Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Orla Mullett 

BSc [Hons] Applied Psychology

My name is Orla Mullett. I am a mature student with over ten years experience in community pharmacy. I wanted to help my colleagues and patients at a deeper level which motivated me to return to college to study Applied Psychology. The BSc Applied Psychology at IADT has allowed me to further my education and explore my interest in human behaviour. My interest areas lie in organisational, health, and positive psychology. My goal is to further my studies by completing a masters in health psychology.

The Effects of Work Setting on Perceived Organisational Support, Work Engagement, and Well-Being in Ireland During COVID-19.

By forcing a large portion of the population to work from home, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the working environment in Ireland. This has resulted in a blurring of the boundary between the work and home environment for many Irish workers, as well as a deterioration in working conditions, particularly for frontline workers. Few studies have focused on working remotely, both at a personal and professional level, in an Irish context. In particular, remote working from a social perspective has been under researched in Ireland. The aim of this study was to explore whether there were differences in perceived organisational support, work engagement, and well-being based on work setting. Participants were grouped according to three work setting types: at work, remote, combined at work and remote. 165 participants completed an online questionnaire which measured perceived organisational support, work engagement, and well-being. The data was analysed using inferential statistics.


Project Objectives

The main objective was to use organisational support theory as a framework to answer the following research question: Does work setting affect employees’ perceived organisational support, work engagement, and well-being?


Project Outcomes

Results demonstrated a difference in perceived organisational support, work engagement, and well-being based on work setting. The 'at work' group had the lowest average score for perceived organisational support, work engagement, and well-being. The 'combined at work and remote' group had the highest average score for perceived organisational support, work engagement, and well-being. The results suggest that employees in this type of work setting may have higher levels of perceived organisational support, work engagement and well-being. The findings may be of interest to occupational-health psychologists as they provide an up to date insight into the impact of work setting on employees in Ireland during COVID-19. In addition, the findings may be applied to future investigations into the long-term impact of COVID-19 on employees, and further development of organisational support theories.