Job satisfaction and challenges of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study in a Swedish academic setting

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the academic world in various ways, and most universities are still closed and continue operating via teleworking. OBJECTIVE: This study is intended to investigate how university faculty/staff and students in Sweden have coped with the lockdown and working/s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Work (Reading, Mass.) Mass.), 2022-01, Vol.71 (2), p.357-370
Main Authors: Ahmadi, Fereshteh, Zandi, Saeid, Cetrez, Önver A., Akhavan, Sharareh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Colleges & universities
Communicable Disease Control
Coping
coronavirus
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Female
Health services
Health-Promoting Work
Humans
Hälsofrämjande arbete
Job Satisfaction
Male
occupational health
pandemic
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Students
Sweden - epidemiology
Telecommuting
teleworking
University faculty
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Summary:BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the academic world in various ways, and most universities are still closed and continue operating via teleworking. OBJECTIVE: This study is intended to investigate how university faculty/staff and students in Sweden have coped with the lockdown and working/studying from home during the pandemic. METHODS: A survey was conducted among 277 women and men working and studying at different universities in Sweden. RESULTS: The results indicate that most (61%) respondents were very or somewhat satisfied with the current work-from-home arrangement. Additionally, they indicate that, overall, almost 30% were working more than usual due to the pandemic and teleworking. The coping methods having the highest impact on overall job satisfaction were: “thinking about what I can do rather than what I can’t do”; “being able to access medical resources and medical services if I need to seek help”; and “having trust in state or health authorities in my country.” CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that Sweden can serve as a good example of how university faculty/staff and students can address the occupational challenges caused by a health pandemic and possible subsequent quarantines.
ISSN:1051-9815
1875-9270
1875-9270
DOI:10.3233/WOR-210442