Purpose Literature is not consistent in discussing the implications of teleworking on work-life balance (WLB). Even though teleworking may enhance work arrangements' flexibility, it blurs boundaries between life and work, endangering the individual WLB. The paper intends to illuminate this issue, moving forward our understanding of teleworking's implications using the Social Exchange Theory framework. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data were collected from Eurofound's sixth European Working Condition Survey. A large sample of Europeans (n = 16,473) was involved in this study. The authors designed a serial mediation analysis to investigate the direct and indirect effects of teleworking on WLB. The authors included employees' job motivation and job satisfaction as intervening variables that mediate the relationship between teleworking and WLB. Findings The authors found teleworking to negatively affect WLB, putting under stress the teleworkers' ability to handle the interplay between work and life. However, the serial mediation analysis pointed out that teleworking triggers an improvement of job motivation, which, in turn, boosts job satisfaction. Increased job motivation and job satisfaction nurture positive employees' perception of WLB. Practical implications The study results invite us to pay attention to the complex interplay between teleworking and WLB, emphasizing the mediating role of job motivation and job satisfaction. As a flexible work arrangement, teleworking may increase the employees' sense of control over their work, which leads to better perceived WLB. However, confounding the boundaries between work and daily life, it may nourish work-to-life and life-to-work conflicts. Originality/value This paper advances what is currently known about teleworking's implications on WLB, envisioning avenues for further conceptual and empirical developments.

Palumbo, R., Flamini, G., Gnan, L., Pellegrini, M., Petrolo, D., Manesh, M. (2022). Disentangling the implications of teleworking on work-life balance: a serial mediation analysis through motivation and satisfaction. JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, 9(1), 68-88 [10.1108/JOEPP-08-2020-0156].

Disentangling the implications of teleworking on work-life balance: a serial mediation analysis through motivation and satisfaction

Palumbo, R;Flamini, G;Gnan, L;Pellegrini, M;
2022-01-01

Abstract

Purpose Literature is not consistent in discussing the implications of teleworking on work-life balance (WLB). Even though teleworking may enhance work arrangements' flexibility, it blurs boundaries between life and work, endangering the individual WLB. The paper intends to illuminate this issue, moving forward our understanding of teleworking's implications using the Social Exchange Theory framework. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data were collected from Eurofound's sixth European Working Condition Survey. A large sample of Europeans (n = 16,473) was involved in this study. The authors designed a serial mediation analysis to investigate the direct and indirect effects of teleworking on WLB. The authors included employees' job motivation and job satisfaction as intervening variables that mediate the relationship between teleworking and WLB. Findings The authors found teleworking to negatively affect WLB, putting under stress the teleworkers' ability to handle the interplay between work and life. However, the serial mediation analysis pointed out that teleworking triggers an improvement of job motivation, which, in turn, boosts job satisfaction. Increased job motivation and job satisfaction nurture positive employees' perception of WLB. Practical implications The study results invite us to pay attention to the complex interplay between teleworking and WLB, emphasizing the mediating role of job motivation and job satisfaction. As a flexible work arrangement, teleworking may increase the employees' sense of control over their work, which leads to better perceived WLB. However, confounding the boundaries between work and daily life, it may nourish work-to-life and life-to-work conflicts. Originality/value This paper advances what is currently known about teleworking's implications on WLB, envisioning avenues for further conceptual and empirical developments.
2022
Pubblicato
Rilevanza internazionale
Articolo
Esperti anonimi
Settore SECS-P/10 - ORGANIZZAZIONE AZIENDALE
English
Con Impact Factor ISI
Teleworking
Work-life balance
Job motivation
Job satisfaction
Working arrangements
https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-08-2020-0156
Palumbo, R., Flamini, G., Gnan, L., Pellegrini, M., Petrolo, D., Manesh, M. (2022). Disentangling the implications of teleworking on work-life balance: a serial mediation analysis through motivation and satisfaction. JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, 9(1), 68-88 [10.1108/JOEPP-08-2020-0156].
Palumbo, R; Flamini, G; Gnan, L; Pellegrini, M; Petrolo, D; Manesh, M
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2108/306361
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