Out of sight but not out of mind: The role of loneliness and hope in remote work and in job engagement

Abstract

In a world in which remote and hybrid work is becoming the new normal, the current study examines the relationship between remote work and job engagement and the roles that loneliness and hope play in this setting. Participants were 349 employees from the US and UK (170 men, 177 women, and two others), aged 21–69 (M = 38.8, SD = 9.9). The analysis identified a moderated mediation model. Among employees with low levels of loneliness, no significant relationship between remote work and job engagement was found. Remote work predicted decreased job engagement only for employees with high and moderate levels of loneliness. These results challenge the widespread assumption that remote work impairs employee engagement. Yet among employees with high levels of loneliness, hope served as a mediator between remote work and job engagement. Increasing hope may serve as an applicable intervention among lonely remote workers. Implications of our findings are discussed and interventions to increase engagement among remote and lonely employees are suggested.