The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed many established practices and arrangements in people’s social lives, medicine, and business. Many experts point out that these changes will continue to affect society, and workplaces, in particular, are not likely to be the same. Therefore, it seems relevant to look deeper into the transformations occurring in organizations to determine how they influence employees’ job satisfaction and motivation.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly more people around the globe started working from home. Even for the most developed countries, such as the US, an increase in such type of working arrangement is significant. According to the survey conducted by Clutch, 66% of US workers surveyed are working remotely due to the pandemic, with the growth being around 17%1. People’s experiences can differ depending on their personality traits, circumstances, and the type of work they do. Consequently, their attitude towards working remotely and job satisfaction may also vary. According to Clutch, 40% of Americans surveyed are satisfied with working from home, while 39% would prefer to work in an office2. The level of job satisfaction depends on such factors as the working environment, work-life balance, and opportunities for personal growth and development.
For some people, working from home may be a convenient arrangement since it allows them to develop the working routine which suits them the most, while for others, it is highly uncomfortable due to various distractions. For instance, while being at home it may be harder to avoid distractions from family members, pets and even from ones surroundings. For people who lack self-regulation it can be particularly difficult to be productive while working from home. On the other hand, individuals who prefer more flexible working hours and seek improved work-life balance may benefit from such new routine. Introverts may also feel more satisfied with working remotely due to the reduction of interpersonal contacts, while people high in extraversion can, on the contrary, suffer from the lack of communication. In general, though, according to the latest surveys, the overall job satisfaction has improved3. This may indicate that many people feel good about being more in control of their schedule and working environment.
However, 34% of the respondents find doing their jobs ‘somewhat’ harder due to the current pandemic4. This can be attributable to another critical factor – stress. It might be relevant to investigate how increased pressure affects workers motivation. There are many reasons for anxiety during the time of the pandemic. Many people are worried about getting infected; others experience an exacerbation of mental health issues due to reduced interpersonal interactions. There is also a widespread concern regarding the economic consequences of the crisis, and many people are worried about losing their jobs with millions of people already unemployed5. The fear of getting fired may increase employees motivation to work harder, but the overall level of stress can have a negative impact on people’s performance. It should also be noted that such circumstances commonly contribute to the increase of extrinsic negative motivation which comes not from anticipation of any kind of reward but from fear of an undesirable outcome. Intrinsic motivation driven by a person’s inner inclinations and devotions may, on the contrary, suffer as the result of stress. In some situations, even if a person sincerely wants to excel in their job, it might prove to be challenging to concentrate when they are under a significant amount of pressure.
Reference List
Cox, J., ‘Jobless Claims Total 2.4 million, Still Elevated Levels But a Declining Pace From Previous Weeks’, CNBC, 2020.
Herhold, K., ‘Working from Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic: The State of Remote Work’, Clutch, 2020.
Wronski, L., ‘CNBC|SurveyMonkey Workforce Happiness Index: 2020’, Survey Monkey, 2020.
Footnotes
- K. Herhold, ‘Working from Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic: The State of Remote Work’, Clutch. Web.
- Ibid.
- L. Wronski, ‘CNBC|SurveyMonkey Workforce Happiness Index: 2020’, Survey Monkey. Web.
- Ibid.
- J. Cox, ‘Jobless Claims Total 2.4 million, Still Elevated Levels But a Declining Pace From Previous Weeks’, CNBC, 2020. Web.