Background The economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic pose a threat to psychological well-being in different spheres of life In accordance with Self-Determination Theory, it is assumed that working conditions during a pandemic frustrate the psychological needs of people in the workplace, thereby increasing their alienation Objective To study the inluence of working conditions on work alienation among employees during the COVID-19 pandemic As factors of working conditions, we studied workplace distancing (isolation), temporary lexibility of work, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), and job insecurity Design The study had a correlation design, used a survey, and consisted of two parts The first part studied a sample of 62 university professors for dynamics of work alienation at three periods of time The second part studied 104 subjects for the effect of workplace distancing (isolation), temporary lexibility, ICT, and job insecurity on work alienation Results In the first part of the study, it was found that work alienation increased during the pandemic The second part showed that workplace distancing, temporary lexibility of work, ICTs, and job insecurity are significant predictors of work alienation among university professors Conclusion Changes in working conditions during a pandemic have negative consequences for employees in the form of alienation from work This finding can have practical application in recommendations for organizations planning structural changes or transfer of employees to telecommuting © 2020 Russian Psychological Society
Work Alienation During COVID-19: Main Factors and Conditions (An Example of University Professors)