Stay positive: studying the change patterns in academics' job and life satisfaction during the Covid-19 pandemic through growth curve modeling

Abstract

PurposeDuring the Covid-19 outbreak, universities around the globe were closed or went online due to lockdowns implemented to curb the pandemic's spread. This study aims to examine the changes in Malaysian academics' job and life satisfaction during a testing four-month period, from the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown until two months after it ended. It also assesses the impact of affective states and age group on these two constructs.Design/methodology/approachIn this longitudinal study, the authors collected data from 220 academics in Malaysia at three time points in 2020, namely the beginning of the lockdown (April), the end of the lockdown (June) and two months after the lockdown (August). The authors applied multivariate latent growth curve (LGC) modeling to study changes in job satisfaction and life satisfaction. In addition, we added age group, as a time-invariant covariate, as well as positive and negative affect, as two time-varying covariates, to our LGC model. The authors estimated the LGC model using the EQS 6.4 statistical package.FindingsThe results show that both job and life satisfaction were stable over time, although their means were below the average. Positive affect was a significant predictor of both types of satisfaction, and age group was a significant predictor of job satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe main implication the authors draw from this study is connected to job and life satisfaction's mean values being below average. In line with the affective events theory (AET), the authors recommend paying particular attention to work environment features, such as providing sufficient infrastructure for employees working from home and keeping social relations intact. Especially young academics should receive sufficient support.Originality/valueThe study is one of a limited number that examined longitudinal effects during the Covid-19 pandemic in the domains of human resource management and organizational behavior. Hence, this study expands our knowledge of employees' affect and attitudes during an unprecedented global health crisis, particularly in the under-researched area of the Malaysian higher education sector.