Search Results (275)

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global construction industry, resulting in workforce shortages, project delays, and contractual disputes. This study used an online survey of private engineering and construction companies to assess their responses to the challenges posed by COVID-19. The survey focused on workforce management, technological advancements, safety protocols, and project execution. Workforce adaptations, particularly the shift to telework, saw 66% of respondents reporting partial telework and 22% indicating that telework became permanent after the pandemic. Technological advancements were crucial for maintaining operations during the pandemic, with 82% of respondents reporting the adaptation of new digital tools. These included widespread adoption of Microsoft Teams and Zoom by both office and field staff. Training was identified as essential for the effective implementation of these technologies, enabling employees to maximize their benefits. The pandemic affected project design and construction activities, with 69% of respondents reporting delays during the design phase and 70% during construction. Cost overruns of up to 25% were reported in the public sector and 67% of respondents in the private sector reported cost overruns, highlighting the financial impact of the pandemic. The findings provide insights into organizational resilience strategies adopted by private firms and offer lessons that can inform preparedness for future disruptions. Full article

The accelerated expansion of telework, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, has transformed global work dynamics. Despite this, limited research exists on the implications of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) on home workspaces. Factors like thermal comfort, lighting, air quality, and noise significantly influence the well-being, productivity, and health of teleworkers. Home spaces are often not designed to meet the environmental quality standards of traditional offices, altering indoor conditions. This scoping review investigates the IEQ–telework relationship, analyzing 41 studies from 18 countries. Findings show that elevated noise levels and insufficient lighting increase stress and fatigue, while inadequate air quality reduces cognitive performance and creativity. Conversely, access to natural light, pleasant views, and thermal comfort improves overall satisfaction and productivity. The study identifies a fragmented and poorly connected research network, with few active global groups studying IEQ in home workspaces. These results underscore the need for interdisciplinary research to address the societal and environmental challenges of teleworking and develop equitable, healthy remote environments. Future studies must consider cultural diversity and underrepresented regions to bridge existing knowledge gaps. Full article

The lack of research on organisational efforts in managing work–life conflict across different working contexts is considered a major barrier to sustainable employment. In response, this study examines how organisational segmentation strategies can help reduce burnout and improve sustainable work–life balance by minimising work–life conflict among both teleworkers and office workers. A two-wave survey, conducted six months apart, involved 359 white-collar employees from various industries. The results show that segmentation supplies—defined as the extent to which organisations facilitate maintaining boundaries between work and personal life—lead to decreased work–life conflict for both teleworkers and office workers. Additionally, the findings indicate that higher levels of work–life conflict are associated with a reduced appreciation for organisational efforts to support the management of professional and personal life demands among teleworkers. Still, this effect was not observed for office workers. Ultimately, work–life conflict was found to increase burnout and reduce work–life balance, specifically among teleworkers, highlighting the importance of organisational initiatives aimed at preventing work–life conflict to enhance their well-being. Full article

This study examines the relationship between e-leadership competencies—assessed through a E-Leadership Competencies (SEC) model—and organizational preference for telework in Portugal. In the context of increasing digitalization and following the widespread experience of remote work driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes essential to understand the role of e-competence in leading geographically dispersed teams. A quantitative investigation was conducted through the application of an online questionnaire to e-leaders of companies based in Portugal whose teams benefit from telework arrangements. The results indicate that only three of the six e-competencies identified in the SEC model show statistical significance in e-leadership effectiveness, with no relationship observed between perceived effectiveness and organizational investment in telework. Nevertheless, more than 80% of respondents reported that telework has been increasing within their organizations. This study contributes to the adaptation of the SEC model to the Portuguese context and reinforces its importance as a tool for diagnosing and developing e-leadership competencies. Theoretical and practical implications highlight the need to explore new dimensions—including hard skills—and applying the model across different sectors and types of organizations, thus supporting the preparation of e-leaders for an increasingly digital world of work. Overall, by evidencing the SEC model’s successful adaptation in Portugal, the findings underscore the model’s broader applicability and potential for generalization across diverse organizational settings. Full article

