abstract:
We investigate how subjective and objective assessment of COVID-19 risks affect preferences toward working from home (WFH) and whether informing workers about the level of exposure to contagion in their occupation affects these preferences. In the summer of 2021, we conducted a discrete choice experiment combined with an information provision experiment with more than 11,000 workers in Poland. Estimating willingness to pay for WFH, we find that, on average, workers are willing to give up 3.2% of earnings for such an option. The subjective assessment of COVID-19 risk matters as workers who perceive COVID-19 as a threat are willing to sacrifice a higher share of earnings for WFH than those who do not (4.1% vs. 1.3% [p<0.00]). However, the preferences toward WFH differ to a smaller extent between workers in occupations with high or low exposure to COVID-19 [3.8% vs. 2.7%, p=0.01]. Informing workers about occupational exposure to contagion generally does not affect preferences toward WFH.
The article was published and is available on the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics website.
keywords:
working from home, discrete choice, information provision experiment, occupational exposures
publication year:
2024
language:
english
Publications category:
labour market
Additional information:
The European Social Fund bears no responsibility for the results and the conclusions, which are those of the authors. The usual disclaimers apply. All errors are ours.
We thank participants of the 2022 SOLE Annual Meeting and the Ce2 workshop in Warsaw for their valuable comments.
This study was financially supported by the European Social Fund – Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development as a part of the “System for forecasting the Polish labour market” project.
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