Working From Home in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Expectations of teaching staff employed in higher education institutions worldwide transformed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid shift to online curriculum delivery, with teachers working from their homes, resulted in significant changes to employer-employee workplace relations and management systems (some temporary; others permanent). Following the Job Demands-Resources Model as a theoretical framework, this study adopts a systematic literature review research methodology using the PRISMA approach and a deductive thematic analysis to analyse and synthesise the literature on working from home in higher education published during the pandemic (2020+). The findings indicated a convergence between the identified challenges and increased job demands such as workload and role ambiguity, along with a dearth of job resources encompassing infrastructure, training, and support. In addition to establishing support policies and providing training opportunities, the study raised the need for reassessment and modification of work policies in higher education to support work-from-home settings navigating the post-pandemic era.