The joint role of HRM and leadership for teleworker well-being - An analysis during COVID-19

Abstract

The sudden and extensive implementation of telework at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the well-being of employees. In our study, we identify telework specific sets of HRM practices and leadership behaviors and examine their joint effects on teleworkers’ happiness, relational and health well-being. In particular, we hypothesize social isolation and psychological strain to serve as mediators in explaining work engagement and job satisfaction in two different models. We also expect that HRM and leadership should interact and reinforce each other. Our analysis are based on data from German teleworkers from two consecutive time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings reveal differentiated and complementary effects of telework-oriented HRM and leadership. We also identify the components that contribute most to the provision of teleworker well-being and therewith provide detailed insights that enable organizations and leaders to care for teleworker well-being successfully.