The private vs the public sectors : in which sector is teleworking still thriving after COVID-19?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was the reason that teleworking was fully implemented in the Public and Private Sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic is now in the past and what comes to mind is whether teleworking is still a common practice in both the Public and Private Sectors or not. Thus, this study explored in detail teleworking in both sectors post-COVID-19. The approach used was quantitative. A questionnaire was distributed with sections on job satisfaction, personal/family crises, working conditions/environment, the commute, work interference with family, family interference with work, and teleworking. The questionnaire was distributed through various entities and social media. The data collected was transferred to IBM SPSS and analysed accordingly. The tests used to analyse the data included the independent sample t-test, the One-Way ANOVA, and Pearson’s Correlation test. The results indicate that the Public Sector lags behind the Private Sector when it concerns provision of teleworking and that employees within the Private Sector are more monitored than those in the Public Sector. Additionally, it seems that teleworking has a positive effect on workers. The difference in the attitudes toward teleworking and uptake of teleworking between males and females is minimal, there is no difference between age groups in attitudes towards teleworking and no correlation whatsoever between job satisfaction and the uptake of teleworking. Ultimately, the way forward seems to be hybrid working.