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• The COVID pandemic led to big increases in psychological distress for many people, including symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.
• The negative impact on mental health has been substantial and is likely to be long-lasting, with many people experiencing psychological distress even now.
• Our research seeks to understand how psychological distress created by the pandemic has affected how productive people are at work.

Remote work, productivity and stress

• Our study shows the impact of psychological distress on productivity during the pandemic was even more pronounced for people who worked from home.
• Remote workers also reported that boundaries between work and home are often blurred, with workspaces and job-related tasks intruding on home life.
• But unfortunately, other situations can still cause stress that affects productivity at work – whether that’s a health issue, bereavement, a divorce or other major life events.
• So, what can you do to try to cope, and even maintain your productivity at work, during such stressful situations?

Get the right support when stressed at work

• This can include support from family, friends and colleagues, but also mental health and financial support.
• Sufficient recovery time after a stressful event and, more generally, sleep and breaks from work can also replenish your self-regulation resources.
• As our research shows, organisations need to support employees who work from home in particular.
• Managers should also take individual preferences for homeworking into account, and make sure homeworkers have sufficient control over their work.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.