The Influence of Working from Home vs. Working at the Office on Job Performance in a Hybrid Work Arrangement: A Diary Study

Comparing effects of toxic leadership and team social support on job insecurity, role ambiguity, work engagement, and job performance: A multilevel mediational perspective

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic shook the entire world. All sectors, industries, organisations, and more importantly, people were affected by multiple restrictions implemented by their respective governing bodies. Federal lockdowns and all the emerging laws and regulations associated with them have forced organisations worldwide to transition their operations to remote environments. The implications from the organisations’ perspective vary from leadership to management, structure to operations, and training and development to policy making. However, from the employees’ perspective, the implications vary from general well-being to work engagement, satisfaction to motivation, and followership to trust. Nonetheless, remote work has other implications, such as productivity, the impact of social distancing, work-life balance, and isolation concerns. Therefore, this article aims to present critical thinking and comprehensively analyse the existing literature on remote working, transformational leadership, and work engagement contexts. Theoretical and practical gaps are discussed, and recommendations for future research could contribute to our better understanding of remote leadership and its practical elements. Remote working environments are believed to be permanent working arrangements for many organisations and employees; hence, scholars and practitioners must explore them to further depths.

Despite being a worldwide disaster, the COVID‐19 pandemic has also provided an opportunity for renewed discussion about the way we work. By contextualizing in the early periods of China's ending of lockdown policy on COVID‐19, this paper offers evidence to respond to an essential discussion in the field of working from home (WFH): In terms of job performance, can WFH replace working from the office (WFO)? The present study compares job performance in terms of quality and productivity between WFH and WFO from 861 Chinese respondents using entropy balance matching, a quasi‐experimental methodology. Results reveal that WFH enhances job performance in terms of job quality but lowers it in terms of job productivity. In addition, the present study aims to capture and empirically measure the variations in fundamental job characteristics in terms of job control and job demand between WFH and WFO by applying the job demand control support model. More specifically, we find that job control items, such as ‘talking right’ and ‘work rate’, and job demand items, such as ‘a long time of intense concentration’ and ‘hecticness of the job’, are vital factors that contribute to how these differences exert influence on employees' performance in the context of the pandemic.

In this diary study, we examined intra-individual relationships between daily emotion regulation strategies (surface acting and deep acting) in customer interactions and in coworker interactions with daily emotional exhaustion and work engagement. In addition, we explored different mediators (daily emotional dissonance in customer and coworker interactions, daily rewarding relationships with customers and coworkers, and daily self-regulatory resources) in these relationships. In total, 82 employees from a furniture store responded to a general survey and five daily surveys over the course of one working week. Hierarchical linear modeling (N = 380 days) showed that both daily emotion regulation in customer interactions and in coworker interactions were related to daily emotional exhaustion and daily work engagement. Mediator hypotheses were partly confirmed showing differential relationships for predictor and outcome variables. Our results emphasize that with regard to employee well-being, we should not only consider emotional labor in customer interactions as an important predictor but also emotional labor in other interpersonal interactions, such as interactions with coworkers.

