The Effect of Distress from COVID-19 and Workplace Loneliness on Job Performance among Academics in Malaysian Public Universities

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the activities of higher education institutions and has also caused adverse psychological impacts on the populace. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship of distress from COVID-19 and workplace loneliness with job performance amongst academics in Malaysian public universities. One hundred forty-one academics from 20 different Malaysian public universities aged 27 to 71 years old were analysed for the study using a quantitative, cross-sectional design. IES-R, UCLAW, and IWPQ were administered to measure distress from COVID-19, workplace loneliness, and job performance, respectively. A Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple linear regression were utilised to examine the relationship of the two predictors with the dependent variable. Results showed a weak negative relationship between distress from COVID-19 and job performance and a moderately strong negative correlation between workplace loneliness and job performance. Regression analysis indicated that the model was a significant predictor of job performance. Furthermore, workplace loneliness contributed significantly to the model, while distress from COVID-19 did not. Implications and suggestions for employees and organisations are discussed.