Telework and Their Effects on Workers' Health

 

 

A Portrait of the Different Configurations of Telework and Their Effects on Workers' Mental and Physical Health Over Time: Insights from Longitudinal Data of ELOSMET, a research project funded by the IRSST (dossier 2024-0004), is led by Annick Parent-Lamarche, associate professor (UQTR) and researcher associated with the Observatoire sur le Mieux-être et la Santé au Travail (OSMET). This project takes place in a context marked by the modernization of Quebec's occupational health and safety regime (LSST). The LSST now requires employers to take psychosocial workplace risks (PSRs) into account in their prevention programs, including for telecommuting.

To date, research on telecommuting has focused mainly on cross-sectional analyses, often limited to pandemic crisis contexts or occasional telecommuting configurations. These approaches offer a fragmented understanding of the effects of telework on physical and mental health. This project aims to fill these gaps through an integrated longitudinal analysis, studying the varied configurations of telework and their impact on health.

The research is based on the “Demands-Resources” theoretical framework (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), which highlights the interactions between work demands, organizational and individual resources, and their effects on workers' health.

Aims:

1. To evaluate the longitudinal effects of teleworking on mental and physical health.

This evaluation will consider the intensity of teleworking (low or high), whether it is chosen or imposed, and the temporal context (pre-, during, or post-pandemic). 

The central hypothesis of this study is that the effects of teleworking vary according to these explanatory factors.

2. The role of individual characteristics as moderators will be analyzed. Variables such as age, gender, psychological capital, and physical activity will be examined to assess their influence on the effects of telecommuting. 

The central hypothesis of this study is that these characteristics modulate the impacts of telework on mental and physical health.

3. The objective is to identify co-occurrence profiles between mental and physical health. The project seeks to determine typologies of at-risk or protected workers, based on specific telecommuting configurations and individual characteristics. 

The following hypothesis is thus proposed: certain profiles are predisposed to mental/physical health co-morbidities

 

Methodology:

The project will mobilize longitudinal data from ELOSMET, a sample of 3,025 Quebec workers, followed over three measurement cycles. Analyses will include multilevel models and structural equations to explore direct, mediating, and moderating effects.

 

Anticipated Benefits:

The results of this study will include the following:

  • A framework for organizations to implement practices that support telework;
  • The results of the study will be the development of prevention and awareness tools to reduce psychosocial risks;
  • The results are expected to contribute to the development of public and organizational policies that are oriented towards sustainable telework models.

 

 

This content has been updated on 12 May 2025 at 19h01.