The psychological dynamics of hybrid work - exploring the role of work location, basic need satisfaction, and contextual aspects of telework in daily employee well-being
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Bantz, Theresa Maria
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Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the adoption of hybrid-work models, where employees regularly alternate between working from home and the office. This shift has transformed telework from an exception to a norm, fundamentally changing the modern work landscape and raising critical questions regarding its psychological implications. Existing research on telework presents mixed findings regarding its impact on employee well-being, highlighting the need to explore the mediating and moderating factors. Given the widespread adoption of hybrid-work models with frequent transitions between work locations, it is also crucial to shift the focus from between-person to within-person effects.
To address these research gaps, this dissertation investigates the within-person effects of hybrid work on employee well-being through three empirical daily diary studies. Drawing on the job demands-resources theory, challenge-hindrance stressor framework, and self-determination theory, this dissertation is guided by three research objectives. First, the direct effects of hybrid work on daily employee outcomes are examined, focusing on within-person variability. Second, the mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) is explored to explain the relationship between work location and employee well-being. Third, the moderating role of key telework aspects in the hybrid-work context is investigated. These include the time spent teleworking (telework intensity), the prevalence and acceptance of telework within organizations (telework normativeness), and the perceived voluntariness of daily work location choice (daily telework voluntariness), as well as the moderating role of work location in stressor-outcome relationships.
Study 1 examined the direct effect of work location on emotional exhaustion and its indirect effect on perceived performance, using daily diary data from 151 employees (N = 876 observations). Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) revealed that employees experienced lower emotional exhaustion and, in turn, higher perceived performance on days when they worked from home compared to days when they worked in the office. Furthermore, telework intensity, telework normativeness, and daily telework voluntariness were examined as potential moderators, reflecting key characteristics of the evolving hybrid work. Conditional indirect effects indicate that these effects were more pronounced when employees rarely worked from home (low telework intensity), belonged to organizations where telework was uncommon (low telework normativeness), or had limited choice over their work location (low daily telework voluntariness).
Study 2 investigated the mediating mechanisms through which work location affects work engagement and cognitive stress, focusing on the role of basic need satisfaction. Based on daily data from 114 employees (N = 744 observations), multilevel mediation models revealed that working from home was associated with higher autonomy- and competence-need satisfaction, which positively affected work engagement and reduced cognitive stress. Conversely, working from home was associated with lower relatedness-need satisfaction, which contributed to increased work engagement and reduced cognitive stress. Multilevel moderated mediation models further indicated that telework normativeness weakened the indirect effects of autonomy- and relatedness-need satisfaction.
Study 3 shifted the focus to the moderating effect of work location on the relationship between time pressure (a challenge stressor), professional isolation (a hindrance stressor), and work engagement and emotional exhaustion. MSEM analysis of daily data from 124 employees (N = 609 observations) revealed a significant two-way interaction effect only of work location and professional isolation on emotional exhaustion. As in Studies 1 and 2, this study also explored the moderating role of telework normativeness, revealing significant three-way interactions among work location, telework normativeness, and stressors. These interactions influenced the relationships between time pressure and work engagement and emotional exhaustion, and professional isolation and work engagement, with mixed interaction patterns.
Overall, these studies comprehensively examined the psychological dynamics inherent in hybrid work. The findings underscore the importance of within-person effects and the need to consider both mediating factors, such as basic need satisfaction, and moderating factors, such as telework intensity, normativeness, and voluntariness, in shaping employee outcomes. The practical implications of these findings are significant for organizations navigating the future of work, offering valuable insights into the promotion and design of hybrid-work arrangements. This dissertation highlights the importance of encouraging flexible work arrangements that enhance employees’ autonomy and competence while actively mitigating negative effects such as isolation. It is crucial to consider the prevalence of telework within organizations and strike a balance between the advantages of home-based and office-based work to ensure a supportive and productive hybrid-work environment.