The Relationship between Flexible Work Arrangements and Organisational Performance in Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions in Mashonaland Central Province during the Covid-19 Period in Zimbabwe

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XII, December 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

The Relationship between Flexible Work Arrangements and Organisational Performance in Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions in Mashonaland Central Province during the Covid-19 Period in Zimbabwe

 Regis Muchowe¹, Dumisani Mawonde² and Chomunogwa Pande^3
1,2Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe
³Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between flexible work arrangements and performance of higher and tertiary education institutions during Covid-19 period. A quantitative method was used and a sample of 277 employees was chosen from a population of 900 employees working for 3 higher and tertiary education institutions who responded to questionnaires. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) IBM version 16 was used to analyse data collected using questionnaires. The findings were thatflexi-time; tele-working, remote working and compressed work weekshad significant positive effect on organisational performance. The study concluded that flexi-time, tele-working, remote working and compressed work weeks improveorganisational performance in higher and tertiary education institutions during the Covid-19 period in Zimbabwe. Therefore the study recommends higher and tertiary education institutions in Zimbabwe to implement flexible work arrangements during the Covid-19 period because they improve organisational performance.

Keywords: flexible work arrangements, organisational performance, Covid-19 pandemic.

I. INTRODUCTION

The coming of the Covid-19 pandemic into the world impelled governments to put in place measures to reduce the further spread of the virus (Jones, 2020). Accordingly, governments of countries worldwide implemented measures such as national lockdowns, social distancing and encouraged both private and public sector organisations to decongest workplaces. Since both private and public sector organisations were not immune to the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, they adopted some strategies to survive the difficult situation(Paaulson and Hyden, 2020). One such strategy has been the use of flexible work arrangements to protect employees from being infected with the virus and at the same time keeping the operations going. For that reason, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has made the practice of flexible work arrangements trending in present-day issue in human capital management.

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