Ergonomics and telework: A systematic review.

de Macêdo, Thiago Allan Marques; Cabral, Eric Lucas Dos Santos; Silva Castro, Wilkson Ricardo; de Souza Junior, Clodoaldo Carneiro; da Costa Junior, João Florêncio; Pedrosa, Felipe Martins; da Silva, Aleson Belo; de Medeiros, Veder Ralf Fernandes; de Souza, Ricardo Pires; Cabral, Marco Antônio Leandro; Másculo, Francisco Soares

BACKGROUND Telework has been widely studied by public and private organizations; however, in ergonomics, studies that focused on this topic are still sporadic. OBJECTIVE Thus, this article endeavours to systematize the qualified scientific research related to ergonomics and teleworking to determine the main benefits and disadvantages and to identify the main issues addressed by authors. METHODS A thorough research was conducted in the Scopus/Embase and Web of Science databases for this review. The following descriptors were used for the cataloguing of articles: "teleworking", "telecommuting", "telecommuters", "home office", "ergonomics" and "human factors". 36 studies were selected. RESULTS The study highlights four relevant questions in the scientific literature: a) where is the discussion of these themes consolidated; b) what are the main descriptors related to the discussion; c) which journals and conferences establish a scientific debate on the topic; and d) what are its main advantages and disadvantages. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that telecommuting can be a valuable tool for balancing professional and family life, which helps to improve the well-being of workers; however, several factors can influence the overall remote working experience which leads to the need for companies to adopt unique strategies reflecting their unique situation.