BACKGROUND: With the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations embraced Work From Home (WFH). An important component of transitioning to WFH is the effect on workers, particularly related to their productivity and work experience. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to examine how worker-, workspace-, and work-related factors affected productivity and time spent at a workstation on a typical WFH day during the pandemic. METHODS: An online questionnaire was designed and administered to collect the necessary information. Data from 988 respondents were included in the analyses. RESULTS: Overall perception of productivity level among workers did not change relative to their in-office productivity before the pandemic. Female, older, and high-income workers were likely to report increased productivity. Productivity was positively influenced by better mental and physical health statuses, having a teenager, increased communication with coworkers and having a dedicated room for work. Number of hours spent at a workstation increased by approximately 1.5 hours during a typical WFH day. Longer hours were reported by individuals who had school age children, owned an office desk or an adjustable chair, and had adjusted their work hours. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight key factors for employers and employees to consider for improving the WFH experience. 
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                            Workers Standing Times with Use of Sit-Stand Desks and Social Influences: An Investigation of Two Months of Office Workers’ Sit-Stand Desks Utilization
                        
                    
    
            The use of sit-stand desks (SSD) has shown positive results in reducing sitting time for office workers. Different factors can help with the use of the table, such as participatory ergonomics and an SSD reminder system. However, little is known about the influence of social factors at work, such as the influence of peers or supervisors using the device. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of SSDs and how the location and proximity of office workers affects SSD utilization over the course of two months. One-hundred eighty workers with SSDs participated in this study, and their desk locations and utilization were documented. It was observed that office workers spent on average (standard deviation) 7.1% (20.8%) of their time standing at their desks each day. Among these users, 12 participants were categorized as high SSD users, which spent more than two hours a day standing on average. It was found that during the study period, participants located next to high SSD utilizers did not change the SSD usage by increasing or decreasing their time spent standing. The results from the study suggest that the relative locations and proximity of workers do not significantly influence users to increase SSD use, and high users do not impact the SSD use of other users. These results showed that SSD use by peers or supervisors is not a strong social factor in improving the worker’s behavior of using the table and that other combined strategies are necessary. 
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                            - Award ID(s):
- 1829008
- PAR ID:
- 10562957
- Publisher / Repository:
- Sage
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
- Volume:
- 67
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1071-1813
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 337 to 342
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Ergonomics
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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