Job satisfaction and teleworking: a study on public administration workers in Italy

Abstract

This paper illustrates the results of one of the first surveys carried out in Italy on living and working conditions of public administration employees in compulsory telework during the first stages of Covid-19 pandemic (March-May 2020). Even though referred to a small size sample, interesting results emerge in a modelling implementation. In fact, by means of a heteroskedastic Probit Model, some findings are presented with job satisfaction being the response variable. Considering workers’ need to adjust to a completely novel situation, results show a significant role played by a potential lack of concentration and by the satisfaction for their own home as a workplace, as well as by the differences experienced in work efforts. The presence of children in the household turns out to be slightly significant, whereas childcare duties do seem to exert some impacts on job satisfaction, implying relevant effects on work-life balance. Workers concern of a possible lack of recognition of their job by supervisors/managers is also highlighted.