The influence of employees’ workspace satisfaction on mental health while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Previous research has, to some extent, investigated the influence of satisfaction with the workplace on employees’ mental health (i.e. mood, sleep quality, fatigue, and stress). However, insights in these relationships while working from home have been lacking. The purpose of this study is therefore to gain understanding in which personal and workspace characteristics are related to employees’ mental health. This study used a cross-sectional data collection approach and a seemingly unrelated regression analysis (SUR) to analyse the relationships. Results indicated that sleep quality, mood, stress, and fatigue are influenced by employees’ satisfaction with the workspace temperature, artificial light, and support of informal interactions while working from home. Personal characteristics (i.e. neuroticism, conscientiousness, and age) are also related to mental health. These findings could be used by workplace managers or employers to optimize their home workplace strategy.