Search results
1 – 10 of 91Mohd Tariq Jamal, Imran Anwar, Nawab Ali Khan and Gayas Ahmad
Working remotely in a COVID-19-induced lockdown has been challenging for both organisations and their employees; studies report that job demands changed, and teleworkers…
Abstract
Purpose
Working remotely in a COVID-19-induced lockdown has been challenging for both organisations and their employees; studies report that job demands changed, and teleworkers experienced increased burnout. This paper explores the negative employee outcomes that this work arrangement brings along and offers possible solutions to counter such negative outcomes since they could be detrimental to the much-touted future of work.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a time-lagged longitudinal design and collected two-waved data from 403 quaternary sector employees. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling and model-21 in PROCESS macro for SPSS.
Findings
Findings affirm that employees experienced increased job demands during this crisis. Employees reported an increase in turnover intention because of burnout caused by increased job demands. However, increased task interdependence alone did not have any effect on turnover intention. The perceived organisational task support (POTS) was found to forestall the negative effect of job demands on burnout, and employee resilience (ER) buffered the burnout and turnover intention relationship.
Practical implications
Providing remote work task support and boosting resilience among employees will help in doing away with the negative effects of teleworking. However, managers shall prioritise reducing job demands for teleworkers.
Originality/value
The linkage between work factors and turnover intention is well established. Drawing on the event system theory and using the COVID-19 context, the present study added to the existing knowledge by studying the role of job demands (workload pressure and task interdependence) on turnover intention through the mediation of burnout. The study goes beyond the existing literature by accounting for POTS as a first-level moderator between job demands and burnout relationship, and ER as a second-level moderator between burnout and turnover intention relationship.
Details
Keywords
Ridhima Goel, Jagdeep Singla, Amit Mittal and Meenal Arora
Work-from-home (WFH) has gained popularity over the past years. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to systematically review and synthesize scholarly literature on…
Abstract
Purpose
Work-from-home (WFH) has gained popularity over the past years. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to systematically review and synthesize scholarly literature on the complex interplay between WFH, employee well-being and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study incorporates analysis of the bibliometric including performance analysis, content analysis and scientific mapping that is applied to 497 Scopus papers. VOSviewer software was used to evaluate the data.
Findings
This study posits an imbalance between the count of documents and the citations earned by each author. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health was regarded as a leading journal with maximum citations and publications. The highest count of publications came from most Asian countries such as India, China, Indonesia and Japan. The investigation indicated that the writers with the maximum citations were predominantly the authors of the majorly cited papers. Further, the text mining through co-occurrence of keyword analysis generated five clusters and cocited references revealed three themes.
Practical implications
The current research might benefit both research groups as well as human resource professionals since it also reveals the research necessity and gaps in the WFH domain.
Originality/value
This research delves into unexplored facets of WFH beyond traditional studies over the past decade by examining remote work arrangements in today’s economy, revealing previously unnoticed dynamics affecting employee well-being and performance. This innovative viewpoint enhances the literature and provides an empirical foundation for strategic organizational decision-making and future study.
Details
Keywords
Maribel Labrado Antolín, Óscar Rodríguez-Ruiz and José Fernández Menéndez
This article studies how experience and frequency of telework influence the acceptance and self-reported productivity of this mode of work in a context of pandemic-induced remote…
Abstract
Purpose
This article studies how experience and frequency of telework influence the acceptance and self-reported productivity of this mode of work in a context of pandemic-induced remote work.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a 2021 dataset of 542 professionals with previous or current experience in home-based telework. Two linear regression models are fitted using the willingness to telework and self-reported productivity as dependent variables.
Findings
The findings support the idea that previous telework specific experience and frequency of telework have a positive impact on the willingness to telework and self-reported productivity.
Originality/value
This paper questions the widely accepted idea according to which employees who telework occasionally experience the best outcomes. The authors have identified a “time after time” effect that shows the relevance of telework specific experience and frequency for the development of this mode of work.
Details
Keywords
Ana Junça Silva, Patrícia Neves and António Caetano
This study draws on the affective events theory (AET) to understand how telework may influence workers' well-being. Hence this study aimed to (1) analyze the indirect relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
This study draws on the affective events theory (AET) to understand how telework may influence workers' well-being. Hence this study aimed to (1) analyze the indirect relationship between telework and well-being via daily micro-events (DME), and (2) test whether procrastination would moderate this indirect effect.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the goals, data were gathered from a sample of teleworkers in the IT sector (N = 232). To analyze the data, a moderated mediation analysis was performed in SPSS with PROCESS macro.
