Is working from home good for mental health and well-being? Associations between work location, self-rated mental health, life satisfaction, and life and work stress among Canadian adults

Abstract

Objective

It is unknown if teleworking is associated with better mental health and well-being among Canadian adult workers in the post-COVID-19 era. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between work location and self-rated mental health, life satisfaction, and life and work stress among Canadian adults.

Methods

This cross-sectional and nationally-representative study used self-reported data from the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey (n = 24,614 individuals aged 18 years and older). Work location was categorized into three groups: working outside the home at a fixed location; working outside the home without a fixed location; and working from home. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between work location and the outcome measures, with adjustments for relevant covariates.

Results

Overall, 62.9 %, 12.2 % and 24.9 % of Canadian adults reported working at a fixed location outside the home, outside the home with no fixed location, and at home, respectively. Individuals working from home reported a higher level of education and many were in the business/finance/administration field (30.4 %) or in natural and applied sciences (22.4 %). After adjustment for covariates, work location was not significantly associated with self-rated mental health, life satisfaction, life stress or work stress.

Conclusions

Findings from this study suggest that the best work location for mental health and well-being is not necessarily linked to the specific physical place where it is conducted. Future research will need to better characterize the specific working conditions and identify possible causal mechanisms.