With the pandemic, the rate of working from home increased, but despite the decrease in the pandemic, the number of people working from home did not decrease much. Some of the employees liked this working order more. Some of the employers also found this working order more efficient and allowed the employees to continue in this way.
Working from home affects all of us mental health, according to research, but not in the same way. The factors affecting this are the person’s age, gender, marital status, whether they have children.
Working from home may reduce family conflicts.
Working from home, which is preferred by the employees as it offers opportunities such as using time flexibly, working freely from anywhere, and providing partial autonomy; It can be defined as ‘the working order in which professional professionals working in jobs that require a high level of qualification and are not dependent on any work environment’.
Working from home positively affects the mental health of people who live alone and can make a clear distinction between work and daily life. This working arrangement also saves time spent going to work. Time saving increases time spent with family. It is thought that this may be the reason for the decrease in family conflicts.
Working from home may reduce social relationships.
In the researches, it was seen that the mental health of people with the following characteristics was negatively affected when they worked from home: being young and inexperienced, being a woman, having a child in the pre-school period, living with the family.
- It was noticed that when one is young and inexperienced, the time spent at work increases significantly, that the person cannot make clear distinctions between his/her daily life and his/her job.
- Another of the research results was that women were worried about completing their housework while working from home.
- Having a child in the preschool age group also negatively affects one’s mental health, according to research. It is thought that the reason for this is that this age group demands intense attention and that their working parents have to divide the work due to their needs.
In addition to all this, it is thought that working from home prevents a person from socializing with colleagues in a work environment. In some of the studies, this was seen as a negative feature, while in others it was seen as a positive feature that the person could spend more time in his/her social life.
Recommendations from psychologists that will positively affect the mental health of those working from home:
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Make a study plan and complete your day by sticking to that plan.
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Tell the people you live with what you will do that day and make them respect your boundaries.
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Determine the hours you will work and do not check your e-mails and work-related messages. In short, don’t worry about business.
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Increase communication with your colleagues and get rid of the feeling of loneliness.
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Look for new ways to socialize.
Note: The recommendations above have been compiled from the recommendations given by psychologists from the American Psychological Association for those working from home.
Sources: American Psychological Association (APA), YÖK Thesis Center, Dergipark
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