Pre-covid and peri-covid analysis of employees' work values and job quality

PurposeThe workspace has experienced several significant changes (shift in work culture) due to the Covid-19 pandemic thereby necessitating the need for a comparative assessment of differences that exist in work values and job quality of employees pre-covid 19 and “peri”-covid 19.Design/methodology/approachThe Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was employed to conduct a correlation and T-test analysis from the quantitative data gathered from Ghanaian public and private sector employees.FindingsThe study found differences in what employees valued pre- and peri-covid era for job security, promotional opportunities, interesting work, using skills and experience, the usefulness of work to society and flexible work. During the pre-covid era, employees perceived autonomy, personal contact and stressful jobs, whereas promotional opportunities, good collegial relations and help to others were experienced peri-covid.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the study tracked the work values and quality of employees, the respondents (pre-covid and peri-covid) were different. Responses here captured the views of formal sector workers only. These notwithstanding, the findings are important for explaining changes (work values and job quality) that occurred due to the pandemic. Future research might use a qualitative approach to understand reasons behind these changes.Practical implicationsDue to changes in the working space and the introduction of technology, stress has been impacted positively as employees need not commute frequently to work and work seems to have been simplified. It is therefore safe for organisations to retain changes to people management due to the pandemic.Originality/valueTo the best of my knowledge, this is the first study in the Ghanaian context comparing employees' values and job quality pre- and peri-covid.