FACTORS AFFECTING JOB SATISFACTION OF WORK FROM HOME BY PUBLIC SECTOR TEACHERS IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused social isolation and forced everyone to work from home, started impacting Sri Lanka in March 2020, causing many sectors to opt for remote working. In response to the situation, the authorities made school education also remote, resulting in stakeholders facing many challenges. The subject of the study focuses on the job satisfaction of government teachers. Past studies have revealed multiple factors that influence the job satisfaction of teachers who work from home that include Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, work-related stress, and safety. The pilot survey revealed that IT infrastructure impacts the job satisfaction of teachers who work from home and gender may act as a moderating variable. Despite its importance, there have been fewer studies in this research area, especially focusing on the lockdown period. Based on positivism as the ontological approach, the study followed the quantitative methodology as the research strategy. An online questionnaire with 34 questions was used as the instrument to collect data. The stratified sampling technique was used and data were collected from 380 teachers in the state sector schools of the western province of Sri Lanka. Further, structural equation modelling was used as the main analysis technique. Findings showed that IT infrastructure issues and work-related stress have a direct significant positive impact on job satisfaction, and it is moderated by gender. The findings revealed that the study will be useful to improve the job satisfaction of teachers as working from home will continue as a practice for various reasons despite the gradual disappearance of the pandemic.