Extroversion and conscientiousness predict deteriorating job outcomes during the COVID-19 transition to enforced remote work

Anthony M. Evans*, M. Christina Meyers, Philippe P. F. M. van de Calseyde, Olga Stavrova

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)
389 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations around the world rapidly transitioned to enforced remote work. We examined the relationship between personality and within-person changes in five job outcomes (self-reported performance, engagement, job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intentions) during this transition. We conducted a four-wave longitudinal study, from May to August 2020, of employees working from home due to COVID-19, N = 974. On average, self-reported performance decreased over the course of the study, whereas the other outcomes remained stable. There was also significant between-person variability in job outcomes. Extroversion and conscientiousness, two traits traditionally associated with desirable outcomes, were associated with deteriorating outcomes over time. Extroverted employees and conscientious employees became less productive, less engaged, and less satisfied with their jobs; and extroverted employees reported increasing burnout. These results add to our understanding of how personality predicts within-person changes in performance, well-being, and turnover intentions during the pandemic.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)781-791
JournalSocial Psychological and Personality Science
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • individual differences
  • personality
  • remote work
  • TURNOVER INTENTIONS
  • PERFORMANCE
  • PERSONALITY
  • MODEL
  • COMMUNICATION
  • SATISFACTION
  • ABSENTEEISM
  • TELEWORKING
  • STABILITY
  • EMPLOYEES

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Extroversion and conscientiousness predict deteriorating job outcomes during the COVID-19 transition to enforced remote work'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this