Lang, Gert; Hofer-Fischanger, Kathrin (2022): Factors associated with the implementation of health-promoting telework from the perspective of company decision makers after the first COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Public Health, 30 (10). pp. 2373-2387. ISSN 2198-1833

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Abstract

AIM: Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies shifted to telework, with few insights into its implementation, organisational conditions or the role of workplace health promotion and management. This study focused on a multifactorial investigation of conditions in companies which implemented and evaluated telework during the first lockdown in 2020 as well as on their future intentions to facilitate teleworking under health-promoting working conditions. *** SUBJECT AND METHODS: The research hypotheses relate to an extended technology acceptance model. In a mixed-methods design, expert interviews were fed into the development of an online questionnaire. Out of 1858 contacted companies representing a broad range of Austrian businesses, 192 responses (general management, workplace health managers, etc.) were analysed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. *** RESULTS: The degree of implementation and claim to teleworking increased significantly during the first lockdown and did not return to pre-pandemic levels afterwards. Changes depended on preparation and experience: evaluation of teleworking and willingness to continue offering teleworking were conditional on preparation and the degree of implementation. Prerequisites for future intentions to implement health-promoting teleworking included readiness, general willingness and existing workplace health promotion/management structures. *** CONCLUSION: This paper demonstrates the potential of health-promoting organisational cultures for development processes – particularly in times of crisis. Anchoring health-focused structures in companies helps to create health-promoting frameworks. Health-promoting teleworking can be developed from workplace health promotion/management using established approaches. It is essential to build on in-house capacities and competencies to develop awareness for a holistic culture for health-promoting (tele)work and to encourage deliberations about potential measures.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: COVID-19; Teleworking/working from home; Workplace health promotion; Technology acceptance model; Structural equation model
Subjects: FGOE > Fonds Gesundes Oesterreich
Date Deposited: 19 May 2022 19:24
Last Modified: 09 Nov 2022 06:40
URI: https://jasmin.goeg.at/id/eprint/2235