Control and motivation in task performance of public servants at home office in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to analyze the influence of output control, autonomous motivation and controlled motivation on task performance of public servants at home office owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted based on the perception of 236 public servants, and structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used for data analysis.FindingsBoth autonomous motivation and output control are positively and significantly related to task performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study expands the literature with information about individual performance and management control, which can be related to the control, motivation and task performance of public servants at home office in a pandemic context.Practical implicationsThe results could offer a basis for understanding how managers can deal with the challenges while at home office. They can also provide managers with information that they can use to build management strategies to foster the performance of public servants at home office.Social implicationsHome office can decrease commuting to a central workplace, alleviate traffic problems and reduce car pollution. It also allows for business continuity in the face of storms and pandemics.Originality/valueMost studies about home office, COVID-19 and task performance have addressed personal, professional and organizational characteristics. However, little is known about the analysis of combinations of the following constructs: output control, autonomous and controlled motivations, and how both affect task performance of public servants.

Changes To the Management Control Function Due to The Impact of The Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Related to this is the reduction in employee performance monitoring, which also appeared in our results, like Gyurák Babel et al ( 2022), and there was evidence of delaying performance evaluation or less performance monitoring, as suggested by Aguinis and Burgi-Tian (2021). Like Silva and Rosa (2022), the managers analysed by us find it challenging to control employees' activities when they work in home office mode.…”

Home-Office Managers Should Get Ready for the “New Normal”

“…While conducting an extensive literature review, a knowledge gap in research emerged regarding typologies of employees based on their adaptability to the home office form of work. Existing studies delve into factors such as gender, parenting situations (Song and Gao 2020), socio-cultural working conditions (Łukasik-Stachowiak 2022), occupation-specific approaches (Iwu et al 2022;de Silva and Rosa 2022;Kupka Feliciano et al 2021), and managerial perceptions (Kowalski and Ślebarska 2022). However, a distinct shortage exists when it comes to typologies that elucidate the individualized strategies chosen by workers.…”

Job satisfaction of public workers in northern peru during the covid-19 pandemic

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on worker job satisfaction (Makowicz et al, 2022;Tay & Hon, 2022) and has affected job performance by adapting to new ways of performing work (Silva & Rosa, 2022). The health emergency situation caused additional workload and has increased stress and anxiety among public workers (Eguchi et al, 2021)affected emotional and psychological well-being.…”