# COVID-19 workplace adaptation in Ireland: the development and validation of a quantitative survey

## TL;DR

This study created and validated a survey to assess how employees in Ireland adapted to work during the pandemic, which can be used in future crises.

## Contribution

The first validated survey instrument specifically for evaluating employee adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Key findings

- A five-dimension survey structure was validated with good internal consistency and improved model fit after refinement.
- The final survey consists of 25 items and is suitable for monitoring employee well-being during disruptions.
- The instrument can be adapted for use in different work settings and future public health emergencies.

## Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new survey instrument to evaluate employee adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland, with the intention that the instrument could be adapted for use in future pandemic scenarios.

The survey was developed iteratively by a multidisciplinary research team based on five previously identified key themes: (1) support received from the organisation, (2) adaptation pressure, (3) work–life balance, (4) health condition and (5) workload/working hours. From November 2021, employees from six organisations participated in a two-round pilot study (total n=589). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using data from the first round in IBM SPSS V.27 to refine the survey items, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in IBM AMOS V.24 using data from the second round to test the factor structure.

The initial survey demonstrated good internal consistency (n=63, Cronbach’s α=0.963). EFA identified a five-dimension structure corresponding to the predefined themes. After the removal of 19 items, the initial model fit was suboptimal (χ²/df=2.17, p<0.001; Comparative Fit Index (CFI)=0.864; standardised root mean square residual (SRMR)=0.066; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.079). Subsequent CFA-based refinements improved the model fit substantially. The final model consisted of 25 items across five dimensions, with acceptable fit indices (χ²/df=1.76, p<0.001; CFI=0.926; SRMR=0.061; RMSEA=0.064).

This study presents the first validated survey instrument specifically designed to evaluate employee adaptation experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey provides a valuable tool for human resources and occupational health professionals to monitor employee well-being during periods of organisational and environmental disruption. Furthermore, the selected items can be adapted for broader application across different working settings and future public health emergencies.