Efimov Ilona, Krick Annika, Harth Volker, Felfe Jörg, Mache Stefanie
Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Department of Work, Organizational and Business Psychology, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg/University of the Federal Armed Forces, Hamburg, Germany.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 8;16:1601214. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1601214. eCollection 2025.
Previous longitudinal studies investigated loneliness in general populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Less is known about workplace isolation among employees working from home (WFH). Based on job demands-resources and conservation-of-resources theories, this study aims to analyze workplace isolation of employees WFH in relation to their WFH intensity.
This study examined the change in workplace isolation and WFH intensity over 5 measurement points of 512 employees using multilevel growth curve analysis (GCA), identified groups of participants with distinct trajectories of workplace isolation and WFH intensity using latent profile analysis (LPA), and investigated antecedents and consequences of profile membership.
GCA indicated an overall negative linear and quadratic relationship between time and workplace isolation, as well as interaction effects between time and WFH intensity on workplace isolation. LPA identified 3 groups: (1) high WFH intensity and low isolation, (2) low WFH intensity and high isolation, (3) high WFH intensity and high isolation. Subsequent analyses revealed that individuals in profile 1 had high levels of health-oriented self-leadership (SelfCare) and social support by colleagues, and low levels of communication difficulties, health-oriented employee-leadership (StaffCare) and extraversion. Regarding differences, highest commitment was identified among individuals displaying low WFH intensity (profile 2), whereas highest self-rated performance was prevalent among individuals experiencing low workplace isolation (profile 1).
Applying GCA and LPA in this line of research is novel and adds to the understanding of both between-and within-effects of workplace isolation and WFH intensity. Knowledge about relevant resources (e.g., SelfCare) and demands (e.g., communication difficulties) may inform organizational practices aimed at preventing isolation in remote and hybrid work settings.
先前的纵向研究调查了新冠疫情期间普通人群的孤独感。对于居家办公（WFH）员工的工作场所孤立情况，我们了解得较少。基于工作需求-资源理论和资源守恒理论，本研究旨在分析居家办公员工的工作场所孤立情况与其居家办公强度之间的关系。
本研究使用多层次增长曲线分析（GCA），考察了512名员工在5个测量点上工作场所孤立和居家办公强度的变化；使用潜在剖面分析（LPA）确定了具有不同工作场所孤立和居家办公强度轨迹的参与者群体，并研究了剖面成员资格的前因后果。
GCA表明，时间与工作场所孤立之间总体呈负线性和二次关系，时间与居家办公强度对工作场所孤立也存在交互作用。LPA确定了3组：（1）高居家办公强度和低孤立感，（2）低居家办公强度和高孤立感，（3）高居家办公强度和高孤立感。后续分析显示，第1组的个体具有较高水平的以健康为导向的自我领导能力（自我关怀）和同事提供的社会支持，而沟通困难、以健康为导向的员工领导能力（员工关怀）和外向性水平较低。在差异方面，居家办公强度低的个体（第2组）的工作投入度最高，而工作场所孤立感低的个体（第1组）的自评绩效最高。
在这一研究领域应用GCA和LPA具有创新性，有助于加深对工作场所孤立和居家办公强度的组间和组内效应的理解。关于相关资源（如自我关怀）和需求（如沟通困难）的知识，可能为旨在预防远程和混合工作环境中孤立感的组织实践提供参考。
