Work from home: Indonesian employees' mental well-being and productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore to what extent employees' mental well-being affects their productivity while working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 crisis and whether mental well-being and productivity differ across some socio-demographic factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional study with online questionnaires was designed with 472 valid responses in Indonesia. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ) were administered. Non-parametric tests and structural equation modeling were employed to analyze the data.

Findings

The prevalence of depression was 18.4%, anxiety 46.4% and stress 13.1%, with relatively good productivity. Gender, age, education level, job experiences, marital status, number of children and nature of the organization were associated with the employees' psychological health but not with their productivity, while the workspace availability influenced both outcomes. The study path model showed the negative correlation between WFH employees' psychological well-being and productivity.

Research limitations/implications

This study may contribute to the implication of current mandatory WFH on mental well-being and productivity. Further studies need to address the representativeness and generalizability issues as well as incorporating potential stressors.

Practical implications

Organizations may adopt WFH as a future working arrangement and identify the individual and occupational characteristics that provide the most impacts on productivity. It is also necessary for them to develop proper strategies to mitigate the psychological risks and overcome the WFH challenges.

Originality/value

There is still a lack of studies investigating the relationship between simultaneous effects of WFH on psychological well-being and productivity, and how they affect some socio-demographic variables in the context of COVID-19.

Citation

Sutarto, A.P., Wardaningsih, S. and Putri, W.H. (2021), "Work from home: Indonesian employees' mental well-being and productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 386-408. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-08-2020-0152