Telework is an attractive practice that is growing in popularity: avoiding traffic jams, managing your own work hours, being more available for family… at first glance, it seems like an ideal solution! However, it is not clear that this solution can be customized, or is even customizable, for everyone. In fact, telework can be synonymous with stress and tensions, and can reduce many people’s well-being. For this reason, despite the advantages of telework for some people, you must be prudent when adopting this approach on a large scale.
Perry and colleagues (2017) wanted to understand the effect of telework on employees’ well-being, based on the proportion of work done remotely. To meet this challenge, they had access to two theories: the demand-control-person model and the motivational theory of self-determination. Based on earlier research results on the subject, the authors identified personality (emotional stability) and autonomy as two variables having an influence on the degree of employee well-being and the tensions experienced in the context of telework.
Legend : Recommendation of our expertS
Expert adviserS:
- Sarah LEBLANC, doctoral candidate in organizational psychology, Université de Sherbrooke
Philippe LONGPRÉ, Ph.D., psy., CRHA, assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Université de Sherbrooke
Authors:
- Étienne FOUQUET, research assistant, Université de Sherbrooke
Josée CHARBONNEAU, research assistant, Université de Sherbrooke
This initiative was made possible through a collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke.
THE DEMAND-CONTROL-PERSON MODEL
The demand-control-person model takes into account the balance between demand and resources. “Demand” refers to work-related requirements (for example, long work hours or expected performance). “Control” is related to the employee’s degree of autonomy (for example, flexibility regarding the use of their time and a sense of competence in carrying out their tasks). Finally, the “person” aspect corresponds to the employee’s personal characteristics (for example, emotional stability).
According to this model, demands can have negative effects on the well-being of employees, who use personal resources and control to cushion these effects. A demand can therefore become stimulating, in cases where personal resources and control are mobilized.
THE MOTIVATIONAL THEORY OF SELF-DETERMINATION
The self-determination model supposes that all people have common innate needs: that is, a sense of competence, autonomy and belonging. The satisfying of these needs translates into employees’ well-being and motivation at work.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY :
Telework
Telework refers to working in a place that is different from the main workplace – that is, in a place that is not a primary office used by the organization, such as the home, cafés or client locations. Based on this definition, a satellite office of the organization would not be considered telework, because it is merely an extension of the primary workplace.
Tensions
This is a state of reduced well-being that happens when a person’s resources (energy, support, time, personal characteristics) are threatened or depleted, which prevents them from effectively managing demands related to work, achieving set objectives or engaging in their personal and professional development. The authors present three types of tensions:
- Burnout: an overall decrease in psychological and emotional energy needed to accomplish certain work-related tasks;
- Disengagement: a low degree of engagement and dedication towards work;
- Dissatisfaction: a negative attitude that develops based on an employee’s judgment of their overall experience of work.
Autonomy
Autonomy refers to the degree of flexibility an employee has to plan and organize their work, as well as to determine the means they will use to achieve their objectives. Autonomy involves not only the workplace (where?), but also and especially how to carry out the tasks (how?).
In this text, autonomy and emotional stability are the variables influencing the degree of employee well-being. However, the need for autonomy as defined in the theory of self-determination refers to employees’ perception of their ability to “structure and how and when they do their particular tasks.”
Emotional stability
Emotional stability is a person’s general tendency to remain calm, relaxed and confident in the face of stressful situations, which allows them to not be bothered by such situations. It is a personality trait that encourages greater autonomy. In this way, employees with higher levels of emotional stability are better equipped to manage both the challenges and the benefits involved in telework.
Method
The researchers did their analysis based on the results of these two studies:
Study 1: Demand-control-person
Study 1 aimed to collect data related to demands and control.
In total, 258 active adults who were working full-time participated in two surveys, which were done at three-month intervals, through the online survey platform MarketTools Zoomerang, which included participants from several countries.
L'échantillon final comprenait :
- 55% women and 45% men;
- Average age: 45 years;
- Average seniority: 9 years;
- Average number of hours worked per week: 43;
- Average salary: $44,882;
- 62% had an associate diploma;
- 34% worked remotely to a certain extent during the three-month period.
Study 2: Self-determination
Study 2 aimed to collect data related to innate needs.
In total, 145 full-time professional employees from three organizations in the southern United States (an engineering firm, a technology firm, and a local government agency composed of human resource personnel and managers or immediate supervisors) had to complete an online questionnaire. These organizations offered employees the possibility of working remotely.
The final sample included:
- 41% women;
- 39% were members of a minority;
- Average age: 44.3 years;
- Average seniority: 7.4 years;
- Average number of hours worked per week: 41.9;
- Average salary: $66,918;
- 41% had an associate diploma or higher.
WHAT DO THE STUDY’S RESULTS SHOW?
The greater the employee’s autonomy and emotional stability, the less likely they are to experience tensions related to telework. Here are four possible scenarios:
High levels of autonomy and emotional stability.
- Employees who find themselves in this situation would be more able to meet their needs for competence, autonomy and belonging, which would increase their ability to manage work demands and the related stress.
- For these employees, telework generally does not have a negative effect on their well-being.
- For these employees, the more hours of telework there are, the less tension there is.
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