SS35 THE IMPACT OF WORKING FROM HOME ON OLDER WORKERS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were suddenly forced to work from home. As a result, workers’ daily routine and work environment changed considerably which may have affected the lifestyle and health of these workers. For example, being confined to the house may have resulted in more sedentary behavior, or increased musculoskeletal pain due to multiple factors including an unfavorable working environment at home. Also, working from home might have negatively affected mental health, such as reduced well-being, more feelings of stress and socially isolated. This phenomenon might even be more pronounced among older workers, as they in general are more vulnerable to psychosocial risks, less connected through social media and may experience obstacles in transitioning to remote working. Although the impact of working from home during COVID-19 pandemic has been studied among the general working population, the impact among older workers is still understudied. This special session will present four different studies on the impact of working from home on older workers across a range of areas including their physical activity and sedentary behavior, social isolation and stress and musculoskeletal pain. The studies have applied different and unique methods including large, longitudinal datasets and smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment surveys. The outcomes of the studies will provide starting points for a discussion on potential intervention strategies to reduce the negative impacts of working from home.