
  George L. Delclos, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) School of Public Health, Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Houston, TX
• Email:
  George.Delclos@uth.tmc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259977/cdc_259977_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 824.96 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:21cbf4af5fa19e6ba5b1c3d6f713bca79e6689b118acc3ccb98e67f69b52193e69368742abbac0ec1b5d6cc06c01d5d69b856e84cc4b03b4f995494b27d54cfb