Recovery research has demonstrated that leisure time and leisure activities are crucial for employees’ recovery, psychological well-being, general health, and job performance. Because leisure time offers opportunities to recover and gain new resources (e.g., energy), employees may also anticipate their leisure time while still working. Hence, I investigated in three studies whether the anticipation of leisure time is related to employees’ work engagement, a positive, motivational work-related state associated with employees’ well-being and job performance. In Study 1, the focus was on pleasant anticipation of a planned leisure activity and work engagement. Pleasant anticipation is a positive, affective reaction because of a future event with a high probability of occurrence. I assumed that pleasant anticipation indicates an upcoming resource gain, and therefore, pleasant anticipation may positively relate to employees’ work engagement. In addition, recovery-related self-efficacy (RRSE) was investigated as a moderator in this relationship. Two online studies were conducted: Study 1a (N = 87 employees) covered one working day, and Study 1b (N = 84 employees) contained five days within one working week. The results revealed that pleasant anticipation was positively related to work engagement between persons but not within persons. RRSE was not found to be a moderator. Study 2 investigated whether employees think of their upcoming leisure time during the working day. Hence, the construct of leisure thoughts was introduced, and two types of leisure thoughts were differentiated, namely thoughts of leisure time (ToLT) and thoughts of a planned leisure activity (ToPLA). I argued that pleasant anticipation of a planned leisure activity relates to the frequency of ToPLA, yet not of ToLT, and that both types of leisure thoughts occur more frequently at the beginning and the end of the working day. Furthermore, as leisure thoughts may distract employees from the task at hand, they may negatively relate to work engagement across the working day and within one hour. However, ToPLA may also be positively associated with work engagement in the subsequent hour when the planned leisure activity has a positive leisure plan valence. In sum, the findings from a one-day online survey with hourly measurement points (N = 89 employees) supported the hypotheses for the occurrence of both types of leisure thoughts. Furthermore, ToLT were negatively related to work engagement across the working day, and ToPLA were negatively related to work engagement within the same hour. However, the relationship between ToPLA and work engagement in the subsequent hour was negative when the leisure plan valence was positive. Based on the findings from Study 1 and Study 2, Study 3 shed light on leisure thoughts as a mechanism, which connects pleasant anticipation of a planned leisure activity and work engagement. Thus, ToPLA were examined as a mediator between pleasant anticipation and work engagement on a daily level. Furthermore, morning recovery was incorporated to ascertain whether recovery (i.e., a consequence of past leisure time) and the anticipation of leisure time simultaneously explain work engagement. In addition, because pleasant anticipation of a planned leisure activity only referred to a specific leisure activity, general anticipation of leisure time was introduced as a cognitive, overall evaluation of employees’ entire leisure time after the working day. An online diary study (N = 148 employees) across one week was conducted. The results revealed that general anticipation of leisure time, yet not pleasant anticipation of a planned leisure activity, and morning recovery were positively related to work engagement within persons. Furthermore, pleasant anticipation of a planned leisure activity was positively related to ToPLA, but ToPLA was not related to work engagement; thus, ToPLA was not found to be a mediator. Across three studies, different variables referring to the anticipation of leisure time were positively or negatively associated with work engagement, indicating that upcoming leisure time is crucial for present work engagement. The findings extend the understanding of leisure time, have practical implications for recovery training and work engagement interventions, and pave the way for further research on the anticipation of leisure time and leisure activities.

BackgroundWith the global socio-economic development, health concerns are increasing, prompting healthcare professionals to provide higher quality healthcare services. Job performance is a behavior related to performance and competence and reflects nurses’ efficiency, quality, creativity, and goal accomplishment at work. A high level of job performance is essential for nurses, patients, and organizations. However, the overall level of nurses’ job performance is low due to several factors. This study aimed to investigate the role of clinical nurses’ sense of professional mission as a direct influence on job performance, as well as the mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of spiritual climate.MethodsFrom February 2024 to March 2024, 15 tertiary hospitals and ten secondary hospitals in Sichuan Province were selected as survey respondents for clinical nurses using convenience sampling. The Professional Mission Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Spiritual Climate Scale, and Job Performance Scale were used for data collection. Model 4 and Model 7 in the SPSS 26.0 macro program were used for mediation and mediation effect analysis with moderation.ResultsThe results showed that sense of professional mission, work engagement, and spiritual climate were significantly and positively correlated with job performance (P < 0.01). Work engagement partially mediates the relationship between professional mission and work performance. Specifically, professional mission can directly influence work performance or indirectly affect it through the mediating role of work engagement. The mediating effect accounts for 29.6% of the total effect. Meanwhile, spiritual climate buffered the positive impact of a sense of professional mission on work engagement and played a moderating role in the first half path of the mediation effect model of a sense of professional mission affecting work performance through work engagement.ConclusionThis study further understood the current status of clinical nurses’ job performance in China and confirmed that a sense of professional mission positively predicted job performance. Work engagement and spiritual climate further explained the relationship between a sense of professional mission and job performance through mediating and moderating effects. Nursing managers can improve the impact of a sense of professional mission on job performance by increasing spiritual climate and clinical nurses’ work engagement.

BackgroundThe global nursing shortage has intensified the need for effective leadership strategies to enhance nurse performance and retain skilled staff, particularly in high-stress environments like intensive care units Transformational leadership has been recognized as a critical factor in improving nurses’job performance. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain underexplored. This study investigates the direct impact of transformational leadership on ICU nurses’job performance and examines the mediating roles of psychological empowerment and work engagement.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted. Between October to November 2024, a total of 584 intensive care nurses from China completed the survey, which included standard assessments on transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement, and job performance. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the direct and indirect effects of transformational leadership on job performance, with psychological empowerment and work engagement as mediators.ResultsThe results indicated significant positive correlations among transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement, and job performance (all P < 0.01). Transformational leadership not only directly affected the job performance of intensive care nurses but also influenced it through the partial mediating roles of psychological empowerment and work engagement, with the mediating effects accounting for 24.64% and 21.74% of the total effect, respectively. Additionally, the analysis found that psychological empowerment and work engagement, played a chain mediating role in the relationship between transformational leadership and the job performance, with the mediating effect accounting for 15.94% of the total effect.ConclusionsThis study highlights the association between transformational leadership and ICU nurses’ job performance, both directly and indirectly through psychological empowerment and work engagement. The findings suggest that transformational leadership is related to key psychological and behavioral factors that may support better job performance. Fostering transformational leadership behaviors may serve as a valuable approach for nursing managers to enhance psychological empowerment and engagement among ICU nurses, with potential benefits for patient care outcomes.Clinical trial numberNot applicable.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-025-03685-7.

