University of Twente Student Theses
Working from home and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic : a moderated mediation model of supervisor support and loneliness
Rund, M. (2021) Working from home and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic : a moderated mediation model of supervisor support and loneliness.
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| Abstract: | Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way many people work by inducing an unprecedented growth in the number of employees working from home. As a consequence, employees complain about high work-related discomfort and loneliness. Due to the recency of the pandemic, research lacks insights into the influence of working from home on employees’ mental health and ways to enhance it. This study sheds light on these critical questions by testing a moderated mediation model. It is assumed that the more employees work from home, the lower is their job-related subjective well-being. Additionally, it is suggested that loneliness at work mediates this direct effect. Also, the buffering role of the perceived quality of supervisor support on the mediation is integrated into the model. Method: One hundred and sixteen German employees filled out an online questionnaire. The sample was randomly selected and consisted of 47.4% males and 52.6% females with an average age of 49.15 years (SD = 11.67), ranging from 19 years to 67 years. Results: The moderated mediation model was not significant. The extent of working from home had no impact on employees’ job-related subjective well-being and loneliness at work. The effect of loneliness at work on job-related subjective well-being was, however, negative and significant. Further, the perceived quality of supervisor support had no buffering effect on the mediation. Although not outlined in the hypotheses, the perceived quality of supervisor support had a significant main impact on loneliness at work and was moderately correlated with job-related subjective well-being. Conclusion: The results show that lonely employees tend to experience lower well-being. Further, regardless of the extent of working from home, employees’ well-being and loneliness level does not change. Thus, managers do not have to change the frequency of working from home to enhance employees’ mental health. However, the quality of supervisor support can lower employees’ loneliness and enhance their well-being. More specific implications of how managers can apply the findings are discussed. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology, 85 business administration, organizational science |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/87580 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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