The ergonomic risks associated with posture in conventional office workstations have been extensively studied, but there is limited research available on these risks in the context of home-based work environments. Most available studies rely solely on questionnaire-based statistical analyses, leaving a gap in understanding the specific conditions of home-based work environments. This study focuses on evaluating the effects of workstation conditions on posture and muscular efforts across three anatomical segments: head-neck, trunk-upper trapezius, and arm-deltoid. The analysis is conducted by simulating workstation setups commonly associated with academic activities performed by students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conditions examined in this study include inadequate desk height, the use of chairs without armrests, and the use of laptops. Eighteen volunteers, comprising nine women and nine men, participated in experiments conducted under scenarios designed using a $2^k$ statistical approach. In all experiments, participants completed questionnaires, and text-writing activities were performed to evaluate the effects of these conditions. This research introduces a new non-invasive technique for ergonomic assessment that integrates photogrammetry and surface electromyography (sEMG) to simultaneously evaluate posture and muscular effort. The developed methodology allows precise, contactless analysis of ergonomic conditions and can be adapted for various professional and academic teleworking environments. Significant effects were observed in the posture (°) of the trunk and head, with both small and large effects identified at significance levels of p < 0.001 under the furniture conditions studied. In terms of EMG activity, moderate effects were observed at p < 0.01 levels between table height and upper trapezius activation, while small effects were detected at p < 0.05 levels between the use of chairs without armrests and neck. Similarly, small to moderate effects were observed in the arm-deltoid segment under the same furniture conditions. These findings reveal information about the posture and muscular effort patterns associated with the studied tasks, offering knowledge that can be referenced for similar tasks in other technical fields where telematics activities are performed. Full article

Emerging services such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud data services and teleworking are growing exponentially, pushing bandwidth needs to the limit. Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) in the spatial domain, along with Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) transmission in the spectrum domain, represent two degrees of freedom that will play a crucial role in the evolution of backbone optical networks. SDM and UWB technologies necessitate the replacement of conventional Wavelength-Selective-Switch (WSS)-based architectures with innovative optical switching elements capable of handling both higher port counts and flexible switching across various granularities. In this work, we introduce a novel Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC)-based switching element called flex-Waveband Selective Switch (WBSS), designed to provide flexible band switching across the UWB spectrum (~21 THz). The proposed flex-WBSS supports a hierarchical three-layered Multi-Granular Optical Node (MG-ON) architecture incorporating optical switching across various granularities ranging from entire fibers and flexibly defined bands down to individual wavelengths. To evaluate its performance, we develop a custom network simulator, enabling a thorough performance analysis on the critical performance metrics of the node. Simulations are conducted over an existing network topology evaluating three traffic-oriented switching policies: Full Fiber Switching (FFS), Waveband Switching (WBS) and Wavelength Switching (WS). Simulation results reveal high Optical-to-Signal Ratio (OSNR) and low Bit Error Rate (BER) values, particularly under the FFS policy. In contrast, the integration of the WBS policy bridges the gap between existing WSS- and future FFS-based architectures and manages to mitigate capacity bottlenecks, enabling rapid scalable network upgrades in existing infrastructures. Additionally, we propose a probabilistic framework to evaluate the node’s bandwidth utilization and scaling behavior, exploring trade-offs among scalability, component numbers and complexity. The proposed framework can be easily adapted for the design of future transport optical networks. Finally, we perform a SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power and Cost) analysis. Results show that our novel MG-ON achieves strong performance, reaching a throughput exceeding 10 Pb/s with high OSNR values ≈14–20 dB and BER ≈10⁻⁹ especially under the FFS policy. Moreover, it delivers up to 7.5× cost reduction compared to alternative architectures, significantly reducing deployment/upgrade costs while maintaining low power consumption. Full article

Purpose: Remote work continues to transform both organizational structures and individual work experiences, introducing new dynamics that can simultaneously enhance or undermine employees’ mental health and overall well-being. These evolving conditions influence levels of stress, resilience and burnout within increasingly digital and flexible work environments. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how remote work affects occupational stress, mental health, burnout and employee well-being through a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed literature complemented by a narrative synthesis of emerging research themes. Methods: A total of 185 peer-reviewed documents were retrieved from the Scopus database and analyzed using the VOSviewer software, version 1.6.20 (0) (Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands). The study employed performance analysis techniques to assess annual publication trends, identify the most influential authors and sources and evaluate citation impact. Furthermore, science mapping methods, including co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, co-citation, and co-occurrence analyses, were used to visualize the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of the field. Results: The co-occurrence analysis identified three major thematic clusters. We first explored how the abrupt shift to teleworking redefined employee well-being, the second examined the psychological consequences of evolving work environments on mental health and occupational stress and the third investigated the prevalence, determinants and contextual factors of occupational burnout across professional domains. Conclusions: The findings demonstrated complex interrelations among remote work, occupational stress, mental health, and burnout, highlighting that the accelerated adoption of remote work—especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic—has substantially reshaped employees’ psychological health and work experiences. Thus, remote work emerges as a double-edged phenomenon that can either foster resilience and well-being or heighten stress and burnout, depending on the availability of supportive organizational structures, psychosocial resources, and adaptive coping mechanisms. Full article

