The impact of remote work and mediated communication frequency on isolation and psychological distress

Abstract

A massive shift towards remote work practices has presented many organizations and employees with acute challenges associated with multi-locational work. This shift underscores the need to reconsider isolation as one of the focal challenges of organizations in an era of increasingly dispersed and mediated work practices. This study relies on a three-wave survey among Finnish workers to investigate how remote work practices and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) have impacted perceptions of isolation during the global health pandemic, and whether these relationships have an effect on psychological distress. The findings indicate that facilitating the use of ICTs may help organizations and employees combat isolation, while simultaneous increases in remote work practices lead employees to feel more isolated. In addition, the findings highlight a reciprocal effect between psychological distress and isolation, suggesting that strain may both increase perceptions of isolation and be a result of being isolated.