Does Remote Work Make People Happy? Effects of Flexibilization of Work Location and Working Hours on Happiness at Work and Affective Commitment in the German Banking Sector
Abstract
:1. Introduction and Theoretical Background
1.1. Challenges of the German Banking Sector
1.2. Remote Work as an Alternative to Work Design
1.3. Effects of Remote Work on Happiness at Work
1.4. Effects of Remote Work on Commitment
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Pre-Study
2.2. Study Design and Sample
2.3. Instruments
3. Results
3.1. Statistical Analyses
3.2. Results for the Hypotheses
4. Discussion
4.1. Theoretical Implications
4.2. Practical Implications
4.3. Limitations and Further Research
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Category | Sample Quotes |
---|---|
Personal autonomy and scope for action |
|
Innovation, initiative, ideas |
|
Customer orientation or relationship orientation |
|
Support and exchange with colleagues and manager (community) |
|
Category | Sample Quotes |
---|---|
Belonging |
|
Fixed communication structures |
|
Characteristic | Branch Group (N = 110) | Remote Group (N = 32) |
---|---|---|
Gender (% female) | 54.55% | 46.88% |
Proportion of managers | 17.27% | 18.75% |
Age groups: | ||
18–25 years | 5.45% | 3.13% |
26–35 years | 13.64% | 28.13% |
36–45 years | 20% | 43.75% |
46–55 years | 49.09% | 21.88% |
56–65 years | 11.82% | 3.13% |
Employment relationship: | ||
Full-time, permanent | 75.45% | 96.88% |
Full-time, limited | 1.82% | 3.13% |
Part-time, unlimited | 18.18% | 0.00% |
Part-time, limited | 4.55% | 0.00% |
Length of service: | ||
0–5 years | 2.73% | 3.13% |
5–10 years | 7.27% | 18.75% |
10–15 years | 10.91% | 12.5% |
15–20 years | 7.27% | 9.38% |
Over 20 years | 71.82% | 56.25% |
Happiness Factor | Group | N | M | SD | Cohen’s d | Group Comparison | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | p | |||||||
Self-actualization | Remote | 32 | 4.13 | 0.51 | 1.03 | 2790.00 | <0.001 | |
Branch | 111 | 3.37 | 0.78 | |||||
Meaningfulness | Remote | 32 | 4.29 | 0.59 | 0.95 | 2695.00 | <0.001 | |
Branch | 111 | 3.61 | 0.75 | |||||
Community professional | Remote | 32 | 4.26 | 0.40 | 0.88 | 2655.50 | <0.001 | |
Branch | 111 | 3.64 | 0.77 | |||||
Community familiar | Remote | 32 | 3.98 | 0.64 | 0.36 | 2120.00 | >0.05 | |
Branch | 111 | 3.70 | 0.82 |
Commitment Focus | Group | N | M | SD | Cohen’s d | Group Comparison | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | p | ||||||
Commitment to the company | Remote | 32 | 4.49 | 0.92 | 0.41 | 2308.00 | <0.01 |
Branch | 111 | 4.12 | 0.90 | ||||
Commitment to the job | Remote | 32 | 4.16 | 1.21 | 0.54 | 2597.50 | <0.001 |
Branch | 111 | 3.66 | 0.81 | ||||
Commitment to the team | Remote | 32 | 4.41 | 0.48 | 0.65 | 2356.00 | <0.01 |
Branch | 111 | 3.80 | 1.02 |
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Kortsch, T.; Rehwaldt, R.; Schwake, M.E.; Licari, C. Does Remote Work Make People Happy? Effects of Flexibilization of Work Location and Working Hours on Happiness at Work and Affective Commitment in the German Banking Sector. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 9117. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159117
Kortsch T, Rehwaldt R, Schwake ME, Licari C. Does Remote Work Make People Happy? Effects of Flexibilization of Work Location and Working Hours on Happiness at Work and Affective Commitment in the German Banking Sector. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(15):9117. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159117
Chicago/Turabian StyleKortsch, Timo, Ricarda Rehwaldt, Manon E. Schwake, and Chantal Licari. 2022. "Does Remote Work Make People Happy? Effects of Flexibilization of Work Location and Working Hours on Happiness at Work and Affective Commitment in the German Banking Sector" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 15: 9117. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159117