Abstract
Transformation in technology has led to the evolution of the workplace landscape as employees are capable of working remotely. Telework is considered a work dynamic that involves employees working from home or any other place outside the office. This literature review is intended to explore various resources that discuss the impact of telework on employees based on employee productivity and performance, work-life balance and well-being, job satisfaction and morale, and employee engagement and motivation. It is identified that most literature considers telework to have a positive impact on employees, such as increasing productivity and performance, as it provides benefits of independence and flexibility to employees. Even though most literature agreed with the positive impact of telework on various themes listed above, some disagreed, such as work-life balance and well-being, where they indicated that the stress that comes with not being able to balance work and personal life decreases the work-life balance and well-being of employees. Through examining various researchers’ articles, it was identified that future research should be based on issues like increased workload on employees. Thus, through this literature review, a better comprehension of the impact of telework on employees is grasped.
Keywords: telework, productivity, performance, work-life balance, job satisfaction
Literature Review: The Impact of Telework on Employees
In the contemporary workspace, technology has been a transformative phase that has been changing the functioning of organizations. Unlike in the past, today, employees can operate their work remotely without the restriction of working in the office. The concept of telework employees means that workers can execute their individual work accountabilities outside the office (Mello, 2020). This flexibility has engrossed multiple organizations yearning to evolve their company functioning either fully remotely or partially allowing telework to employees. Due to the massive shift of companies to telework globally, researchers have been fascinated to investigate the impact that telework has on employees so that they can fathom the system profoundly. Thus, to effectively analyze the impact of telework on employees, from satisfaction, engagement, and overall performance, assessing findings from various scholarly research would be superb for a better analysis. Hence, this literature review intends to explore existing research on the impact of telework on employees to be able to get an inclusive understanding.
Employees Productivity and Performance
In the earlier phases of telework initiation, organizations were skeptical about the employee’s productivity and performance as they did not understand how they would be able to ensure maximum productivity and performance of employees remotely. In an article from Jaafar and Rahim (2022), the authors found that the effect of telework on employee’s productivity and performance is top-notch based on a large Chinese travel agency that randomly selected workers to work from home most days and after nine months, the telecommuted upsurge their productivity by 13% compared to colleagues that worked from the office. The authors base their findings that telecommuting has a positive effect on employees’ productivity and performance because, given autonomy, the organizations can choose how and when to complete tasks, aiding in improving and increasing their productivity (Jaafar & Rahim, 2022). The power of autonomy that telework issues to employees has been approved by some researchers as contributing to the increased performance and productivity of employees, as it is stated that increasing workers’ authority over delegated tasks positively influences their performance (Deole et al., 2022).
Even though some research claims that increases in productivity and performance of employees are based on telework, some researchers do not fully support the findings. For instance, an article from Anakpo et al. (2023) does not fully support the findings as it states that working from home (WFH) has differing results, both negative and positive job outcomes, as it depends on factors such as the nature of work, employers and industry characteristics. In a study, scholars identified that employees WFH in a tertiary institution become more productive than their colleagues working in the office, while it was also documented that in other natures of work that requires more collaboration, they experience no difference in production or a negative impact (Anakpo et al., 2023). Therefore, from this research, we are able to perceive the distinct dynamics of work that lead to an increase in production, no difference, and results in a negative outcome.
Furthermore, it was identified employees’ productivity and performance escalating does not mean that telecommuting enhances employee productivity, but it typically means that organizations do not force employees to work during set hours but rather encourage them to work when it is most convenient for them when telecommuting (Deole et al., 2022). As most researchers have mostly based on the positive effects that telework creates on the productivity and performance of employees due to the flexibility it has created, most have failed to look into the different circumstances in which telework can diminish work productivity. This has been explained based on resource drain theory, which entails that the demand in one field inhibits people from meeting the expectations of another domain since individuals have to create a compromise in allocating their time and energy (Nemțeanu & Dabija, 2023).
Teleworking has been approached using this resource drain theory as it has been stated that an employee can opt out of certain work activities to better meet the needs of the family as the areas of work and family would be conflicting, which can contribute to diminished work productivity (Nemțeanu & Dabija, 2023). Can we say teleworking leads to increased workload and responsibilities such as house duties? From the adversity that telework has been linked to, we can conclude that it is not as easy for every employee as it has been projected, as the environment of employees really matters. Therefore, we can praise the impact that telework has caused by increasing the productivity and performance of employees, but we cannot ignore the percentage that is not intensely investigated on circumstances that can diminish productivity and performance.
