Transitioning Towards New Ways of Working: Do Job Demands, Job Resources, Burnout, and Engagement Change?

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a mandatory transition to New Ways of Working (NWW) on employees' job demands (i.e., mental demands, workload, and task ambiguity), job resources (i.e., autonomy, supervisor support, coworker support, and possibilities for development), and their levels of burnout and work engagement. Additionally, it was investigated whether the effects of the transition depended on employees' personal resources (Psychological Capital-PsyCap). Design/methodology/approach: We investigated an organization in transition. In three waves (one before and two after the transition), data were collected via online surveys among 126 employees of a large Dutch provider of financial services. Findings: NWW were beneficial in reducing mental demands and workload and did not harm the relationships with supervisor and coworkers. However, autonomy and possibilities for professional development decreased. Burnout and work engagement remained stable over time. The effects of the transition did not depend on employees' PsyCap. Implications: NWW have received a very positive popular press. Scientific evidence for its beneficial and/or adverse effects on worker well-being can help organizations making an informed decision when considering NWW. Moreover, this can help to develop targeted interventions that alleviate the negative consequences (e.g., paying extra attention to professional development). Originality/value: This is one of the first longitudinal studies in which employees were followed who transitioned to NWW. Building on the Job Demands-Resources model, this study provides a comprehensive picture of the effects of NWW.

Flexible work arrangements in open workspaces and relations to occupational stress, need for recovery and psychological detachment from work

“…According to van Steenbergen et al (2018), Activity Based Working was assessed by using five items: (a) "I decide for myself where (office, home, elsewhere) and when I work," (b) "I do not have my own personal desk (flex-desk concept)" c) "In the office, I work in an 'activity-related' manner (e.g., using spaces for concentration, communication, meetings)" d) "I use information technology (e.g., smartphone, laptop), so I can work at any chosen location or time," (e) "I regularly work remotely with my colleagues". Items were scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (=totally disagree) to 5(=totally agree) [19]. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the ABW scales were 0.78 (ABWT0), 0.80 (ABWT1), and 0.79 (ABWT2), respectively.…”

“…Moreover, we focus on psychological detachment from work that is defined as the ability to mentally disengage oneself from work when being away from the workplace, and is considered as a strong indicator of psychological recovery [17][18][19]. In the Extended Stressor-Detachment model psychological detachment is proposed as a powerful mechanism in the link between stressors and strain reactions.…”

The Stressful Implications of Remote E-Working: Evidence from Europe

“…Consistent with prior research, this study finds that remote e-workers have greater discretion over their work schedule, work pace, and work methods compared to traditional ones. Scholars argue that this may drive positive effects on occupational stress (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007;Van Steenbergen, van der Ven, Peeters, & Taris, 2018).…”

Going Your Own Way: A Cross-Cultural Validation of the Motivational Demands at Work Scale (Mind@Work)

“…Similar issues apply to employees who work in self-managing teams: here, too, formal and clear leadership and supervision are absent, shifting the responsibility for worker motivation and performance toward the workers themselves. The growing popularity of the "new way of working" (Van Steenbergen et al, 2018) implies that managers and employees are often outside each other's physical proximity, complicating the supervision process. Finally, as more and more jobs require highly specialized knowledge, it has become difficult for managers to supervise and assess their subordinates; indeed, professional workers do not even want be "supervised" by their manager (Weggeman and Hoedemakers, 2014).…”

“…Social, political, technological, and economic changes, such as national and international regulations, aging, globalization, and the ever-increasing use of information and communications technologies (ICT) and robotics in the workplace result in significant changes in the context in which organizations as well as individual workers must operate (Taris et al, 2019). Organizations are flatter and selfmanaging teams and individual employees have a greater span of control (Lee and Edmondson, 2017), and the increasing use of ICT allows workers to work outside regular working hours and independently of certain fixed locations, such as the company office (Van Steenbergen et al, 2018).…”