Umeå University's logo

Background Hybrid work has become a prevalent work model, referring to the combination of office and remotework. Previous studies have found that hybrid work arrangements may positively affect psychosocial factors such asjob satisfaction, work-life balance, and retention. However, hybrid work has also been observed to blur the boundariesbetween work and private life and increase work-family conflict, and more knowledge is needed on how hybrid workinfluences the psychosocial work environment from a longitudinal perspective. This study aimed to investigate theimpact of the transition to hybrid work on the work experience, and to determine how personal and occupationalfactors, such as age, sex, managerial position, number of children living at home, work tasks, autonomy, and timespent working at the office, influenced the change in work experience.

Methods To explore differences in the Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS), longitudinal questionnaire data(n = 148) from white-collar workers in a medium-sized Swedish municipality were analyzed. Data collection took placein 2017 before COVID-19 and 2023, 1.5 years after national work-from-home restrictions were lifted. Univariate linearregression was used to determine how the different factors affected the change in work experience.

Results The mean age of the study population was 50.1 years at the time of the second data collection in 2023.The study populations’ WEMS scores significantly improved over time, both on the total scale and specifically withinthe dimensions supportive working conditions, time experience, autonomy, and leadership. The main factor thatinfluenced the work experience was sex, where women’s work experience improved significantly over time, whereasmen’s work experience did not.

Conclusion This study contributes a longitudinal perspective on hybrid work and its impact on the psychosocialwork environment. While the findings of this study align with previous research in relation to improvement of, forexample, job satisfaction, the study also reveals sex differences previously not seen in a hybrid work context.