Work-Life Balance and Well-Being
In organizations, one of the aspects that they should consider for their employees is to ensure that their well-being and work-life balance are at equilibrium since failure can distort the functionality and participation of employees in achieving the goals and objectives of a company. In the 21st century, the balance of work and life has been considered a struggle since most people do extra shifts, have part-time jobs, and on top of that, some have families. However, the initiation of telework in most companies has enabled workers to have a work-life balance since remote working provides a release from the precincts of office-based hours and provides more flexibility in time (Ivasciuc et al., 2022). According to Zahid Hussain Bhat et al. (2023), telework has had a positive impact on employees in managing their work-life balance since home-based telecommuting has been identified as limiting the feeling of strain between an employee’s private life and employment, thus contributing to an equilibrium between lives and work.
Besides, researchers have argued that telework enhances work-life balance; some have dissent as they accuse organizations of negatively affecting the functioning of this aspect from operating. For instance, it has been recognized that instead of organizations giving employees better command over the interface of work and life, WFH, in some cases, has been a headache as employees have increased their work intensity and allowed managers to have technical control over telecommuters (Zahid Hussain Bhat et al., 2023). Additionally, Elbaz et al. (2022) also agree with the concept that telework can decrease work-life balance, as parents can find themselves participating more in parental activities due to closer proximity to their children than their work and also due to disturbances.
With some of the scholars discussing the imbalance that telework causes in work and life, they did not rule out the continuation of telework but came up with various solutions. For example, Allen et al. (2021) identified that work-nonwork boundary management among employees working remotely is key, where employees are advised to dedicate an office space within the home and specify hours for working and when to do nonwork activities. Thus, despite the various controversies on telework enhancing work-life balance, solutions to employees enacting behavioral strategies, and creating appropriate conditions that ensure boundaries are managed with work and personal life, it roots that with appropriate measures, home-based telecommuting can enhance work-life balance.
The perspective on the well-being of employees on telework has been varying. Petcu et al. (2023) in their study they assessed the well-being of employees based on correlation and regression analysis from a semi-structured questionnaire and found that work-life balance ensures the well-being of telework employees, but the increase in work intensity when WFH degrades it. Thus, it was identified that without the balance of work and personal life, teleworkers are affected psychologically, such as getting anxiety and depression (Petcu et al., 2023). In the article by Kaltiainen and Hakanen (2023), the researchers used the conservation of resources (COR) theory to examine the well-being of employees working remotely and found that when a change in environment (telework) can diminish social interactions of some employees thus, leading to loss of valuable social resources which consequently lessening employee well-being. The COR theory has been identified to explain the situation intensely since the theory highlights that the depletion of resources from an individual is most likely to lead to a decrease in their well-being (Kaltiainen & Hakanen, 2023). Therefore, we see that the work-life balance and well-being of employees in telework fluctuate depending on how an employee ensures that they get satisfaction and balance between their work and personal life.
Employee Engagement and Motivation
As most organizations have transitioned to telework, the issue of employee engagement and motivation has been a predicament, as most organizations were unsure of the results. Wang et al. (2023) in their article found that teleworking has a prospective increase in employee work engagement since the work dynamics allow an upsurge in job independency. However, the author also acknowledged that despite the employee engagement that telework promotes, it can reduce engagement in the sense that there would be limited support, minimum feedback, and increased role abstruseness (Wang et al., 2023). A study by Parent-Lamarche (2022) found that several empirical studies concluded that teleworking contributes to increased work engagement by employees as it has low stress and lower work-to-home conflict. Furthermore, the authors highlighted that employee engagement is enhanced since telework has minimum disruption, such as time saved to go to work and less pressure encountered than in the office (Parent-Lamarche, 2022).
In a scholarly article by Ma et al. (2023), telecommuting on employee engagement has two sides, both negative and positive; based on the negative side through the use of the JD-R model, the authors found that employees working from home might face challenges such as occupational segregation, aloneness, and fuzzy work boundaries when telecommunicating. Through these challenges, the articles note that they consume employees’ resources such as time, energy, and emotions, affecting their psychological functioning, which reduces the work enthusiasm that workers have and, in the end, causes lower work engagement (Ma et al., 2023). On the other hand, the articles note that employee engagement can intensify with remote working as there is greater flexibility and autonomy and fewer office political role conflicts, which provides a better environment for employees to function (Ma et al., 2023).
