EXAMINING THE PROFESSIONALS’ EXPERIENCE: BACK TO WORKPLACE POST-PANDEMIC

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was an extremely unusual human catastrophe that has affected people all around the world. After foregoing the worst phase of this crisis, the world has somehow reestablished itself to the new normal. Organizations have realigned from the ‘work-from-home’ model to the ‘new ways of working at the office’. During the pandemic and working from home, employees experienced unprecedented levels of disruption in their work-life balance. The various anecdote channels indicated that response to change (to the new normal), commute strain, and family-job conflict contributed to post-COVID employee experiences of work life.  The present study attempted to throw light upon such experiences by evaluating the contribution of each factor such as commute strain, family-job conflict, and response to change (to the new normal).

The scope of the study was limited to Mumbai and Thane District. By using Stratified Probability Sampling Method, the data was collected from professional employees (N = 166) who returned to service after lifting lockdown restrictions. The study has used the scales developed by Chun, Diehl, & MacInnis (2017) for employees’ experiences; Wolter & Cronin (2016) for response to change; Klunger (1998) for commuting strain, and Small & Riley (1990) for family job conflict. The reliability and validity were ensured by performing Cronbach Alpha Test.

Data analysis was done using Descriptive Statistics, and Inferential Statistics such as Pearson Correlation Coefficient Technique to test the hypotheses. Response to change, family-job conflict, and commute strain were independent variables, and employee experience was the dependent variable. The findings of the study indicated that there is a strong, positive, and significant correlation between "Post-Covid employees’ experience" and "Response to change" (r = 0.671); there is a strong, positive, and significant correlation in "Post- Covid employees’ experience" and "Family-job conflict" (r = 0.619) and there is a non-significant correlation between the “Post-Covid employee experience" and their "Commuting Strain" (r = -0.169). The Multiple Regression Model confirmed that Commuting strain, Response to change, and Family-job conflict explain 54% of the contribution in Post-Covid employees’ experience. ‘Response to change’ (beta 0.476) is making a statistically significant contribution to the prediction of the Post-Covid employees’ experience. The rationale of the results was discussed thereafter in light of earlier literature w.r.t theories such as Douglas McGregor and Kurt Lewin. The findings of the study have theoretical as well as practical implications for HR managers, top management, policymakers, and society at large.

Keywords- Employee experience, Commute strain, Response to change, Family-job conflict, professional employees