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Flexible work designs and employee well‐being: examining the effects of resources and demands
Author(s) -
Hoeven Claartje L.,
Zoonen Ward
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
new technology, work and employment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.889
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1468-005X
pISSN - 0268-1072
DOI - 10.1111/ntwe.12052
Subject(s) - flexibility (engineering) , autonomy , work (physics) , work–life balance , well being , employee engagement , knowledge management , employee research , balance (ability) , business , process management , computer science , psychology , public relations , engineering , management , political science , economics , mechanical engineering , neuroscience , law , psychotherapist
Advances in communication technology continue to expand the possibilities for redesigning work environments to allow for temporal and spatial flexibility. Although flexible work designs ( FWDs ) are typically launched with high expectations, recent research shows that FWDs also pose challenges to employees and can even impede employee well‐being. Based on the J ob D emands– R esources model, we argue that FWDs offer both advantages ( FWD ‐related resources) and challenges ( FWD ‐related demands) to employee well‐being. The results ( n = 999) show that FWDs are related to employee well‐being through several positive and one negative pathways. FWDs are positively associated with employee well‐being through enhanced work/life balance, autonomy, and effective communication and negatively associated with employee well‐being through increased interruptions. Thus, we introduce a framework that reveals the underlying positive and negative mechanisms in the relationship between FWDs and employee well‐being.