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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

Author

Listed:
  • Timo Kortsch

    (Department of Health and Social Work, IU International University, 99084 Erfurt, Germany)

  • Ricarda Rehwaldt

    (Department of Business and Management, IU International University, 99084 Erfurt, Germany)

  • Manon E. Schwake

    (Department of Education & Social Sciences, University of Hildesheim, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany)

  • Chantal Licari

    (FELICICON GmbH, 13127 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

(1) Background: In view of the advancing digitalization of the German banking sector, offering remote work can be an opportunity for banks to meet changing customer and employee needs at the same time. It allows flexible consultations at changing locations and, due to the high degree of autonomy, it also increases motivation, meaningfulness, happiness at work, and commitment. (2) Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental design to investigate how remote work affects happiness at work and affective commitment among employees in a German public bank. Therefore, two groups of customer advisors were examined, who work either remotely (N = 32) or stationary (N = 110) at similar tasks. (3) Results: The group comparisons show significantly higher values overall on three of the investigated four happiness dimensions (“meaningfulness”, “self-actualization”, and “community professional”) for employees in the remote group. Commitment also differs, as employees in the remote group show significantly stronger commitment. The quantitative results were confirmed by qualitative interviews. (4) Conclusions: By investigating the positive effects of remote working, this study shows new findings on what is likely to be a growing design form of New Work in the future. The study provides evidence that self-selected work environments and working hours offer an opportunity to make work more conducive to happiness—even in a sector that still undergoes significant shifts.

Suggested Citation

  • Timo Kortsch & Ricarda Rehwaldt & Manon E. Schwake & 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," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-13, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:15:p:9117-:d:872104
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Behr, Patrick & Schmidt, Reinhard H., 2015. "The German banking system: Characteristics and challenges," SAFE White Paper Series 32, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    5. Alice M. Isen & Andrew S. Rosenzweig & Mark J. Young, 1991. "The Influence of Positive Affect on Clinical Problem solving," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 11(3), pages 221-227, August.
    6. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve & Christian Krekel & George Ward, 2019. "Employee wellbeing, productivity and firm performance," CEP Discussion Papers dp1605, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
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