Engagement and Burnout in Hybrid Work Arrangements: Effects of Leadership Behaviors and Frequency of Virtual Work

Abstract

In the post-pandemic era, hybrid work is poised to become the dominant working arrangement of the future. However, little is known about the effects of hybrid work arrangements (HWAs) on employee outcomes, and how managers should lead in HWAs. JD-R theory was adopted as a theoretical lens to investigate how frequency of virtual work in HWAs, task-oriented, and relations-oriented leadership behaviors are related to employee engagement and burnout. A hypothesized moderation effect of frequency of virtual work on relationships between both types of leadership behaviors with engagement and burnout was also examined. Data was collected via online questionnaire from 336 employees in a Norwegian maritime company. Correlation analysis found a significant and negative relationship between frequency of virtual work and engagement, and no significant relationship was found with burnout. Task-oriented and relations-oriented leadership behaviors were significantly and positively related to engagement and negatively related to burnout. The hypothesized moderation relationship was not found. Instead, when leadership behaviors were also taken into account, frequency of virtual work no longer negatively predicted employee engagement, while leadership positively predicted employee engagement. Post-hoc analysis examining specific leadership behaviors revealed that planning and delegating behaviors were consistently the strongest predictors of both engagement and burnout. Findings seek to inform future organizational policy regarding working arrangements, suggesting that companies can implement HWAs without compromising employee outcomes of burnout and engagement. Keywords: hybrid work, virtual work, telework, leadership behaviors, Job Demands-Resources model, engagement, burnout