Working and Learning during the COVID-19 Confinement: An Exploratory Analysis with a Small Sample from Portugal

Abstract

The epidemiological situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led to efforts to mitigate the transmission of the infection, forcing workers and students to stay at home. Universities closed, as did many businesses, forcing education and work to adapt to the new situation. While for some people it was a positive experience, for others it was not. This article analyzes the responses of 89 respondents, over 18 years old, in teleworking or enrolled in university online education, in a survey at the beginning of 2021, when Portugal was in a new state of emergency. Variables such as gender, age and parenthood were used, as well as ownership of equipment, own workspace, and quality of internet, comparing distance learning/work with traditional methods and measuring levels of satisfaction and willingness to adopt this model in the future. These results suggest an association of gender and parenting in the valuation of telework/distance education; women were more positive than men and participants with children were more positive than participants without children. The same was the case for respondents with their own workspace and better-quality internet. There is a strong relation between paternity and the preference for the distance model, in the sense of valuing the distance model, as well as a relation between those who have their own work space and the appreciation of the distance model. In general, respondents to our survey showed that they are not fond of adopting telework/distance learning in the future.

Benefits and Challenges of Teleworking for a Sustainable Future: Knowledge Gained through Experience in the Era of COVID-19

“…+ Job satisfaction [8,13,50] + Personalised workspace and chosen silence: it concerns workers with their workplace, which promotes well-being, concentration and few distractions. It allows you to work from anywhere [51,52]. + Reduced stress from arriving late for work-Less travel time will reduce travel stress [4,48,53].…”

“…-Professional and social isolation, lack of face to face, in person interactions and emotional support from colleagues, negative effects on co-worker relationships, less visibility, observation [30,44,52,55,56].…”

“…-The increased use of electronic monitoring and surveillance methods by employers can increase employee anxiety and stress levels and increase the invasion of teleworkers' privacy [52,59,60].…”

Sleep Habits during COVID-19 Confinement: An Exploratory Analysis from Portugal

“…The following figure (Figure 1) shows the monthly data of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Portugal since March Informatics 2021, 8, 51 7 of 17 2020 to March 2021 [68,69]. We can see a first wave in April 2020, another in November 2020 and a third, much more serious, in January and February 2021 [70,71].…”

Beyond comorbidities, sex and age have no effect on COVID-19 health care demand

“…On 28 January 2021, Portugal registered 16,432 new cases, the highest national count attained during the course of the pandemic until then. Along with the second state of emergency, a new set of control measures was deployed, and after January 2021 the incidence gradually subsided, with only 375 new cases confirmed on 25 May 2021 5,13 .…”