Dataset Information

Did perceptions of supportive work-life culture change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This article examines whether perceptions of supportive work-life culture changed during the COVID-19 pandemic-and if that depended on (1) working from home; (2) children in the household; and (3) professional status. We test for gender differences across the analyses.

Background

During normal times, the "ideal worker" is expected to prioritize the demands of their job and is penalized for attending to family/personal needs while on company time. But the organization and expectations of roles might have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations could have become more empathic or reinforced norms about single-minded devotion to work.

Method

In September 2019, we collected data from a national sample of Canadian workers. Then, during a pivotal period of shocks to the economy and social life, we re-interviewed these participants in June 2020.

Results

We discovered that overall perceptions of work-life culture became more positive. However, subgroup differences revealed this positive change was muted among employees: (1) who worked from home; (2) with children under age 6 at home; and (3) in professional occupations. We found no subgroup differences by gender.

Conclusion

Our findings address speculation about whether employees perceived their employers as becoming more supportive of work-life fit early in the pandemic. Future research should determine (a) longer-term change in work-life culture during and after the pandemic; and (b) whether the actual benefits of supportive work-life culture also changed or if it was "window dressing." This direction suggests it should have more strongly reduced work-life conflict as the pandemic unfolded.

SUBMITTER: Schieman S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9115170 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Did perceptions of supportive work-life culture change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Schieman Scott S Badawy Philip P Hill Daniel D

Journal of marriage and the family 20220211 2

<h4>Objective</h4>This article examines whether perceptions of supportive work-life culture changed during the COVID-19 pandemic-and if that depended on (1) working from home; (2) children in the household; and (3) professional status. We test for gender differences across the analyses.<h4>Background</h4>During normal times, the "ideal worker" is expected to prioritize the demands of their job and is penalized for attending to family/personal needs while on company time. But the organization and ...[more]

PMID: 35602975

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Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic brought about profound social changes that affected students worldwide. These changes had both psychological and economic consequences, and also led to the adoption of new teaching methods. It can also have an impact on work culture, which is the collective set of values, norms, and practices within a specific profession, shaping how individuals in that field behave, communicate, and identify with their work. The aim of the study was to examine medical students' perception of professional culture during the COVID-19 crisis when they voluntarily participated in the healthcare network established, outside of university placements, for the management of COVID patients.MethodsA questionnaire study based on the vignette methodology was conducted among third-year medical students. Drawing from three scenarios in which students were variably engaged in crisis management, it included questions about their perceptions of the medical profession, their motivation, and their sense of belonging to the profession.Results352 students responded to the survey. The pandemic had both a positive and a negative impact on students' perceptions of the medical profession. Cluster analysis using a k-means algorithm and principal component analysis revealed three clusters of students with different perceptions of the medical profession. The first cluster, which represented the majority of students, corresponded to a relatively positive perception of the profession that was reinforced during the pandemic. In the second cluster, students' perceptions were reinforced still further, and particular importance was attached to field experience. Students in the third cluster had the most negative perceptions, having been shaken the most by the pandemic, and they attached little importance to field experience.ConclusionsThe analysis highlighted the importance of students being able to adapt and draw on a range of resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the need for work cultures that support adaptability and coping. Further research is needed to understand its long-term effects on students' perceptions of the medical profession and to identify interventions that could support students in the aftermath of this difficult period.