Purpose In the last decade, there has been a growing consensus that expanding gender diversity in the workplace can improve productivity and work quality. However, the well-being of female workers continues to be a challenge for companies. This study aims to evaluate the influence of some work practices (remote work, participation, flex-time, and work autonomy) on work engagement and work-life balance of European workers in the logistics sector, distinguishing male from female workers. The analysis is grounded in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and social exchange theory (SET). Design/methodology/approach To this end, we used a quantitative methodology, carrying out a multi-group analysis and applying the partial least square method to a sample of 4,806 European workers in the logistics sector. Findings The results reveal significant gender differences in the intensity of influence of work practices on work engagement and work-life balance. Participation and flex-time practices positively influence the work engagement of female workers, and remote work practices their work-life balance, but with less intensity when compared to male workers. The relationship between work engagement and work-life balance is negative, being more intense in the case of female workers. Finally, when the association between workplace practices and work-life balance is mediated by work engagement, there is a positive influence of remote work and participation in work practices in the case of female workers. Originality/value This study contributes to deepening knowledge about gender differences in the workplace by integrating the JD-R model and SET to reveal gendered pathways between workplace practices, work engagement, and work-life balance in the logistics sector. It demonstrates that workplace practices appropriate to workers' gender should be promoted to enhance work engagement and work-life balance, which are valued by workers and could lead to greater worker proficiency.

Purpose Employee-initiated behaviours, such as job crafting, are increasingly recognised as critical for sustaining engagement and performance in complex organisational settings. Drawing on the job demands–resources (JD-R) and conservation of resources (COR) theories, this study investigates the impact of job crafting on job performance, with work engagement examined as a mediating mechanism. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in two waves from 270 employees employed by 30 Palestinian nonprofit organisations and analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings The findings revealed a significant positive association between job crafting with work engagement and job performance. Work engagement was found to partially mediate the job crafting-performance relationship. These findings underscore the importance of job crafting as a proactive behavioural strategy that enables employees to navigate intense psychological demands and preserve their functional capacity in mission-driven environments. Originality/value This study offers the first empirical investigation of job crafting as a mechanism for enhancing work engagement and job performance in the global nonprofit sector. It addresses critical gaps in HRM and positive psychology literature by introducing insights from a highly underrepresented sector and region. The study offers actionable insights for NPO administrators and practitioners seeking to foster an adaptive, engaged, and high-performing workforce.

Working from home (WFH) has had both positive and negative impacts on the work conduct. To maximise the benefits of homeworking, previous literature mainly focuses on creating self-help strategies for homeworkers to reduce work stress and maintain work engagement. However, fewer studies take on the policymaker perspective and evaluate optimal working conditions in the homeworking context. Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study evaluates the effects of various work characteristics (job demands and resources) on the stress and engagement of infrequent and frequent homeworkers. Using the sixth European Working Conditions Survey 2015 which contains 5090 participants from 34 European countries, we studied 6 job demands and 5 job resources via Exploratory Factor Analysis. After testing the model’s fitness using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, multiple mixed-effects models were used to test the job demands and resource effects on worker stress and engagement. Dominance Analysis was then used to identify the relative importance of each job demand and resource when explaining employee stress and engagement. We found emotional demands, time pressure, and workload to be the top three demand factors that cause work stress across the groups. Other than daily homeworkers, a positive and fair social climate is the most prominent resource able to boost job engagement across all of the other groups. By identifying the homeworkers’ most influential demands and resources, this study will help managers better understand the steps to take to provide healthy job conditions for homeworkers.

