Employees’ self-evaluation of work-from-home performance during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown period at a selected university in Cape Town

Abstract

This study seeks to explore academic administration employee’s perception of work-from-home performance during the epidemic of the COVID-19 lockdown period at a selected university in Cape Town. The focus of the study was based on the performance and motivations in the work environment during the lockdown. The study unveils their perception of working from home as compared to the normal working place. The research evaluated the implications of working from home for employees, employers, and organisations. Simultaneously identify challenges for future research and gain insights to help make decisions about working from home. The study analysis integrates several issues such as job security, organisational performance, personal motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The traditional work pattern before the COVID-19 pandemic involved fix work hours starting at specific hours and closing at specified times. This also involved people coming to work at one place and in the proximity of each other under a supervisor or manager. The presence at the work place itself and the presence of colleagues and the line managers instilled a sense of working together which needed little self-discipline as everyone was at work. The advent of COVID-19 resulted in national shutdowns, and specifically so in South Africa, where restrictions included criminalisation of any form of social gathering. Depending on the responsibilities and the nature of the business, many organisations including government departments had most if not all office bound employees work from home. The sudden change of working patterns meant that employees worked away from coworkers, supervisors, and the ergonomic conditions prescribed by law for the work environment. The study focused on how the employees now working from home perceived their own performance working aware from colleagues and managers. Questionnaires were emailed to employees and other departments within the selected institution of higher learning where the survey was conducted. The general response is that employees claimed that they worked diligently and too often exceeded their performance under normal traditional work methods. There was a 60% response rate to the survey and the research opened areas that may need to be explored further.