Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles

With the COVID-19 pandemic, governments implemented successive lockdowns that forced employees to work from home (WFH) to contain the spread of the coronavirus. This crisis raises the question of the effects of mandatory work from home on employees’ well-being and performance, and whether these effe...

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Main Authors: Estelle Michinov, Caroline Ruiller, Frédérique Chedotel, Virginie Dodeler, Nicolas Michinov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862987/full
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author Estelle Michinov
Caroline Ruiller
Frédérique Chedotel
Virginie Dodeler
Nicolas Michinov
author_facet Estelle Michinov
Caroline Ruiller
Frédérique Chedotel
Virginie Dodeler
Nicolas Michinov
author_sort Estelle Michinov
collection DOAJ
description With the COVID-19 pandemic, governments implemented successive lockdowns that forced employees to work from home (WFH) to contain the spread of the coronavirus. This crisis raises the question of the effects of mandatory work from home on employees’ well-being and performance, and whether these effects are the same for all employees. In the present study, we examined whether working at home may be related to intensity, familiarity with WFH, employees’ well-being (loneliness at work, stress, job satisfaction, and work engagement) and creativity (‘subjective’ and ‘objective’). We also examined whether the psychological profile of employees, combining preference for solitude and associated personality variables from the Big Five, may influence the effects of WFH. The data were collected via an online survey from November 13th to December 15th 2020 among 946 employees from various organizations during the second lockdown in France. In addition to identifying two distinctive psychological profiles for employees having to WFH, results revealed that those with a “Solitary” profile reported higher loneliness at work, higher levels of stress, and lower levels of job satisfaction and work engagement than those with an “Affiliative” profile. It was also found that employees with a “Solitary” profile perceived themselves as less creative and produced objectively fewer ideas than individuals with an “Affiliative” profile. The present study suggests the necessity to distinguish the profiles of teleworkers and to offer a stronger support for the less affiliative employees when working from home.
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spelling doaj.art-9376b612d96b4ba99c538b3dbb3c020d2022-12-22T02:53:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-05-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.862987862987Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological ProfilesEstelle Michinov0Caroline Ruiller1Frédérique Chedotel2Virginie Dodeler3Nicolas Michinov4Laboratory of Psychology: Cognition, Behavior and Communication (LP3C, UR 1285), Department of Psychology, University of Rennes, Rennes, FranceLaboratory CREM (UMR CNRS 6211), Graduate School of Management, University of Rennes, Rennes, FranceLaboratory GRANEM (UR 7456), Graduate School of Management, University of Angers, Angers, FranceLaboratory of Psychology: Cognition, Behavior and Communication (LP3C, UR 1285), Department of Psychology, University of Rennes, Rennes, FranceLaboratory of Psychology: Cognition, Behavior and Communication (LP3C, UR 1285), Department of Psychology, University of Rennes, Rennes, FranceWith the COVID-19 pandemic, governments implemented successive lockdowns that forced employees to work from home (WFH) to contain the spread of the coronavirus. This crisis raises the question of the effects of mandatory work from home on employees’ well-being and performance, and whether these effects are the same for all employees. In the present study, we examined whether working at home may be related to intensity, familiarity with WFH, employees’ well-being (loneliness at work, stress, job satisfaction, and work engagement) and creativity (‘subjective’ and ‘objective’). We also examined whether the psychological profile of employees, combining preference for solitude and associated personality variables from the Big Five, may influence the effects of WFH. The data were collected via an online survey from November 13th to December 15th 2020 among 946 employees from various organizations during the second lockdown in France. In addition to identifying two distinctive psychological profiles for employees having to WFH, results revealed that those with a “Solitary” profile reported higher loneliness at work, higher levels of stress, and lower levels of job satisfaction and work engagement than those with an “Affiliative” profile. It was also found that employees with a “Solitary” profile perceived themselves as less creative and produced objectively fewer ideas than individuals with an “Affiliative” profile. The present study suggests the necessity to distinguish the profiles of teleworkers and to offer a stronger support for the less affiliative employees when working from home.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862987/fullCOVID-19work-from-homewell-beingcreativitypreference for solitudebig-five dimensions
spellingShingle Estelle Michinov
Caroline Ruiller
Frédérique Chedotel
Virginie Dodeler
Nicolas Michinov
Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles
Frontiers in Psychology
COVID-19
work-from-home
well-being
creativity
preference for solitude
big-five dimensions
title Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles
title_full Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles
title_fullStr Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles
title_full_unstemmed Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles
title_short Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees’ Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles
title_sort work from home during covid 19 lockdown when employees well being and creativity depend on their psychological profiles
topic COVID-19
work-from-home
well-being
creativity
preference for solitude
big-five dimensions
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862987/full
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