Working from Home and Other Home Activities during a COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

“Working from home”, which is typically defined as taking your employment work home, has been prevalent during COVID-19 lockdowns, although very little research has focused on working from home or on other home activities even though lockdowns have entailed remaining at home for extended periods. In this Survey Monkey lockdown study, 69% were “working from home”, and that work was related to more paper work, being less bored, less touch deprived and generally less stressed. The other prevalent at home activities included cooking (97% of survey participants), housekeeping (96%), hobbies (82%), paper work (76%), creative projects (71%), and care giving (54%). Total scores on an Activities Scale that included these activities were positively correlated with scores on a Health Scale (that included exercise, touching family members, self-care, and meditating) as well as connecting with friends. These home activities were also associated with more texting and Zoom time and less depression and fatigue. These data, in contrast to other lockdown literature, suggest moderate levels of working from home and engaging in healthy activities during a COVID-19 lockdown.