The adoption of telework increased as a sustainable strategy after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its impact on transportation and energy consumption are controversial, emphasizing the need for context-specific analysis. This research developed a System Dynamics (SD) simulation that integrated the generalized Bass Diffusion Model (BDM) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to analyze telework diffusion in organizations and its influence on transport-related CO₂ emissions and energy consumption in Colombia. Internal conditions, particularly managerial attitudes and perceptions of telework performance, play a crucial role in the adoption rate. Telework adoption follows a weak S-curve pattern primarily driven by internal dynamics rather than external pressures, lagging behind the projections set by public policies and global trends. Simulations based on government data for the period 2012–2022 indicated that the number of teleworkers could reach 1.61 million by 2032, resulting in annual energy savings of approximately 1.5% and a 2% reduction in transport-related CO₂ emissions. Sustained governmental tracking of sectoral adoption and including records of household energy use will support sensitivity analysis and strengthen model robustness. The integrated SD, TAM, and BDM modeling approach identified critical factors to boost telework adoption and its environmental benefits, providing insights for sustainable organizational strategies and public policies. Full article

Background: Aging populations make expanded workforce participation among older adults an economic and public health priority. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of virtual work, providing new opportunities for healthy aging in the workplace through increased flexibility and less physical strain. However, digital exclusion, ergonomically challenging tasks, and social isolation can limit these opportunities for older populations. Objective: This scoping review aimed to synthesize interdisciplinary research on the relationship between remote work and labor force participation among adults aged 45 years and older, focusing on health-related outcomes, barriers, and facilitators. Methods: Following the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search across seven databases for peer-reviewed and gray literature published between 2000 and 2025. Of 2108 records screened, 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted using a standardized charting tool and analyzed thematically. Results: Most studies were published after 2020 and originated in North America (45%) and Europe (40%). Core barriers included digital exclusion, ageism, and adverse ergonomic environments. Facilitators involved flexible working hours, a supportive organizational environment, and digital skills. Health-related outcomes such as stress reduction and improved well-being were commonly reported. However, only 18% of studies assessed policy effects, and very few examined intersectionality (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status). Conclusions: Remote and flexible work options can improve the health and participation of older adults in the workforce, but technology, infrastructure, and social barriers remain. Age-inclusive policies, digital equity efforts, and inclusive workplace practices are necessary to maximize the benefits of remote arrangements for aging populations. Full article

In recent years, telework (TW) has been seen as a feasible and flexible alternative to deal with global and market risks; however, companies’ lack of vision and planning to implement it has generated the reality that TW, far from bringing advantages, generates personal and social labour conflicts. The objective of this research is to design a TW adoption sustainable process (TW-ASP) that guides the development of organizational strategies to maximize benefits and mitigate challenges for companies, employees, and society. This qualitative study comprises three phases: a review of previous research in Web of Science, identification and inter-relation of relevant variables, and TW-ASP design using Cooper’s stage-gate methodology. The process includes three stages, and each one has a gate: TW thinking, TW decision, and TW adoption. Each stage and gate is structured according to linkages between technological, organizational, labour, and social variables. TW-ASP positions TW as a sustainable initiative requiring a holistic and systemic approach. This study offers a proposal that can serve as a reference for designing organizational strategies aimed at sustainability. Full article

Background: Ethical leadership and ethical climate are generally considered protective factors against burnout, while affective commitment has traditionally been understood as a personal resource that enhances employee well-being. However, recent evidence suggests that, under specific contextual conditions, these variables may also operate as demands that intensify emotional strain. Objective: This study examines how telework intensity moderates the relationships between ethical leadership, affective commitment, principle-based ethical climate, and burnout. Methods: Data were drawn from a doctoral study conducted in the Colombian electricity sector. Moderation analyses were performed to assess whether the number of telework days per week altered the strength and direction of associations between organizational variables and the dimensions of burnout. Results: Telework intensity did not moderate the relationship between ethical leadership and affective commitment, but it strengthened the positive association between affective commitment and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, it reversed the role of a principle-based ethical climate: from being positively associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization to acting as a protective factor under medium to high telework intensity. Conclusions: The findings challenge conventional assumptions about affective commitment and ethical climate, highlighting the ambivalent role of telework. They underscore the need for more nuanced theoretical frameworks and management practices that are sensitive to emerging psychosocial risks in virtual work environments. Full article

