Although it became predominant due to the pandemic, remote work may be disadvantageous and could encourage some employees to look elsewhere, a study conducted at the Université de Montréal (UdeM) warns.
According to the study, working from home can increase an employee’s sense of isolation and may increase work-family conflicts.
“The explanation that the more flexibility there is, the better people cope with work-life balance, is not confirmed (by the results),” summarized Professor Victor Haines, from UdeM’s School of Industrial Relations.
Professor Haines and his colleague Alain Marchand conducted the study on behalf of the Observatoire sur la santé et le mieux-être au travail de l’UdeM.
They looked at the associations between flexible work arrangements and the intention to resign between more than 1,500 employees in Quebec.
On one hand, flexibility reduces the desire to leave one’s job by increasing feelings of control and autonomy.
Flexible arrangements, the authors said, allow employees to meet certain individual needs. Employees see this as proof of their employer’s goodwill and benevolence, which increases their commitment to the job.
“Our analyses really confirm that flexibility increases employees’ sense of control,” said Haines. “And the higher the sense of control, the lower the intention to leave.”
In a social exchange, he added, the employer grants his employee a certain number of advantages and benefits, and in return, the employee is more invested in his work and has less of a desire to leave.
On the other hand, while teleworking does not necessarily reduce the feeling of support from colleagues, it does not improve it either, which amplifies the feeling of professional isolation. It could increase work-family conflicts, and encourage employees to look elsewhere.
“We don’t find very strong confirmation (in the study) that flexibility creates a work-family balance,” said Haines. “When I work from home, I have to deal with the family context and so on. So, telework is associated with more work-family conflict in our results.”
From the employer’s point of view, Haines pointed out that “there are definitely more risks associated with teleworking than with flexible hours.”
“Both measures are aimed at flexibility, but we understand that from a qualitative point of view, it is very different to offer a variable schedule, a flexible timetable, versus teleworking,” he concluded.
The survey was conducted in collaboration with Sylvie Guerrero from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its findings have been published in The International Journal of Human Resource Management.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews