Working from Home (WFH) Scoping Review (Performance & Productivity).
Working from Home (WFH) Scoping Review (Performance & Productivity).
Synthesized knowledge on how WFH affects personal and organizational outcomes, aligning healthy remote work with business performance for durable adoption.
Funding: Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
What did this Project Set Out to Do?
Work‑from‑home (WFH) arrangements were expanding globally well before the COVID‑19 pandemic, but the pandemic accelerated their adoption at an unprecedented scale and speed. While a growing body of research has examined how WFH affects physical and mental health, considerably less attention has been paid to how these arrangements influence personal and organizational performance and productivity, particularly from a business and managerial perspective.
This project set out to address that imbalance. The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize existing evidence on the impacts of WFH arrangements on worker and organizational performance and productivity. By framing WFH within business and performance contexts, the project aimed to support decision‑makers in aligning WFH strategies with organizational goals, thereby increasing the likelihood that health, safety, and wellbeing considerations receive sustained attention through policy and practice.
Rather than evaluating a single model of remote work, the review examined how different forms of WFH, voluntary versus mandatory, part‑time versus full‑time, and pandemic‑driven versus non‑crisis contexts, shape performance‑related outcomes.
How was the Research Done?
This project employed a scoping review methodology to map the breadth and characteristics of existing research related to WFH, performance, and productivity.
1. Comprehensive Literature Searches were conducted across four academic databases using key terms related to two primary concepts:
- Work‑from‑home (and related terminology)
- Productivity and performance
This process yielded a total of 3,402 articles.
2. Two‑Step Screening and Data Extraction
A structured, two‑step screening process was applied to assess relevance. Through this process, 37 articles met inclusion criteria and were selected for detailed data extraction and synthesis.
3. Broad Synthesis of Evidence
Consistent with scoping review methods, the analysis focused on identifying patterns, themes, and gaps across the literature rather than producing a single pooled effect or outcome. Particular attention was paid to how productivity and performance were defined, measured, and interpreted across studies.
What did the Project Discover?
Findings from the scoping review suggest that WFH arrangements can positively influence both personal and organizational productivity and performance, but these benefits are highly context‑dependent.
Positive outcomes were most consistently associated with non‑mandatory and flexible WFH arrangements, where workers retained autonomy over when and how remote work was used. In contrast, when WFH was mandatory, full‑time, or implemented under external pressures—such as during the COVID‑19 pandemic—performance impacts were more variable and, in some cases, detrimental.
A key challenge identified across the literature was substantial inconsistency in how productivity and performance are evaluated. Studies varied widely in:
- The tools and metrics used
- Whether outcomes were self‑reported or organizationally assessed
- The types of performance indicators emphasized
This variability limits organizations’ ability to draw definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of WFH arrangements and underscores the importance of explicitly defining what “productivity” and “performance” mean within specific organizational contexts.
Key Applications
The results of this scoping review support several important applications for organizations and decision‑makers:
- Developing clearer definitions and measurement strategies for productivity and performance in WFH contexts
- Informing evidence‑based WFH policies that balance organizational goals with worker experience
- Supporting organizational readiness for flexible, resilient, and inclusive WFH arrangements
- Providing a performance‑focused entry point for integrating health, safety, and wellbeing considerations into remote work strategies
By aligning WFH practices with business objectives, organizations may be better positioned to sustainably implement remote work while addressing associated risks.
Why Does This Matter?
As WFH becomes a permanent or hybrid feature of many workplaces, organizations are increasingly under pressure to justify remote work arrangements through performance and productivity outcomes. This project demonstrates that WFH is neither universally beneficial nor universally harmful; its effectiveness depends on how and why it is implemented, and how success is defined and measured.
For employers and policymakers, the findings reinforce the need for intentional WFH strategy design rather than reactive adoption. Clear performance frameworks, flexible implementation, and alignment with organizational goals can help ensure that WFH arrangements support not only productivity, but also longer‑term workforce sustainability, resilience, and inclusion.
