Telework has grown significantly in recent decades, driven particularly by the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked interest in analysing the conditions under which it takes place, as it had never before been so widespread in such many countries. However, most studies emerged in an exceptional context, without comprehensively or on a large scale addressing the environmental conditions of home-based teleworking under normal circumstances. This study aimed to identify and reach consensus, through an expert panel, on criteria for assessing such conditions in the home, as well as to analyse users’ preferences, suitability, and satisfaction, by developing a robust questionnaire for its evaluation. A modified Delphi method was applied, involving two panels: specialists in the social sciences and in building sciences. Over four rounds, 18 social items and 59 construction-related items were gathered and refined, organised into four thematic blocks. Consensus was achieved through weighted scoring and the 75th percentile, resulting in a final questionnaire of 77 questions integrating both social and technical dimensions. For social science experts, variables such as educational level, occupation, and quality of digital devices were considered essential to understand the home teleworking experience. Experts in building physics and architecture prioritised general housing factors such as dwelling type, or tenure regime, whilst others resulted more specific, approaching IEQ, as lighting, thermal comfort, air quality, and acoustic insulation, besides ergonomics. The study also agreed on a definition of home-based teleworking, distinguishing it from other ways of remote work carried out in third-party locations—relevant, given that homes are not subject to the environmental regulations of traditional workplaces. Finally, and following data collection, the CHAMBER questionnaire yielded two validated constructs: Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), reflecting perceived comfort related to environmental conditions and control, and Physical Adequacy, assessing the suitability of the workspace’s architectural and functional features. This dual approach differentiates experiential environmental quality from the structural adequateness of home-based teleworking settings. The questionnaire, either based on standards, official and nationwide surveys, and scientific literature, may be applied in other countries, contributing to future research and public policies aimed at improving the environmental quality of home-based teleworking, to integrate both human and physical environmental factors, for workers’ health and wellbeing.
Navas-Martín et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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