The Perception of Teleworking by University Students Before and During the COVID-19 Crisis

¹ University of Economics, Prague, Faculty of Informatics and Statistics, Department of System Analysis, nam. W. Churchilla 1938/4, 130 67 Praha 3, Czech Republic
² Institute of Technology and Business in Ceske Budejovice (Vysoka skola technicka a ekonomicka v Ceskych Budejovicich), Okruzni 517/10, 370 01 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

^* Corresponding author: sigmund@vse.cz

Abstract

Research background: Teleworking is becoming more current and more used. It is an instrument that allows and supports globalization. The corona crisis increased its use even more. Teleworking has advantages, but also disadvantages which are perceived and evaluated by its users. With its more intense penetration, the users’ perception will become an important factor in the implementation. Teleworking has effects both on the whole economy and on the employees - it affects their social life, their working relations, and their flexibility.

Purpose of the article: The purpose of the article is to identify the students’ perception of advantages and disadvantages of teleworking and the development of this perception from the year 2018 to the year 2020. In 2020, the data were collected during and after the corona crisis, and so we can observe its effects.

Methods: We used an electronic survey to monitor students’ opinion on teleworking and processed the data by methods of descriptive statistics and more advanced statistical methods to obtain their characteristics.

Findings & Value added: We found out that the perception of teleworking’s advantages and disadvantages didn’t change much from the year 2018 and stayed relatively stable in spite of the crisis. Only some effects of teleworking were considered by our respondents a little differently, e.g., the social aspects. Our findings may be used in addressing the perceived disadvantages of teleworking and supporting its advantages.