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How does employee cultural background influence the effects of telework on job stress? The roles of power distance, individualism, and beliefs about telework

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  • Adamovic, Mladen

Abstract

Previous research into telework and job stress is characterized by inconsistent findings and reported beneficial, nonsignificant, and dysfunctional effects of telework on employees’ job stress levels and well-being. To investigate when the effects of telework on job stress are beneficial versus dysfunctional, the study draws on telework research and cultural value theory and analyzes the moderating role of employee cultural background (i.e., individualism and power distance), the influence of which on the effects of telework is expected to be transmitted by an employee’s beliefs about telework effectiveness and isolation. Although prior research analyzed the effects of telework in different occupations and industries, a very important matter has received very little attention – namely, the effects of telework on job stress across employees with different cultural backgrounds. To successfully implement telework arrangements, organizations must know whether employee cultural background influences the effectiveness of telework. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the related implementation of telework arrangements in many countries amplify the importance of understanding the influence of culture on the effects of telework on employee well-being. The hypotheses are tested through a three-wave survey study with 604 teleworkers from different countries. The results indicate that telework only reduces job stress when employees do not believe that telework will lead to social isolation. The study further expands telework research by showing that employees with high power distance scores have negative beliefs about telework, whereas employees with high individualism scores have positive beliefs about the effectiveness of telework.

Suggested Citation

  • Adamovic, Mladen, 2022. "How does employee cultural background influence the effects of telework on job stress? The roles of power distance, individualism, and beliefs about telework," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:62:y:2022:i:c:s0268401221001304
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102437
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Reinaldo Sousa Santos & Sílvia dos Santos Pereira, 2023. "For Telework, Please Dial 7—Qualitative Study on the Impacts of Telework on the Well-Being of Contact Center Employees during the COVID19 Pandemic in Portugal," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-25, September.
    2. Agota Giedrė Raišienė & Evelina Danauskė & Karolina Kavaliauskienė & Vida Gudžinskienė, 2023. "Occupational Stress-Induced Consequences to Employees in the Context of Teleworking from Home: A Preliminary Study," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Colaço, Rui & Kappler, Laísa Braga & de Abreu e Silva, João, 2024. "Pandemic immobilities and consequences for commuting: Implications for mobility of COVID-19 mandatory telecommuting," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    4. Filomena Almeida & Helena Rodrigues & Patrícia Freitas, 2024. "“No Need to Dress to Impress” Evidence on Teleworking during and after the Pandemic: A Systematic Review," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-34, April.
    5. Hiina Domae & Masataka Nakayama & Kosuke Takemura & Yasushi Watanabe & Matthias S. Gobel & Yukiko Uchida, 2024. "Antecedents and consequences of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic: a natural experiment in Japan," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Jorge De Andres-Sanchez & Angel Belzunegui-Eraso & Mar Souto-Romero, 2023. "Perception of the Effects of Working from Home on Isolation and Stress by Spanish Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-25, January.
    7. Saura, Jose Ramon & Ribeiro-Soriano, Domingo & Zegarra Saldaña, Pablo, 2022. "Exploring the challenges of remote work on Twitter users' sentiments: From digital technology development to a post-pandemic era," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 242-254.
    8. Motamarri, Saradhi & Akter, Shahriar & Hossain, Md Afnan & Dwivedi, Yogesh K, 2022. "How does remote analytics empowerment capability payoff in the emerging industrial revolution?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1163-1174.

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