The Impact of Working Arrangement on Employee Job Performance : Measuring and understanding by using the Job Demands- Resources model

Abstract

Covid-19 has led to lasting changes in working life. Remote work has become increasingly prevalent, and many organizations are adopting more flexible working arrangements that allow employees to work from their homes. Such changes in employees’ working arrangements are believed to have an impact on how they perform at work. In this thesis we investigate how different working arrangements (in-office, hybrid, home office) affect job performance. By using the Job Demands- Resources model, we initially expected working arrangements to impact employees’ job resources, job demands, motivation, and burnout, all of which ultimately influences their job performance. By employing a cross-sectional research design, data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. A total of 204 responses were collected from Norwegian employees representing various occupations and industries whereby 187 of the responses were used in the study. Through our analyses, no significant relationship was detected between working arrangements and job demands, burnout, and in-role performance. However, several significant differences were found between the working arrangements, especially between home office workers and in-office workers. Findings revealed that employees working from home scored significantly higher on job resources, intrinsic motivation, and extra-role performance, whereas those located in-office showed significantly higher scores on extrinsic motivation. These findings indicate that organizations can benefit from allowing employees flexible working arrangements that enables them to work from home. Key words: Covid-19, Working Arrangements, In-Office, Hybrid, Home Office, Job Resources, Job Demands, Motivation, Burnout, Job Performance