Employee Perspectives of Working Remotely During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way work is performed, shifting it from conventional offices into virtual environments. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has attempted to face and embrace these challenges nationally in a supportive and coordinated manner, offering reasoned solutions with the wise vision and continuous support of its leadership. This paper examines the transition of work at one of the most influential entities in the UAE; the Ministry of Education (MOE). The purpose here is to highlight the impact of this transition on employees of all levels within the ministry. This paper evaluates the experience of remote working at the MOE from employees’ perspectives by assessing the following key factors: MOE readiness, employee satisfaction, and employee productivity. For this purpose, a survey of around 1,500 employees was conducted and analyzed, where each of these three key factors was broken down into several contributing factors. This paper offers insights regarding the activation of remote working systems for employees in response to unanticipated incidents, highlighting a variety of factors which contribute to their readiness, satisfaction, and productivity. This study analyzes the value and originality of MOE remote working practices and their impact on the wider community.

Keywords: Working remotely, telework, remote work, virtual environments, COVID19

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-33-03

Publication date: November 30^th 2020