EXAMINING WORKPLACE STRESS OF QUANTITY SURVEYORS IN SINGAPORE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to work-from-home (WFH) becoming the default working arrangement for most employees in Singapore, including Quantity Surveyors (QS). However, WFH could introduce unique stressors during the pandemic that impact QS's work outcomes and stress levels.

The research aims to investigate the causes of stress for QS in Singapore when WFH during the pandemic. The specific research objectives are to (a) identify the factors causing stress when WFH, (b) examine if work outcomes have suffered during the pandemic, (c) examine if stress levels are significantly higher during the pandemic, (d) investigate the relationship between the stress levels and work outcomes for QS during WFH, (e) recommend solutions to mitigate stress for QS when WFH. The hypothesis is that when the stress level of QS increases when they WFH, their productivity decreases.

A structured questionnaire was developed from a comprehensive literature review to identify stressors, stress levels and work outcomes. The data was collected via an online form and subsequently analysed using SPSS software.

The study found that workspace not being separated from the living space (Z11) and being contacted outside of working hours (Z18) are significant stressors. Work outcomes are significantly lower during the pandemic than before, and QSs are not significantly stressed in both periods, which coincides with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) results that indicate QSs have a moderate perceived stress level in both periods. There is a significant negative correlation with work outcomes experienced by QS when they WFH and recommendations in the form of self-care workshops, hobby groups, scheduled meal times, gym passes, improved hiring process, and goal-setting was suggested to alleviate the stress levels faced by QS when they WFH during the pandemic.