The effects of telework on mental health​

In this presentation, I, currently on parental leave but a seasoned remote worker, explore the multifaceted impacts of prolonged work-from-home practices intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. I will share my personal journey, including the advantages and physical challenges I've encountered, such as a decrease in physical activity. Moving beyond my experiences, I delve into the potential mental drawbacks of continuous remote work, supported by findings from three scholarly papers. One of the central concepts I will introduce is the "Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue (ZEF) scale." Finally, I will consolidate the insights gleaned from these papers and share my unique perspective on this evolving phenomenon, thereby creating a narrative that intertwines personal anecdotes with academic research.

Transcript

1. The effects of
   telework on
   mental health
   Megumi Isogawa
   

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2. Agenda
   • Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
   • The research of the ZEF
   • Outline of Summary
   • Conclusions of the research
   • Gender-specific impacts of telework on fatigue, stress, and quality of
   life
   • Pros and cons of telework
   • Conclusion
   • References
   

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3. Do you
   like Zoom
   meetings?
   

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4. Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
   Mirror anxiety
   Physical
   confinement
   Excessive gaze from
   an array of faces
   Generating
   nonverbal cues
   Cognitive burden
   from deciphering
   nonverbal signals
   SOURCE: Bailenson, 2021, as cited in Fauville et al., 2021
   

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5. Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
   Mirror anxiety
   Constantly seeing one's own image in
   video conferences can lead to increased
   self-consciousness and anxiety.
   For example, worrying too much about
   whether your hairstyle is messy or if your
   facial expressions are appropriate.
   SOURCE: Bailenson, 2021, as cited in Fauville et al., 2021
   

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6. Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
   Physical confinement
   Being restricted to a small space (the
   camera's field of view) can cause feelings
   of confinement and discomfort.
   For example, sitting in the same spot for
   hours without ever standing up.
   SOURCE: Bailenson, 2021, as cited in Fauville et al., 2021
   

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7. Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
   Excessive gaze from an array of faces
   The grid of faces in a video conference can
   create the feeling of being constantly stared
   at, leading to increased social pressure and
   stress.
   For example, feeling watched by not only the
   person speaking but also other participants.
   SOURCE: Bailenson, 2021, as cited in Fauville et al., 2021
   

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8. Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
   The effort required to generate and interpret
   nonverbal cues in video conferences can
   increase cognitive load and result in fatigue.
   For example, nodding more emphatically to
   convey to the other person that you
   understand.
   SOURCE: Bailenson, 2021, as cited in Fauville et al., 2021
   Generating nonverbal cues
   

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9. Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
   Interpreting nonverbal cues from others in
   video conferences can also contribute to
   cognitive load and exhaustion.
   For example, discerning from someone's facial
   expressions and gestures whether they
   understand a question or need additional
   explanations.
   SOURCE: Bailenson, 2021, as cited in Fauville et al., 2021
   Cognitive burden from deciphering nonverbal signals
   

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10. Five theoretical nonverbal mechanisms
    Mirror anxiety
    Physical
    confinement
    Excessive gaze from
    an array of faces
    Generating
    nonverbal cues
    Cognitive burden
    from deciphering
    nonverbal signals
    SOURCE: Bailenson, 2021, as cited in Fauville et al., 2021
    

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11. The research of the ZEF
    SOURCE: Fauville et al., 2021
    •The ZEF = Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue scale
    •Number of participants: Over 10,000
    •Target population: General users of Zoom meetings
    •Location: Online (no specific location mentioned)
    •Research method: Online survey, measuring Zoom fatigue using the Zoom
    Exhaustion and Fatigue (ZEF) Scale, and analyzing the relationship between
    nonverbal mechanisms, demographics, and personality traits.
    

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12. Factors influencing Zoom fatigue: Frequency,
    duration, and burstiness of meetings
    SOURCE: Fauville et al., 2021
    • Zoom fatigue increases
    with the
    • frequency of meetings
    • duration of meetings
    • the time between meetings
    (burstiness).
    

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13. Gender differences and factors influencing Zoom
    fatigue
    SOURCE: Fauville et al., 2021
    • Women reported higher levels of fatigue
    than men, even when accounting for
    differences in usage, demographics, and
    personality.
    • Mirror anxiety was identified as a primary
    mediator for the gender effect on fatigue,
    meaning that self-view in video
    conferencing causes more anxiety for
    women than men.
    • Other factors, such as being extroverted,
    older, having a social context, and being
    white, were found to be less likely to
    experience fatigue. However, the
    tendency for women to feel more
    fatigued than men persisted even when
    considering these variables.
    

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14. Gender-specific impacts of telework on fatigue,
    stress, and quality of life
    • Women working from home have
    more exhaustion than office workers1.
    • Men working long hours at home
    improve autonomy and quality of life,
    but women do not.2
    • Women working from home have
    lower stress but higher fatigue, men
    have lower levels of both.3
    SOURCE: [1]Windelar et al., 2017, as cited in Oakman et al., 2020 [2]Hornung et al., 2009, as cited in Oakman et al., 2020 [3]Kim et al, 2020, as cited in Oakman et al., 2020
    

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15. Pros and Cons of Telework
    SOURCE: Oakman et al., 2020
    • Benefits
    • Reduced Stress
    • Reduced commuting stress
    • Increased schedule flexibility
    • Better work/family balance
    • Better life control
    • Increased Job Satisfaction
    • Problems
    • Increased family responsibilities
    • Blurring of boundaries between work and home
    • Health problems such as metabolic syndrome and
    cardiovascular disease
    Oakman et al.,(2020) explained in their Literature review that
    Telework has been shown to have overall benefits.
    

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16. Conclusion
    • There is a fatigue mechanism specific to Zoom, and it's related to
    meeting length, short breaks, gender, and personality and other
    factors.
    • Women, in particular, tend to feel more tired than men when
    teleworking.
    • On the other hand, overall, telework is considered more beneficial.
    Companies and people need to know the facts from these
    studies and be ready to plan meetings and take care of
    mental health better.
    

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17. • Fauville et al,. (2021). Nonverbal Mechanisms Predict Zoom Fatigue and Explain Why Women Experience Higher Levels than Men. Social
    Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3820035
    • Oakman et al,. (2020). A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: how do we optimise health? BMC Public
    Health, 20, 1825. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-09875-z
    • Tavares, A. I. (2017). Telework and health effects review. International Journal of Healthcare, 3(2), 30-36.
    https://doi.org/10.5430/ijh.v3n2p30
    References
    

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