Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to analyse the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on employee productivity. The study adopted a quantitative approach and a causal-comparative design. A census sampling technique was used for selecting the respondents in which all the 110 employees of Oshakati Town Council took part in completing structured questionnaires. The study utilized the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to analyze and explain the findings. The main finding was that COVID-19 negatively affected the productivity of employees, thereby impacting on the overall performance of Oshakati Town Council. The COVID-19 pandemic created anxiety, depression and other health challenges on employees. Although it was proven that low anxiety was significantly helpful in arousing employee motivation, persistent exposure to the infectious environment negatively affected the mental health of employees and that negatively affected productivity. Findings of this study further revealed that Oshakati Town Council lacked manpower to help enhance employee productivity during the pandemic. Moreover, the study established that the working from home (WFH) strategy failed because of multi-tasking between official duties and household chores, and the absence of suitable office space and equipment at home. This study recommended management to ensure that employees are well supported during a pandemic like COVID-19 in order to keep them safe and productive. Employers should always be ready with strategies of how to respond if a pandemic strikes the workplace.
