Impact of Virtual Work on Employee’s Wellbeing: Evidence from Service Industry in Nigeria

Digitalisation has made it possible for work to be done outside of the seven-to-five workday and outside of the physical limits of the workplace. Employees’ and employers’ relationships are changing due to the digitalisation of work. This has a profound effect on the way people view their lives. The COVID-19 outbreak has encouraged those who could do their job remotely using digital technologies. Working from home impacts the workplace resources accessible to workers and the wellbeing of their colleagues and superiors. This study examines the impact of virtual work on the employee wellbeing of selected organisations in the Nigerian service industry. The survey research design was employed where four hundred and eighty-six respondents were sampled using a structured questionnaire. The ordinary Least squares regression technique was used to analyse the interactions among the study variables. The findings reveal that virtual work significantly influences employees’ emotional exhaustion, psychological wellbeing and work-life balance. Based on the findings, the study concludes that virtual work is a key driver of employee wellbeing in the Nigerian service industry. The study recommends that human resources managers and relevant stakeholders in the service industry maintain a proper mix of employees’ remote working and physical presence in the office.