Abstract
During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, traditional (offline) chess tournaments were prohibited and instead held online. We exploit this as a unique setting to assess the impact of moving offline tasks online on the cognitive performance of individuals. We use the Artificial Intelligence embodied in a powerful chess engine to assess the quality of chess moves and associated errors. Using within-player comparisons, we find a statistically and economically significant decrease in performance when competing online compared to competing offline. Our results suggest that teleworking might have adverse effects on workers performing cognitive tasks.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Maastricht |
| Publisher | Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Jul 2020 |
Publication series
| Series | GSBE Research Memoranda |
|---|---|
| Number | 021 |
| ISSN | 2666-8807 |
JEL classifications
- h12 - Crisis Management
- l23 - Organization of Production
- m11 - Production Management
- m54 - Personnel Economics: Labor Management
Keywords
- teleworking
- productivity
- chess
Press/Media
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Thuiswerk blijkt minder geschikt voor mentaal zware taken
Steffen Künn, Christian Seel & Dainis Zegners
1/11/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research › Popular