A Preliminary Study on Work from Home (WFH) Challenges for Lecturers During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

During the covid-19 pandemic, academics from higher education institutions who work from home confront multiple challenges, such as having to spend the entire workday with their families, children, or elderly parents. They must address distractions, time management, social isolation, lack of concentration, and emerging technology that facilitate online distant learning (ODL). The urgent need to acquire new skills to keep up with technology may result in stress and desperation. The transition to online learning programmes also eliminates a crucial part of communication: personal interaction. Therefore, this study will investigate the difficulties faced by lecturers at UiTM Terengganu who are required to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among challenges that are explored are time management, distractions, social isolation, focus, technology, and stress. The lecturers at UiTM Terengganu's three campuses were administered a self-developed online questionnaire. Descriptive analysis found that social isolation and distraction pose the greatest obstacles for lecturers working from home. To preserve the mental health and well-being of educators, it is necessary to address these two primary contributing obstacles.