Abstract
There have been many changes over the decades; however, the year 2020 presented with its own set of challenges, mainly the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result of lockdown provisions due to COVID-19, numerous employees were forced to shift from traditional workplaces to remote workplaces, which is also known as working from home, and this is also where many had their pets present with them. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of animal presence, specifically pets, on employees’ work-related stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was therefore to respond to the research question of the role that pets play for employees working from home regarding the experience of work-related stress during COVID-19. Methodically, this qualitative study utilised a phenomenological research design to understand the lived experiences of the study’s participants. In total 10 qualitative semi-structured interview questions were conducted with pet owners during COVID-19. The sample techniques chosen for this study were purposeful and snowball sampling. The data collected was analysed through content analysis and qualitative quality criteria were applied throughout. Findings indicate that pets played a significant role in employees’ work-related stress during COVID-19. The recommendations for future studies suggest that research studies could be conducted on a larger sample size, which includes individuals who are pet owners and those who are not. This comparison would provide insight into seeing if there is a difference in emotional and physical well-being between the two sample grounds. Through this, it will generalise the findings to a larger population and include more culturally diverse perspectives.
Keywords: work-related stress (WRS), animal presence, pets, theory of stress, Covid-19 pandemic, office-based working, remote working, South Africa.