Office Ergonomics Research Committee (OERC), Boston, MA, USA.
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
Work. 2022;71(2):451-464. doi: 10.3233/WOR-210698.
Virtual office work, or telework/remote work, has existed since the 1970s due to the widespread availability of new technologies. Despite a dramatic increase in remote office work, few studies have examined its long-term effects on work environments and worker well-being.
A prospective field intervention study was undertaken to examine the effects of a Virtual Office program on office workers' psychosocial perceptions, mental and physical well-being, workplace satisfaction, and performance.
A large public service organization undertook a 12-month Virtual Office (VO) pilot program using a systems approach. The study included 137 VO employees (intervention condition), and 85 Conventional Office (CO) employees (control condition). The VO intervention used a work system approach consisting of establishing a steering committee, training programs, and VO resource website. Employee survey measures and follow-up focus group observations were used to examine the impact of the VO intervention.
Virtual office participants reported higher job control, group interactions and cohesiveness, and quality of supervision than the CO participants. VO participants reported lower upper body musculoskeletal symptoms and physical/mental stress than CO participants. VO participants reported higher performance (customer satisfaction) than the CO participants.
The study findings were sufficiently positive to provide a basis for work organizations to undertake similar pilot programs. Consideration of work system factors when designing an effective VO program can benefit employee's well-being and performance. The rationale for implementing VO programs is underscored by the current COVID-19 pandemic. VO work will continue to some degree for the foreseeable future.
由于新技术的广泛应用，虚拟办公，或远程办公，自 20 世纪 70 年代以来就已经存在。尽管远程办公有了显著的增加，但很少有研究考察其对工作环境和员工福祉的长期影响。
一项前瞻性实地干预研究旨在考察虚拟办公室计划对办公室工作人员的社会心理认知、身心健康、工作场所满意度和绩效的影响。
一家大型公共服务组织采用系统方法进行了为期 12 个月的虚拟办公室（VO）试点计划。该研究包括 137 名虚拟办公室（VO）员工（干预组）和 85 名传统办公室（CO）员工（对照组）。VO 干预采用了工作系统方法，包括成立指导委员会、培训计划和 VO 资源网站。使用员工调查措施和后续焦点小组观察来考察 VO 干预的影响。
虚拟办公室参与者报告的工作控制、群体互动和凝聚力以及监督质量高于传统办公室参与者。虚拟办公室参与者报告的上半身肌肉骨骼症状和身体/精神压力低于传统办公室参与者。虚拟办公室参与者报告的绩效（客户满意度）高于传统办公室参与者。
研究结果非常积极，为工作组织开展类似试点计划提供了依据。在设计有效的 VO 计划时考虑工作系统因素可以使员工的福祉和绩效受益。当前 COVID-19 大流行强调了实施 VO 计划的理由。在可预见的未来，虚拟办公将在一定程度上继续存在。
