Prof. Dr. Alexander Woll, Svenja Sers

For this seminar paper a video was published, which can be found using the following link:
https://youtu.be/n192w2AU4b4

Since the onset of the pandemic in 2019, the topics of work-life balance digitization and work models have been increasingly discussed in many areas. While the pandemic has inevitably driven digitization in companies and public institutions, new work models have emerged simultaneously.

Before the pandemic, 50-75% of the employees worked regularly from home (usually one day a week), but due to the economic and political situation, companies were forced to send their employees to home office. Accordingly, the percentage of the working society with regular home office (three to five days per week) increased to 80 - 98 % (Demmelhuber et al., 2020). This rapid turnaround to home office as a full-time work model resulted in upcoming new opportunities and challenges. In regards to new opportunities, the digitalization of daily work processes, promotion of mobile work, and an almost simultaneous rapid development of home office are considered. Due to the abrupt change in the way of working, a constant development regarding various aspects of work such as used methods, tools, channels, communication, or daily work routines followed. Furthermore, many business areas transformed, while the desire for new working models based on current needs and the adapted ways of working after the pandemic has received major attention (Erdsiek, 2021). Alongside new opportunities, new problems and challenges have also emerged. In addition to the lack of personal contact with colleagues, the mixing of private and professional life, technical problems, and inadequate equipment (e.g., technical and mobile), 34% of home office employees describe a lack of exercise as a burden. This makes it the second biggest challenge after the lack of social contact (DGUV, 2021). Furthermore, lack of physical activity can result in a multitude of physical health issues such as overweight, cardiovascular problems, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, and cancer, as well as mental health issues like cognition and sleep, symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, and thereby the development of anxiety or depression (Rütten & Pfeifer, 2017; WHO, 2020b). This indicates that health and exercise are important aspects of life and a healthy work-life balance.

Finally, the question arises as to how physical activity can be integrated into everyday working life and how it can be motivated to do so, whereby a co-existence of work and life represents an important foundation.