Between-person and within-person effects of telework: a quasi-field experiment

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study examines the impact of telework on employees' stress, work-tohome conflict, work engagement and job performance on a between-person and a within-person level. Data were collected in a Belgian company that had launched a pilot telework initiative.Employees in the intervention group (N = 39) were allowed to work from home on at most two days a week whereas employees in the control group (N = 39) were not. To examine changes in person-level outcomes over time, we collected data before telework was introduced (T1) and at the end of the pilot (T2). To examine day-level effects, we collected daily data on 13 consecutive workdays after the onset of the pilot. Multivariate repeated measures MANOVA showed no significant interaction effect between group and measurement occasion, yet univariate analyses showed that employees in the teleworking group had less stress at T2 compared to T1. No univariate differences in work-to-home conflict, work engagement or job performance were found over time. Daily analyses using linear mixed coefficient modeling showed that teleworkers reported lower stress, lower work-to-home conflict, higher work engagement and higher job performance on teleworking days compared to non-teleworking days.

The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: an exploratory study on Hong Kong

“…Studies indicated evidence for these benefits; for example, the research in the Greater Dublin Area by Caulfield (2015) found employees saving travel time and value of travel time. Some studies point out that telework can reduce turnover rate and increase employees' productivity, job engagement, and job performance (Collins and Moschler 2009;Delanoeije and Verbruggen 2020). Similarly, e-working can increase productivity, flexibility, job satisfaction, WLB, including reducing work-life conflict and commuting (Grant et al 2019).…”

Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Health and Well-Being of Project-Based Construction Workers

“…Further, the amount of time people telework is believed to shape the experience and impact of telework. Teleworking more than 2-3 days a week is reported to produce negative health impacts (Gajendran and Harrison 2007), but teleworking up to 2 days a week is linked to higher work engagement and job performance and less stress (Delanoeije and Verbruggen 2020). Similarly, Raišienė et al (2020) found employees who telework for up to 2 days per week express more positive opinions about teleworking than those who telework full time or for the majority of their work week.…”

“…The effects of teleworking may depend on an individual's personal characteristics, with successful teleworkers reported to be independent, confident, comfortable with solitude, have a high-level of job knowledge, good time management, and strong organizational and communication skills (Tavares 2017). Delanoeije and Verbruggen (2020) noted that low self-management ability can increase stress among teleworkers. Job-role characteristics may also influence the experience of teleworking.…”

“…The way that teleworking is implemented can also impact the experience of teleworking. Extensive control by supervisors and monitoring employees' behavior can impact perceptions of work flexibility and autonomy and undermine the benefits of telework (Delanoeije and Verbruggen 2020). Similarly, the way that team processes and goals are defined and team members communicate and interact impacts the experience of working in virtual teams, which can, in some circumstances, produce employees stress and anxiety (Kniffin et al 2020).…”

“…Previous research has shown that the relationship between homebased teleworking and mental well-being varies according to personal characteristics and family circumstances (e.g., Tavares 2017;Delanoeije and Verbruggen 2020;Raišienė et al 2020). Previous research into the impacts of home-based teleworking suggested that not everyone benefits from the flexibility of home-based teleworking in the same way.…”