Smart-Working In The Period Of Emergency Due To Covid-19: Study On The Perception Of Work-Related Stress

Abstract

On 11th March 2020 the W.H.O. declared the rapidly spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 virus a global pandemic. The temporary closing of multiple work activities was among the many drastic measures adopted, which resorted to different types of agile working, such as smart-working and remote-working. Initially conceived as a short-term solution, agile working has been strengthened by and  recommended for millions of employees who have changed their working habits and life practices in a very short time, also involving  their personal, family and relational life. An effective implementation of smart-working and remote-working also requires changes in  business organizations, culture, spaces, management and leadership styles, to which companies do not always respond promptly.  Work-related stress consists of the imbalance perceived by the worker when the demands of content, organization and working  environment exceed the ability to cope with such demands. Prolonged exposure to stressors can become a source of risk for both the  psychological and physical health of a worker. Agile working has added stressors such as the inability or impossibility to disconnect  from work or to have precise working hours, as it happens in the office. Excessive use of IT tools, such as tablets, PCs and  smartphones, also leads to technostress, a disorder caused by the incapability to manage modern technologies in a healthy and  balanced way.The aim of the study is to investigate, through the administration of an anonymous questionnaire, how workers involved  in agile working, have perceived and experienced the stress factors, through self-assessment of the psycho-physical and  environmental conditions. Three main areas are investigated: · perception of the main stress factors; 
· psychological and physical repercussions;
· positive and negative aspects of agile working.
The investigation carried out between 2nd and 18th March 2021 involved 114 workers.