Pre-pandemic studies suggested that teleworkers report lower physical activity levels than in-office workers due to e.g., lack of active commuting and increased work-related sitting. More recent studies have also found higher daily sedentary time when the work is done at home vs. at the office. However, pandemic may have affected on the latter findings. Therefore, post-pandemic studies are needed to show whether remote work increases sedentary time.

PURPOSE: To examine the differences in daily physical activity behavior during office and remote workdays among hybrid workers.

METHODS: Hybrid workers were recruited from the campus area, Turku, Finland (n = 99, 42 (SD10) years). Participants wore accelerometers on their thigh for seven consecutive days, including at least two office and two remote workdays. Sedentary time (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during workdays (including working and non-working time) were measured. Linear mixed model was used to study intra-individual differences in physical activity behavior during office vs. remote workdays.

RESULTS: Overall, remote workdays accumulated 44 minutes (95% CI 25-64) more SED, 29 min (10-48) less LPA, and 15 min (11-20) less MVPA compared to office workdays. When focusing on working hours, remote worktime accumulated 31 min (15-48) more SED, 24 min (8-40) less LPA, and 7 min (5-10) less MVPA compared to the office worktime. During non-working time, 7 min (5-10) less MVPA was accumulated during the remote workdays.

CONCLUSION: Remote working hours accumulate more SED and less physical activity compared to office hours. Strategies to promote physical activity during remote workdays are warranted.

Supported by: The Finnish Work Environment Fund, The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture