A new study by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, together with the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney, has uncovered that while working from home in pyjamas during the COVID-19 pandemic did not lower productivity, it was linked to poorer mental health.
According to the study, 41% of respondents said they experienced increased productivity while working from home, while more than a third of respondents reported that working from home resulted in poorer mental health.
When the study examined the effects wearing pyjamas had on productivity and mental health, it found that wearing pyjamas was associated with more frequent reporting of poorer mental health. For 59% of participants who wore pyjamas during the day at least one day a week, they admitted their mental health declined while working from home, versus 26% of participants who did not wear pyjamas while working from home.
"While we cannot determine whether wearing pyjamas was the cause or consequence of mental health deterioration, appreciation of the effect of clothing on cognition and mental health is growing, as observed in hospital patients: Encouraging patients to wear normal day clothes can reduce the severity of depression," the study said.
"The simple advice to get changed before beginning work in the morning might partially protect against the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on mental health, and would be less expensive than the 'fashionable' sleep or loungewear gaining popularity as working from home becomes the norm."
The study also examined the impact children had on people while they worked from home. Unsurprisingly, the study found 63% working from home with a toddler reported reduced overall productivity. Similarly, people who had primary school children at home while they worked agreed that their productivity was hindered.
Read: Remote work