Remote-Workers and Their Furry Co-Workers: A Multimethod Exploration of New Avenues for Work-Related Exhaustion and Job Satisfaction

Salomé Elizabeth Scholtz ()
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Salomé Elizabeth Scholtz: WorkWell Research Unit, School of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked the remote-working trend and placed many employees in a unique situation: conducting work in the presence of household pets. Despite research on pet-friendly workplaces, little work is available on the impact pets may have on remote-working owners. A simultaneous multimethod study was conducted to explore the impact of pets on remote-working employees’ work-related exhaustion and job satisfaction. The current study reports on the qualitative findings of the multimethod study. Using purposive sampling data were collected from remote-working pet owners (n = 77) through an online survey. Qualitative content analysis shows that pets served as a social resource to remote workers and influenced participants’ willingness to continue remote working. Some remote workers also saw their pets as a demand. This study provides preliminary insight into pets’ role in job satisfaction and work-related exhaustion through social support.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; employee productivity; job stress; occupational stress; pets; remote work; work exhaustion; work fatigue (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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