Project description:ImportanceHow the COVID-19 pandemic has affected academic medicine faculty's work-life balance is unknown.ObjectiveTo assess the association of perceived work-life conflict with academic medicine faculty intention to leave, reducing employment to part time, or declining leadership opportunities before and since the COVID-19 pandemic.Design, settings, and participantsAn anonymous online survey of medical, graduate, and health professions school faculty was conducted at a single large, urban academic medical center between September 1 and September 25, 2020.Main outcomes and measuresSelf-assessed intention to leave, reducing employment to part time, or turning down leadership opportunities because of work-life conflict before and since the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsOf the 1186 of 3088 (38%) of faculty members who answered the survey, 649 (55%) were women and 682 (58%) were White individuals. Respondents were representative of the overall faculty demographic characteristics except for an overrepresentation of female faculty respondents and underrepresentation of Asian faculty respondents compared with all faculty (female faculty: 649 [55%] vs 1368 [44%]; Asian faculty: 259 [22%] vs 963 [31%]). After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty were more likely to consider leaving or reducing employment to part time compared with before the pandemic (leaving: 225 [23%] vs 133 [14%]; P < .001; reduce hours: 281 [29%] vs 206 [22%]; P < .001). Women were more likely than men to reduce employment to part time before the COVID-19 pandemic (153 [28%] vs 44 [12%]; P < .001) and to consider both leaving or reducing employment to part time since the COVID-19 pandemic (leaving: 154 [28%] vs 56 [15%]; P < .001; reduce employment: 215 [40%] vs 49 [13%]; P < .001). Faculty with children were more likely to consider leaving and reducing employment since the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the pandemic (leaving: 159 [29%] vs 93 [17%]; P < .001; reduce employment: 213 [40%] vs 130 [24%]; P < .001). Women with children compared with women without children were also more likely to consider leaving since the COVID-19 pandemic than before (113 [35%] vs 39 [17%]; P < .001). Working parent faculty and women were more likely to decline leadership opportunities both before (faculty with children vs without children: 297 [32%] vs 84 [9%]; P < .001; women vs men: 206 [29%] vs 47 [13%]; P < .001) and since the COVID-19 pandemic (faculty with children vs faculty without children: 316 [34%] vs 93 [10 %]; P < .001; women vs men: 148 [28%] vs 51 [14%]; P < .001).Conclusions and relevanceIn this survey study, the perceived stressors associated with work-life integration were higher in women than men, were highest in women with children, and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The association of both gender and parenting with increased perceived work-life stress may disproportionately decrease the long-term retention and promotion of junior and midcareer women faculty.

Project description:The paradigm shifts of conventional office spaces for virtual workspaces which practiced Work from Home (WFH) due to Covid-19, created a serious change in the lifestyles of employees, due to the overlap of 'work' and 'life' domains in one's life. Since software engineers have a possibility of permanently adapting into WFH, the objective of this study is to unveil factors which would have a significant impact on the work-life balance of software engineers in Sri Lanka, while WFH. Only a very limited researches have shed light on this context, thereby this study would contribute to fill the empirical gap. The study undertook a quantitative approach by collecting primary data through a questionnaire from 384 participants, based on simple random sampling, and analyzing collected data based on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), using Smart PLS 3.3.9 software. Study results revealed that 'supervisor's trust and support' and the 'individual workspace,' have a significant impact on work-life balance, while 'working conditions,' 'possibility to access the organization's networks' and 'number of children' have no such significant impact. Thereby the study infers that, sound support and trust extended by supervisors and a designated distraction-free workspace; as measures to demarcate the boundary of work and life. Distinctive findings of this study would primarily be fruitful for software engineers to dive into a balanced state of work and life not only during Covid-19 but in future too. Study findings will also contribute to software industry personnel and policymakers in Sri Lanka as well as other developing countries, to establish effective strategies in favor of software engineers who WFH. Further, considering IT industry's significant contribution towards Sri Lanka's economic growth amidst Covid-19, results of this study would be high-yielding to indirectly succor IT-services-supported economic growth amidst the pandemic-driven hardships in Sri Lanka.

Project description:BackgroundMost studies in advanced care settings reported that the increasing workload increases the work-life imbalance and harms the mental health of health workers. The COVID-19 Pandemic's tracing, testing, treatment, and mass vaccination also have multiplied the primary healthcare workers' workload. Nevertheless, studies on primary care workers are scarce. This study aimed to investigate how the COVID-19-related work-life balance impact stress on primary healthcare workers in the third years of the pandemic.MethodsThe study was a cross-sectional, web-based survey conducted on primary healthcare workers in Kediri Regency, Indonesia, with the highest Omicron case surge worldwide. It was conducted right after the surge between July and August 2022, the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia. Under coordination with the local government health officials, primary healthcare workers were invited to participate in an online survey. The respondents were asked to evaluate their sociodemography, work conditions, personal life, and perceived stress (using the Perceived Stress Scale) during the pandemic. Their work-life balance was evaluated using the Work/Non-work Interference and Enhancement Scale. We used several hierarchical linear regression models to determine which variables contribute to work stress among primary healthcare workers.ResultsSociodemographic characteristics, including gender, age, marital status, years of professional experience, and educational level, were not significantly associated with stress levels among our respondents. Separately, work conditions and personal life variables did not associate with stress levels. However, primary healthcare workers' work and personal lives interfere with each other during the pandemic and are associated with their higher stress.ConclusionDuring the pandemic, the work life of primary health workers interferes with their personal life more than the interference of personal life on their work life. At the same time, the work life's enhancement on the personal life and vice versa were lower than its interference. Those conditions are associated with higher perceived stress of primary health workers.

Dataset Information

Did perceptions of supportive work-life culture change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Objective

Background

Method

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Did perceptions of supportive work-life culture change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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