Lockdowns and Telework: Psychological and Work-Related Consequences

Abstract

COVID-19 lockdowns have significantly impacted workers over the last year. In particular, telework has significantly changed the way work is done. We wished to find out whether previous telework experience helped workers maintain their quality of life during the lockdowns. By analyzing data collected from Canadian workers in the spring of 2020, we found that quality of life indicators significantly declined during the lockdown, and that previous telework experience did little to protect workers. We conclude that quality of life declined the most among teleworkers who had young children at home during the lockdown and who also had a high frequency of telework. This combination seems to have been more detrimental to men than to women.