Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Ellen Boucher 

BSc [Hons] Applied Psychology

Within the field of Applied Psychology and Technology, I am particularly interested in UX research, organisational psychology and human-computer interaction. My goals are to work as a UX researcher, applying the knowledge and skills I have acquired from studying the BSc Applied Psychology at IADT. I aim for my work to have a strong focus on web accessibility.

Project Description

Title: Job Satisfaction and Work Engagement: The Impact of Gender and Working from Home in a COVID-19 Environment

Gender and working from home have been identified as influencing factors on work engagement and job satisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the usual work environment for many workers. The design of the research was quantitative using a survey method. Participants completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Job Satisfaction Survey in relation to both working from home and working in a workplace environment. Data of 70 participants who were forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns (38 female/31 male) was used for statistical analysis.


Project Objectives

This study aimed to examine the impact the change to working from home had on both men and women’s work engagement and job satisfaction. With an increase in people forced to work from home, these work-related variables needed to be considered as keeping employees satisfied and engaged remotely may present challenges.


Project Outcomes

Results suggested that work engagement and job satisfaction decreased for both genders following the change in work environment from workplace to home. There was no difference in these work-related variables between genders. The findings of this research may be applied by companies and employers to further understand the effects working from home may have on employees in contrast to working in the workplace environment. With no set end date in Ireland for the return to non-essential workplaces, many workers continue to work from home. Many companies may be interested in applying the findings from this research to future investigations into the potential long term impact of working remotely on employees' work engagement and job satisfaction.