Motivation and Challenges of Teleworking Employees of Educational Institutions in Latvia During COVID-19

Abstract This study reflects motivation as one of the most important resources for achieving the goals of sustainable education. Motivation is a challenge as well as an important goal for the sustainability of education. The impact of COVID-19 has reached such proportions that the professional life of educators may never be the same again. Some of the key questions to consider in the context of educational sustainability: What are the most effective tools for motivating educators? What are the most important mechanisms for supporting telework? The aim of this study was to find out the motivation and challenges of teleworking employees of educational institutions in Latvia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data of the study were obtained using an employee survey of 495 remote-working respondents in the period from September to October 2020. The main sources of theoretical data were the analysis of literature, policy documents and publications. For quantitative data processing, IMB SPSS and MS Excel software were used. The authors found remarkable differences and similarities in motivation and challenges between the employees of educational institutions and the rest of the group of employees. The results showed that the main work motivations were salary, good working conditions, social guarantees, stable work, career opportunities, training opportunities and the interesting job.