The growing popularity of remote and hybrid work has changed the dynamics of how teams function and accomplish work tasks, creating opportunities to align work practices with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Remote work not only promotes labor market inclusion by eliminating barriers such as those of transportation but also reduces the carbon footprint associated with daily commuting. However, despite the advantages of remote work, researchers and practitioners point to the problem of unstable engagement among remote workers. This study examines the key factors influencing work engagement in remote and hybrid work models, looking at how these factors vary depending on the degree of remote work and the nature of the work. Based on a systematic review, 14 critical factors influencing engagement were identified, followed by the development of a questionnaire and the analysis of responses from 181 employees representing various remote work models. The results obtained in the survey indicate the universal importance that work–life balance, open access to organizational knowledge, and a personalized work environment have for building work engagement. At the same time, the extent of remote work, the form of employment, and team integration methods influence the importance of other factors, revealing differences between fully remote and hybrid employees. The findings underline that building effective strategies to foster engagement should be based on adapting the actions taken to specific work conditions.

The relationship between remote working and employee performance has been explored by various previous studies. However, the outcomes of these studies have been contradictory. While some studies have found that remote working has no association with employee performance, others have established that remote working and employee performance are either positively or negatively associated with employee performance. This inconsistency in the outcome of prior studies, attracted our interest to test whether or not, remote working and employee performance are associated. Additionally, we were interested to understand whether or not, age (described in form of generations) has a moderating role in the relationship between employee performance and remote working. To realize our objectives, this study employed role-based measurement of employee performance which introduces five roles that an employee can undertake in a company or organization, and these include job holder, career seeker, innovator, team member, and organization member. By incorporating social exchange theory with lifespan theories particularly focusing on future perspectives, we suggest that age has a moderating impact on the relationship between remote working and employee performance such that younger generations employees are positively associated with remote work and have high job performance while working remotely, and older generation employees are negatively associated with remote working such that they have low job performance while working remotely. Using data gathered from 285 respondents in Lebanon (who are employees working in diverse industries and organizations) and analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The analysis outcome shows that remote working positively associate with employee performance in all the roles that an employee can hold. However, the analysis also revealed that age (or generation) does not have a moderating role in the relationship between remote working and employee performance, but age associates with remote working such that younger generations positively associate with remote working while older generation employees negatively associate with remote working. The association between age and remote working concerns predilection to remote working and not performance. The outcome of this study suggests that, in deploying roles and tasks to employees especially in a remote working arrangement, managers should take great consideration that employees in regard to their generations or age are different, special, and unique in their own ways as well as in different roles.

Winners and losers of working-from home – The impact of perceived person-environment fit towards continuance intention

Bank DKI melakukan perubahan sistem kerja demi terjaganya produktivitas kerja selama Pandemi COVID-19 yang berpotensi mengurangi keterikatan kerja. Penelitian ini bertujuan melihat peran variabel job demand, job resources, job satisfaction, terhadap work engagement. Peneliti melakukan regresi terhadap variabel job demand, job resources, job satisfaction, dan work engagement. Mediasi dilakukan antara job demand dan job resources terhadap work engagement oleh job satisfaction. Purposive sampling dilakukan dengan jumlah 181 karyawan Bank DKI. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa seluruh variabel, baik job demand, job resources, dan job satisfaction signifikan memprediksi work engagement. Efek mediasi kepuasan terjadi baik pada variabel job demand maupun job resources. Bank DKI has changed the work system in order to maintain work productivity during the COVID-19 Pandemic so that it has the potential to reduce employee attachment. This study aims to see the role of variables of job demand, job resources, job satisfaction, and employee work engagement. Researchers regression of the variables of job demand, job resources, job satisfaction, and work engagement. Mediation is carried out between job demand and job resources for work engagement mediated by job satisfaction. Purposive sampling was carried out with a total of 181 employees of Bank DKI. The results showed that all variables, both job demand, job resources, and job satisfaction significantly predicted work engagement. The satisfaction mediation effect occurs both on the job demand and job resources variables.

Introduction The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship of social capital and quality of work life with job performance and work engagement in employees of an oil and gas company. Method The present study was descriptive-correlational research and is theoretical-applied in terms of purpose. The statistical population included all of the employees in an oil and gas company during 2019-2020. The sample of the study included 250 employees, who selected by simple random sampling method. The Questionnaires of Organizational Social Capital, Work Engagement, Quality of Work Life, and Job Performance were used as research instrument. Canonical correlation and stepwise multiple regression were used for data analysis. Results The results showed that social capital has a positive significant correlation with job performance and work engagement. Also, the quality of work life had a positive significant correlation with job performance and work engagement. The results of the regression analysis showed that social capital and quality of work life predict employees' job performance with R2=0.11. Also, the results showed that social capital and quality of work life can predict the work engagement of employees with R2=0.21. Discussion Based on the results of the study, social capital and quality of work life are correlated with employees' performance and work engagement. Therefore, managers of organization can improve the work engagement and job performance of employees by implementing appropriate interventions to improve the variables of social capital and quality of working life.