Occupational segregation between men and women and between rural and urban areas is a persistent driver of labor market inequality in Europe. Women and rural workers are often overrepresented in lower-paid and lower-status occupations, reflecting structural barriers to occupational mobility. This paper investigates how occupational segregation varies across gender, space, and telework status and examines the potential of telework to reduce these inequalities. Using microdata from the 2023 European Labor Force Survey, we calculate segregation indices to measure occupational segregation and monetary gains, as well as losses due to segregation. We further analyze the relationship of segregation and telework. We find the highest segregation and economic disadvantages due to segregation for rural men. Female teleworkers are less clustered in feminized roles compared to non-teleworking women, suggesting that remote work can broaden occupational opportunities. Telework shows reduced segregation when primarily working remotely, but not in hybrid settings. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of spatial and gendered labor market disparities. We further identify the potential of telework to promote a more equitable occupational integration across gender and space. Full article

Work–life balance (WLB) in academia remains a challenge as a result of increasing workloads, precarious employment, and expectations of constant availability. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed these structural barriers to work–life balance in academia and also clearly showed the inequities related to hybrid and remote work for women, caregivers, and underrepresented minorities. This paper highlights the key factors that pose challenges to WLB in academia, how these challenges have been worsened by COVID-19, and what we can learn from pandemic times solutions to devise inclusive practices for long-term structural change. The methodology used in this paper is a critical review of 298 published articles. This review is structured as follows: The structural barriers, inequities, and workplace policies that impact academic WLB are first inventoried. Then, the lessons learned from the pandemic are studied by dividing the short-term disruptions from the permanent shifts. Finally, inclusive solutions, focusing on institutional boundary-setting, workload redistribution, hybrid work policies, and mental health support are presented. This paper makes three key contributions: (1) it provides an intersectional understanding of WLB, accounting for gender, caregiving, ethnicity, migration, and social class; (2) it frames COVID-19 as a driver for structural reform, rather than an anomaly; (3) it bridges WLB research and policy design, proposing actionable strategies for universities and policymakers. By placing equity and inclusion at the core of the analysis, this work advocates for systemic solutions that promote a sustainable academic environment aligned with principles of social justice. Full article

Purpose: As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent, scholarly and organizational attention has largely centered on stress and workload. However, emerging evidence highlights loneliness and isolation as critical yet underexplored factors with profound implications for employees’ mental health and organizational performance. Method: This study conducts a bibliometric review of 65 peer-reviewed articles indexed in the Scopus database, following PRISMA guidelines and employing VOSviewer for data analysis and visualization. The objective is to examine how loneliness and isolation in remote work settings affect psychological well-being and productivity. Findings: The findings reveal that the absence of physical interaction and structured social environments exacerbates feelings of detachment, contributing to emotional strain and reduced job performance. Despite the growing importance of remote work, the literature remains fragmented in addressing its broader psychological and organizational consequences. Originality/Value: This study offers theoretical insights and practical recommendations for managers and policymakers, emphasizing the need for preventive strategies and inclusive management practices to support employee well-being, foster engagement, and sustain organizational effectiveness in remote work contexts. Full article

With the development of information and communication technologies, analysing new risks of moral harassment at work is becoming increasingly pertinent, especially with the expansion of teleworking and hybrid working (a mix of remote and face-to-face work per week) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to respond to the new issues of labour regulation, this study places special emphasis on new risks of moral harassment in hybrid work and teleworking contexts, considering both the international and European framework and the legal regime in Portugal, identifying its specificities. With the rise in teleworking in the post-pandemic period, the online monitoring of workers has accentuated the difficulty in drawing the line between managerial power and harassment. Moral harassment at work is a persistent challenge and organisations must recognise, prevent and respond to inappropriate behaviour in the organisation. The results of this study—based on the results of an online survey completed by employees (with employment contracts)—show that teleworking employees recognise that they have been pressured, above all, both to respond to messages quickly and pressure to work beyond hours and suggest possible gender differences in the way harassment in hybrid work and teleworking contexts is reported. Full article