FACTORS INFLUENCING WORK SATISFACTION AND COMPLIANCE OF USING PPE AMONG SHOP ASSISTANTS DURING COVID-19

Objectives : The objectives of the study was to assess the level of work satisfaction, assess compliance of using PPE among shop assistants during COVID-19 and to find the factors influencing work satisfaction. Methods: A quantitative approach with descriptive design was used for the study. Eighty samples were selected by using convenient sampling technique. The study was conducted in 4 districts of Kerala through online platform as well as through offline mediums. Results: From the study, it is evident that majority of the subjects (55%) were satisfied with their work at the time of COVID-19 and more than half (55%) of the samples have enough compliance with the use of PPE and only 7.5% have less compliance with the use of PPE. Demographic variables such age, relationship status, and work experience were found to be statically significant (p<0.05) with work satisfaction, and other variables did not have a significant association. Conclusion: This study provides a baseline for assessing the level of work satisfaction and compliance of PPE among shop assistants in selected areas. Periodic reinforcements, proper education , availability and trainings on the use of PPE can reduce the spread of Corona Virus and improve PPE compliance to an extend. Good working environment support from family and good rapport with colleagues can help to improve work satisfaction .


INTRODUCTION
Novel coronavirus disrupted our lives like a hurricane and we had to adjust with it while making certain lifestyle changes.We have seen economic and political shutdowns in the past year leading to a huge loss in the commercial market.Even though it is a deadly virus, people somehow found their way back to stores to remain in fashion.After getting relaxtion from complete lockdown stores and shopping outlets saw a rush of people.According to government protocols, it became mandatory to wear personnel protective equipment (PPE) during service in such stores and also limited number of staff resulting in staff shortage and increased stress on the salespeople.PPE were meant to create a safe workspace for the people in sales department, thus preventing the spread of infection, but how many of them actually followed the protocols is unknown [1].
Shop assistants are people who are involved in the sales in different shops and they are particularly at greater risk of getting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection due to spending most of the time interacting with different people on a day-to-day basis.The municipal administration and urban development department has issued the guidelines and standard operating protocols to be followed while opening the shops for the public.Garments, footwear, and jewelry stores have been asked to follow guidelines common to all other establishments, and besides, bigger outlets are asked to ensure registration of customer details and thermal screening of customers [2].
Sales staffs have a high proportion of death reported compared with working age population as a whole.In accordance with the new official statistics, 33 male sales assistants and retail cashiers died between March 9 and April 20 with COVID-19 which was stated in their death certificate.A rate of 19.3 death per 100,000 working in the same group.According to the findings from the Office for National Statistics, 37 female sales assistants and retail cashiers have died (6.5/100,000) during the same period [3].So the shop assistants who were working in the frontline , communicating and interacting with the public is on risk of having Covid 19 and its aftereffects [4].
Job satisfaction is an important factor to increase productivity and employee attachment to the workplace.It is vital to identify the factors which influence the job satisfaction because the consequences of organizational and individual life play an important role [5].Job satisfaction is related to different socioeconomic and personal factors, such as age, sex, incentives, working environment, education, and duration of work.[6].
A study was conducted on job satisfaction of employees of Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank in Himachal Pradesh by Monga et al.The prime focus was to find out the level of satisfaction of job among employees of the ICICI Bank.A convenient sample of employees at selected six branches of the ICICI Bank in the state of Himachal Pradesh was used.It comprised a total of eighty employees.A five-point Likert scale questionnaire consisting of 15 questions taken from the short form of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was given for data collection.The results showed that salary, interpersonal relationship, communication, attitude of superiors, working conditions, and teamwork have more bearing than the factors of training and development, rewards and compensation, nature of job, job security, morale, and role clarity in determining job satisfaction of employees of the ICICI Bank in Himachal [7].
Lack of knowledge and negligence toward one's own health can lead to non-compliance toward the use of PPE.Salary cuts, use of PPE, working hours, etc., can leave a huge impact on employees and cause job dissatisfaction.The stress of being in close proximity with different people, being at greater risk, and the fear of infecting own family members will be there among the workers who are coming in close contact with the public.Indeed, the pandemic is having a huge impact on lives of millions of people.In this study, the researchers intend to assess the work satisfaction, the factors influencing work satisfaction, and the compliance to wear PPE among salespeople during COVID-19.

Study design
A quantitative approach with descriptive design [8] was adopted to conduct this survey from January to April 2021 among shop assistances in selected districts of Kerala.Data were collected through online platforms as well as through offline mediums.Online survey was carried out through Google Forms and offline through a structured questionnaire.

Sampling
The sampling method used was convenient sampling [9].Eighty samples were selected by using this method.

Data collection instruments
Tools for data collection include structured questionnaire developed by the investigator as well as standardized tool for assessing job satisfaction (Minnesota questionnaire).This tool consists of four sections.The subjects were asked to select the most appropriate one from the given options.
Tool 1: Demographic data-structured questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data, it comprise variables such as gender, age, relationship status, education, work experience, income, and place of residence.
Tool 2: Work Satisfaction Questionnaire-Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire to assess the job satisfaction among employees.This is a self-reporting measure, suitable for individuals of all school levels that can be administrated separately or individually.The 20 MSQ-short version items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (point 5 denotes very satisfied with this aspect of my job, 4 denotes satisfied with this aspect of my job, point 3 denotes can't decide if I'm satisfied or dissatisfied with this aspect of my job, 2 denotes dissatisfied this aspect of my job, and point 1 denotes very dissatisfied with this aspect of my job).Item responses are summed or averaged to create a total score -the lower the score, the lower the level of job satisfaction [10].
Tool 3: This section made up with self-developed tool for assessing the factors influencing job satisfaction.It contains 10 statements and each one is provided options.Tool 4: Self-developed tool for assessing the level of compliance with the use of PPE.It includes a total of 10 statements along with yes or no options.

