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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sociol.
Sec. Work, Employment and Organizations
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1534548

Changes and their Effects on Working and Daily Life Time Use Allocation between Work-from-home and Office Work Days during the Telework Period: Insights from the Survey in Japan

Provisionally accepted
Eri Aoki Eri Aoki 1,2*Ai Hiramatsu Ai Hiramatsu 2Keisuke Hanaki Keisuke Hanaki 2
  • 1 Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan
  • 2 Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation And Design, Toyo University, Tokyo, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: The rapid adoption of telework, accelerated by advancements in ICT and the COVID-19 pandemic, offers potential benefits for well-being and environmental impact. However, telework's effects on work productivity, work-life balance, and social connectedness remain complex, particularly within hybrid models combining work-from-home (WFH) and in office days.Methods: This study assessed telework's impact by comparing WFH and office days. A survey of 1,500 full-time workers in Japan's Tokyo Metropolitan Region focused on daily time allocation, and telework preferences during telework periods. Principal component and cluster analyses were used to identify groups with distinct work and lifestyle patterns.Results: Six telework-related groups emerged, reflecting diverse experiences in productivity and daily life. Groups such as the "Overall Increase" and "Housework and Rest Increase" reported gains in leisure and family time, positively impacting well-being. In contrast, the "Unsuitable for WFH" group faced increased office-day workloads and reduced WFH productivity, indicating that telework's effectiveness depends on job and individual characteristics.The findings highlight telework's potential to enhance well-being and sustainability but also underscore the need for tailored policies that address diverse job requirements and personal characteristics. This study contributes to sustainable telework strategies by offering insights into effective support systems that balance flexibility, productivity, and environmental sustainability, aiming both for an enhanced personal life and societal benefits.

    Keywords: Telework, Work-from-home, Time use allocation, Questionnaire survey, Japan

    Received: 27 Nov 2024; Accepted: 15 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Aoki, Hiramatsu and Hanaki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Eri Aoki, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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