Concerns about whether an employee who works remotely is going to be motivated to work on their assignments progressively have been an interesting concept that most organizations want to inquire about before proceeding to telework. In an investigation study done during the time of COVID-19 in Spain, it was found that employee motivation for telework is highly dependent on the supervisor’s role in ensuring that they foster employees’ sense of significance and obligation at work in order to keep them motivated (Romeo et al., 2022). Although there is a chance of an increase in the motivation of employees because of the change in environment and minimum distractions, motivation was highly based on the manager’s efforts to ensure that employees need to continue working (Romeo et al., 2022). Based on the resource of Rietveld et al. (2021), their perception of the motivation of employees is diverse as they base their investigation on self-determination theory, which claims that individuals become more intrinsically motivated when they see more relatedness and independence. Thus, they concluded that an increase in motivation for teleworking by employees depends on the satisfaction that employees get; therefore, since teleworking has more autonomy, there is a higher chance of employees having intrinsic motivation (Rietveld et al., 2020).
Therefore, we can state that employee engagement and motivation in telework are highly dependent on multiple factors to ensure a successful increase in it when employees are operating remotely. Thus, organizations should try to mitigate the negative issues that would reduce employee engagement and motivation, as they are disputes that can be dealt with easily.
Job Satisfaction and Morale
In almost all organizations, they always do not want to recruit recurrently because of higher turnover rates. One of the issues that come with a higher turnover rate is employees having lower job satisfaction. With the introduction of telework, the question that comes to mind for most employees is: Will telework increase their job satisfaction and morale? In the study by Khan et al. (2022), the scholars found that job satisfaction and morale are associated with factors such as stress. Therefore, it was identified that the flexible work arrangements that remote work brings contribute to employees’ happiness, hence less stress, meaning higher job satisfaction (Khan et al., 2022). We can perceive that employee satisfaction in the job is mostly linked to a less stressful environment in which they can accomplish their work. It was also recognized that since WFH has fewer distractions and interruptions than in a typical office setting, employees may have high job satisfaction and morale to perform their duties (Khan et al., 2022).
Despite the challenges that remote jobs come with, like lower chances of promotion and intensification of work, the research found that quite a good number of employees working remotely have higher job satisfaction and morale (Grant, 2021). Furthermore, through examination of remote jobs and satisfaction, a positive correlation was found between job satisfaction in teleworkers as they recorded a higher score in openness, diligence, and extraversion (Grant, 2021). A survey conducted on employees WFH during the COVID-19 period found that 93% of teleworkers would like to have the option to work remotely after the pandemic, and the reasons included the higher job satisfaction they get from it (Niebuhr et al., 2022). Is it factual that remote work creates more job satisfaction? This has been found to have two sides since some researchers state that through the introduction of telework, employers have been increasing remote work, thus contributing to stress-related symptoms causing a negative influence on job satisfaction (Niebuhr et al., 2022). However, these claims have not been adequately taken into consideration since there has been limited evidence to support the lower job satisfaction that remote work causes to workers. From the research, we can clinch that most employees working remotely increase their job satisfaction and morale.
Conclusion
In reviewing various resources that intensely discussed the impact of telework on employees, multiple aspects in both negative and positive implications were identified on employee dynamics causes. Several themes were scrutinized, such as productivity and performance of employees operating remotely, and most researchers found the impact to be positive as the dynamics of telework promote independence and flexibility in the work schedule. Nonetheless, some resources differed with the findings and suggested that it varies depending on factors such as the nature of work and individual circumstances. Thus, some teleworkers can reduce their performance and productivity due to aspects like minimum feedback.
Another theme that was discussed was work-life balance and well-being. Most literature states that telework has a positive impact as employees have higher independence to balance their schedules. Challenges were noted by articles that creating boundaries between work and personal life can be difficult, therefore affecting the well-being of employees. Employee engagement and motivation was another subject that various scholars explored on the influence of telework on employees, which had differing findings. This is because some articles stated that there is an increase in employee engagement and motivation on telework due to reduced work stress, but they also noted that adversity like limited social support can affect motivation and engagement. Ultimately, job satisfaction and morale were examined, and a lot of literature agreed that telework enhances employee job satisfaction and morale since it creates minimal stress and flexibility.
In the future, researchers should explore the impact of telework on employees, looking into increased workload and policies that protect employees from being exploited due to their flexible work schedules. Additionally, they should investigate the diverse needs that come with telework since environmental functionality varies with different teleworkers. Hence, solutions to ensure an optimized telework arrangement would be met by effectively scrutinizing various impacts of telework on employees on both positive and negative viewpoints.
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