Worker productivity during Covid-19 and adaptation to working from home

Article


Burdett, A., Tang, L., Etheridge, B. and Wang, Y. 2024. Worker productivity during Covid-19 and adaptation to working from home. European Economic Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104788
TypeArticle
TitleWorker productivity during Covid-19 and adaptation to working from home
AuthorsBurdett, A., Tang, L., Etheridge, B. and Wang, Y.
Abstract

We examine workers' reported productivity, which we validate against external metrics, over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. On average, workers report being at least as productive as before the pandemic’s onset. However, this average masks substantial heterogeneity, which is linked to job quality, gender, the presence of children, and ease of working from home. As the pandemic progressed, those who previously performed well at home were more likely to remain there. Building on these findings, we estimate factors affecting productivity outcomes across locations controlling for endogenous selection. We find that those in `good’ jobs (with managerial duties and working for large firms) were advantaged specifically in the home environment. More generally we find an effect of key personality traits – agreeableness and conscientiousness – on productivity outcomes across locations.

KeywordsWorker Productivity; Working From Home; COVID-19; Inequality; Gender
Sustainable Development Goals8 Decent work and economic growth
Middlesex University ThemeHealth & Wellbeing
Research GroupCentre for Enterprise, Environment and Development Research (CEEDR)
PublisherElsevier
JournalEuropean Economic Review
ISSN0014-2921
Electronic1873-572X
Publication dates
Online10 Jun 2024
Publication process dates
Submitted02 Aug 2023
Accepted08 Jun 2024
Deposited06 Jun 2024
Output statusAccepted
Accepted author manuscript
File Access Level
Open
Copyright Statement

© 2024. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104788
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