A Mixed-Method Study on Job Satisfaction Among Air Traffic Controllers During the Pandemic: The Roles of Work-Family Interface and Resilience

ABSTRACT

Objective

To investigate whether workload is negatively related to job satisfaction, directly and indirectly, via work-family conflict, and conditional on resilience levels.

Background

Covid-19 restriction measures severely affected the aviation sector leading air traffic controllers to face periodic fluctuations in air traffic volume. Despite their key role in ensuring the efficiency and safety of air traffic management, little is known about the psychological issues faced by air traffic controllers during the pandemic.

Method

A total of 168 Italian air traffic controllers completed an online self-report survey assessing workload, work-family conflict, job satisfaction, resilience, and Covid-19-related experience. Descriptive statistics and moderated mediation analyses were performed. To deepen the quantitative results, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted, and were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Workload was positively related to work-family conflict which, in turn, was negatively associated with job satisfaction. Resilience buffered this association. The following six main themes emerged from the interviews: the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; double-edged job characteristics; job-related risk stressors; protective resources; work-life interface; and consequences.

Conclusion

Air traffic controllers who were confronted with sudden increases in air traffic volume were more likely to experience work-family conflict and then be less satisfied with their job. However, resilience was a protective factor against lower job satisfaction under high work-family conflict levels. Qualitative results deepened these findings. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/24721840.2023.2242391

Additional information

Funding

The authors did not receive any grants for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.