Findings
The results showed that micro-daily events mediated the positive relationship between telework and well-being; however, this relation was conditional upon the levels of workers' levels of procrastination, that is, this link became weaker for those who were procrastinators.
Practical implications
By highlighting the importance of telework, DME and procrastination, this study offers managers distinct strategies for enhancing their employees' well-being.
Originality/value
Despite the existing research investigating the effect of telework on well-being, studies investigating the intervening mechanisms between these two constructs are scarce. Moreover, there is a lack of research investigating the moderating effect of procrastination in these relations. Hence, this study fills these gaps and advances knowledge on the process that explains how (via DME) and when (when procrastination is low) teleworking influences workers' well-being.
Details
Keywords
This study aims to better understand how to interact with the five generations that currently make up our workforce.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to better understand how to interact with the five generations that currently make up our workforce.
Design/methodology/approach
The author bases her article on 8+ years of HR experience and research.
Findings
The five generations are more similar than we think. They want many of the same things, but they want them in different ways. Communication is the biggest difference between the groups.
Originality/value
The paper will better enable readers to engage workers from multiple generations in their own organizations.
Details
Keywords
Mirela Cătălina Türkeş, Aurelia Felicia Stăncioiu, Mihai Cristian Orzan, Mariana Jugănaru, Roxana-Cristina Marinescu and Ion Dănuț Jugănaru
Almost four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the changes in the labour market and legislation, but also in people's lives, do not stop. At the same time, employees' perceptions…
Abstract
Purpose
Almost four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the changes in the labour market and legislation, but also in people's lives, do not stop. At the same time, employees' perceptions regarding the change in the legislative and contractual framework, as well as in the working conditions and the use of telework, also change. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to identify the perceptions of employees regarding the use of telework in the post-pandemic period.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was based on a survey carried out on 128 teleworkers in the post-pandemic period. The statistical hypotheses were tested using Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Kruskal–Wallis tests, multiple linear regression and pairwise comparison analysis.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate that the modification of the legislative and contractual framework and of the working conditions, as well as of the way of using information and communication technology in the post-pandemic era, generates a positive and significant impact on the use of telework by employees. Some of the main advantages valued by teleworkers included the possibility of benefitting from a flexible work schedule and the possibility of reducing transport costs.
Originality/value
The study highlights the need to continuously develop and update labour policies and strategies in line with current and future labour market requirements, considering the implications of telework on the perceptions of employees, so that government organisations and managers who want to protect the rights and interests of teleworkers, aspects of their lives and organise an appropriate work environment manage to do so in order to achieve the expected results.
Details
Keywords
Shubhi Gupta, Sireesha Rani Vasa and Prachee Sehgal
This study aims to explore how information technology (IT) professionals perceive work-life balance (WLB) in a work-from-home (WFH) setup. Additionally, it explores what emotions…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how information technology (IT) professionals perceive work-life balance (WLB) in a work-from-home (WFH) setup. Additionally, it explores what emotions one may associate with such changing work environments, which have high implications for organisational success.
Design/methodology/approach
The two primary research questions guided this research. An online questionnaire-based survey was conducted to collect the data so that respondents’ both subjective and objective perceptions were documented. Purposive cum snowball sampling was used to collect data from 262 IT professionals. However, the data was analysed using both qualitative (content analysis) and quantitative (chi-square) techniques.
Findings
The findings of this study are interesting in nature and reported the work-life experiences at various socio-demographic levels (age, gender, educational qualification, designation, work experience, income, type of family and the number of children). The comprehensive examination of the data obtained from diverse aspects related to remote work environments has shed light on crucial facets impacting IT professionals. A predominant observation derived from the study reveals a significant disparity in working hours between male and female respondents during remote work. This discrepancy is notable, with male employees tending to work longer hours (i.e. 10 or more hours daily) than their female counterparts. The investigation into respondents’ sleep patterns revealed that the majority slept between 5 h and 7 h daily, underscoring reduced sleep hours for IT professionals during remote work. This comprehensive study thus emphasises the multifaceted nature of gender-associated influences on work patterns, health and well-being during remote work scenarios among IT professionals. As remote work is the new normal, this study has high implications for future work arrangements and organisational success.
Practical implications
The findings of the study will assist managers in dealing with the work conflict issue of remote workers. Importantly, these managers should try eliminating or reducing workplace conflict, emotional exhaustion and social overload associated with remote work.
Originality/value
This study is a humble attempt to highlight the employee’s WLB in the context of WFH in an emerging market (i.e. India). Furthermore, emphasises practical issues associated with changing work paradigms and concludes with interesting recommendations for future work arrangements.
