COVID-19, work from home and the organization of work time for men and women in the United States

We investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organization of work time using 24-hour diary data from the American Time Use Survey. We document large increases in the incidence of work from home (WFH) following the COVID-19 outbreak, with prior selectivity into WFH disappearing. Both men and women working remotely tended to work less and experience more interruptions compared to in-office employees before the pandemic. Interestingly, the prevalence of remote work in various occupations seemed to reduce work interruptions and decrease the likelihood of non-standard work hours among men before the pandemic, pointing to its productivity-enhancing potential. However, remote workers in those environments continued to experience work interruptions and be more prone to labour during non-standard work schedules compared to their in-office counterparts. Nevertheless, the role of remote work in these occupations largely disappeared during the pandemic as remote work became a more standard arrangement.