Data collection methods
Name and phone numbers of the employees of the four textile shops were collected from the shop.Data were collected through online platform through Google Forms as well as offline mode.In online method a link of the tool were sent to sample's personal whatsapp number , on clicking the link they were directed to google form page which contains an informed consent and four tools.The approximate time to complete the questionnaire was 30 minutes .The information collected during the study and details of the participants were kept anonymous and confidentiality were maintained during the study.

Data analysis
Data analysis was done by descriptive and inferential statistics [11].Section A: Distribution of the shop assistant according to demographic characteristics.Section C: Distribution of the shop assistant according to the level of compliance of using PPE during COVID-19.

Results
Fig. 2 shows that more than half (55%) of the samples have enough compliance with the use of PPE, 37.5% of samples had good compliance, and only 7.5% had less compliance.
Section D: Association between the levels of work satisfaction and selected Socio demographic variables.
Table 2 illustrates the association between job satisfaction and selected sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, relationship status, education, work experience, and place of residence.Chi-square test was done to find the association.Demographic variables such as age, relationship status, and work experience were found to be statically significant (p<0.05) with work satisfaction, and other variables did not have a significant association.
Section E: Distribution of the shop assistant according to factors affecting work satisfaction during COVID-19.
From Table 2, it is evident that age, relationship status, and work experience had a significant association (p<0.05) with work satisfaction.These personal factors may act as factors contributing to work satisfaction among shop assistants in various institutions.

DISCUSSION
Job is one of the important elements of people's life.People's style of living and social status depend on their jobs.Therefore, it is necessary for every organization to have satisfied workforce [12].There are companies that do not focus much on the health and safety measures of the employees [13].Employee commitment is important because high levels of commitment lead to several favorable organizational outcomes [14].Covid 19 changed the whole dynamics , it has given impacts on peoples in each and every sector.The people involved in sales also effected by this pandemic.Shop assistants were also at high risk of getting infected.PPE are protective agents designed to protect the workers by minimizing the exposure to a biological agent.Compliance on PPE is very much important in preventing COVID-19.
The current study reveals that among 80 samples, half of the samples were men and the other half were women.45% (36) of the samples belonged to the age group of <26.The relationship status showed that 48 (60%) were unmarried and 32 (40%) samples were married.Regarding the educational status, 26 (32.2%) samples had primarylevel education and 32 (40%) were undergraduates.32(40%) samples were having 1-2 years of working experience as shop assistant and majority of the shop assistants were getting >9000 rupees per month as a salary.
Monga et al. conducted a study on job satisfaction of employees of ICICI Bank in Himachal Pradesh to examine the level of job satisfaction of employees of the ICICI Bank.The sample comprised 80 members from 6 branches in the state of Himachal Pradesh.They selected gender, education, marital status, work experience , respondents designation and monthly income as demographic variables ,in their study 66.25 % were males.53.75% of them were graduates and 56.25% were married.The proportion of respondents with income between Rs. 2500 and  35000/-was highest (33.75%).Those with work experience 21 years and above were 37.50% and those with <10 years of experience also had the same proportion that is 37.50% [7].
The current study points out the level of job satisfaction among the shop assistant during COVID-19 in percentage form.55.0% of samples were satisfied and 15% of samples were dissatisfied and 30% had neutral responses.And more than half (55%) of the samples had enough compliance with the use of PPE, 37.5% of samples had good compliance, and only 7.5% had less compliance.The present study also reveals that demographic variables such as age, relationship status, and work experience were found to be having statically significant (p<0.05)association with work satisfaction whereas other variables did not have significant association.In a similar study conducted by Syamala Devi Bhoganadam and Dasaraju Srinivasa Rao in premium Tobacco Packers Private Limited among 150 employees, the result showed no significant association of job satisfaction with gender and work experience but noted a major association between job satisfaction and quality of work [15].

CONCLUSION
This study provides a baseline for assessing the level of work satisfaction and compliance of PPE among shop assistants in selected areas.Proper education regarding importance of using ppe and the need to adhere to safety and precautionary guidelines by healthcare works, availability and trainings on the use of PPE can reduce the spread of Corona Virus to an extend and can improve the PPE compliance.Good working environment support from family and good rapport with colleagues can help to improve work satisfaction.
were grouped under 5 sections: 1. Section A: Distribution of the shop assistant according to demographic characteristics 2. Section B: Distribution of the shop assistant according to the level of work satisfaction during COVID-19 3. Section C: Distribution of the shop assistant according to the level of compliance of using PPE during COVID-19 4. Section D: Association between the levels of work satisfaction and selected Socio demographic variables 5. Section D: Distribution of the shop assistant according to factors affecting work satisfaction during COVID-19.

Fig. 1 :Fig. 2 :
Fig. 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of the shop assistant according to the level of work satisfaction during COVID-19

Table 2 : Frequency percentage and P value of association between the level of job satisfaction and selected sociodemographic variables
NS: Not significance