Details
Keywords
Urmila Jagadeeswari Itam and Uma Warrier
Teleworking, working from home and flexible work have gained popularity over the last few years. A shift in policies and practices in the workplace is required owing to the…
Abstract
Purpose
Teleworking, working from home and flexible work have gained popularity over the last few years. A shift in policies and practices in the workplace is required owing to the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating current trends in work-from-everywhere (WFE) research. This article presents a systematic literature review of WFE research from 1990 to early 2023 to understand the transformation of the field.
Design/methodology/approach
The Web of Science database was used to conduct this review based on rigorous bibliometric and network analysis techniques. The prominence of the research studied using SPAR-4-SLR and a collection of bibliometric techniques on selected journal articles, reviews and early access articles. Performance and keyword co-occurrence analysis form the premise of cluster analysis. The content analysis of recently published papers revealed the driving and restraining forces that help define and operationalize the concept of WFE.
Findings
The major findings indicate that the five established and accelerated trends from cluster analysis are COVID-19 and the pandemic, telework(ing), remote working, work from home and well-being and productivity. Driving and restraining forces identified through content analysis include technological breakthroughs, work–life integration challenges, inequality in the distribution of jobs, gender, shifts in industry and sector preferences, upskilling and reskilling and many more have been published post-COVID in the restraining forces category of WFE.
Practical implications
A key contribution of this pioneering study of “work from everywhere” is the linking of the bibliometric trends of the past three decades to the influencing and restraining factors during the pandemic. This study illustrates how WFE could be perceived differently post-COVID, which is of great concern to practitioners and future researchers.
Originality/value
A wide range of publications on WFE and multiple synonyms can create confusion if a systematic and effective system does not classify and associate them. This study uses both bibliometric and scientometric analyses in the context of WFE using systematic literature review (SLR) methods.
Details
Keywords
Douglas Aghimien, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa, Wellington Didibhuku Thwala, Nicholas Chileshe and Bhekinkosi Jabulani Dlamini
This paper presents the findings of assessing the strategies required for improved work-life balance (WLB) of construction workers in Eswatini. This was done to improve the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents the findings of assessing the strategies required for improved work-life balance (WLB) of construction workers in Eswatini. This was done to improve the work-life relationship of construction workers and, in turn, improve the service delivery of the construction industry in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a questionnaire administered to construction professionals in the country. The data gathered were analysed using frequency, percentage, Mann–Whitney U test, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
Findings
The findings revealed that the level of implementation of WLB initiatives in the Eswatini construction industry is still low. Following the attaining of several model fitness, the study found that the key strategies needed for effective WLB can be classified into four significant components, namely: (1) leave, (2) health and wellness, (3) work flexibility, and; (4) days off/shared work.
Practical implications
The findings offer valuable benefits to construction participants as the adoption of the identified critical strategies can lead to the fulfilment of WLB of the construction workforce and by extension, the construction industry can benefit from better job performance.
Originality/value
This study is the first to assess the strategies needed for improved WLB of construction workers in Eswatini. Furthermore, the study offers a theoretical platform for future discourse on WLB in Eswatini, a country that has not gained significant attention in past WLB literature.
Details
Keywords
Begoña Urien and Amaya Erro-Garcés
The swift and unanticipated integration of telework by European companies due to COVID-19 gave rise to distinct features of telework. These attributes underscore the necessity of…
Abstract
Purpose
The swift and unanticipated integration of telework by European companies due to COVID-19 gave rise to distinct features of telework. These attributes underscore the necessity of analysing its impact on employees’ well-being. This paper explores how telework experiences impact well-being by influencing work–life balance and job satisfaction. Additionally, it investigates whether employee preferences for telework are a contributing factor.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the data provided by the “living, working and COVID-19” e-survey, structural equation models (SEM) were used to test the hypotheses. Specifically, a multiple-mediation approach and path analyses were applied to measure the relationship between the variables under study. The moderating role of preference for telework was also tested.
Findings
Key findings support that telework experience has a positive impact on well-being, both directly and indirectly, particularly via work–life balance. Although preference for telework strengthens the relationship between telework experience and well-being, it does not enhance the predictive power of the mediated model.
Practical implications
These results have important implications from an applied perspective. Human capital departments as well as managers should design telework programmes to create a positive experience since this will ensure a positive influence on the perception of work–life balance, job satisfaction and well-being.
Originality/value
COVID-19 as a sudden environmental constraint forced the implementation of telework without proper planning and training. Thus, how the employees experience this major change in their working conditions has affected their well-being. The present paper contributes to clarifying how the proposed variables relate under such constraints.
Details