International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

Working From Home: Analysing Employees’ Perspective on Flexibility, Work-Life Balance and Work Performance

Open access

Nur Husna Serip Mohamad, Nadia Anuar, Hidayu Shafie, Nurhilleny Rosly, Nurul Syafieqah Jaafar, Muhammad Zulfadhli Saifuddin

Pages 1913-1931 Received: 12 Aug, 2022 Revised: 14 Sep, 2022 Published Online: 09 Oct, 2022

http://dx.doi.org/10.46886/IJARBSS/v12-i10/11987
Public and government organisations started to offer working from home (WFH) as part of the COVID-19 preventive measure. Working from home however, has its challenging aspects due to adaptations to its working style which may negatively impact work performance. The primary objective of this study is to analyse the influence of flexibility and work-life balance on employees’ work performance when WFH. A quantitative methodology was employed in this study and questionnaire was used for data collection. The 29-item questionnaire was distributed to private and government employees using the simple random sampling method via Google Forms. Data were obtained from 201 employees and a preliminary t-test was conducted which highlighted that there was no significant difference between government and private employees’ responses. Subsequently, descriptive analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to fulfil the formulated research objectives. The multiple regression results illustrated that the total variance of work performance explained by flexibility and work-life balance was 44%. However, the findings revealed that the influence of flexibility on work-from-home performance was not significant. A notable finding of this study is that work-life balance was identified to be a significant predictor of employees’ work performance. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that work-life balance is an important facet that needs to be considered when implementing work-from-home policies. This is because working from home is still heavily practised in many organisations despite the reduction in the number Covid-19 cases.
Abdullah, N. A. A., Rahmat, N. H., Zawawi, F. Z., Khamsah, M. A. N., & Anuarsham, A. H. (2020). Coping with post COVID-19: Can work from home be a new norm? European Journal of Social Science Studies, 5(6), 61-81.
https://oapub.org/soc/index.php/EJSSS/article/view/933
Aczel, B., Kovacs, M., Lippe, V. D. T., & Szaszi, B. (2021). Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges. PLos ONE, 16(3), 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249127
Au, W. C., Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, U., Tan, Y. S., & Ahmed, P. K. (2019). The work-life experiences of an invisible workforce: The case of live-in women migrant domestic workers in Malaysia. Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, 39(5), 567-583. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-02-2019-0059
Bala Krishan, D. (2021). Study: WFH may remain post-Covid-19. New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/04/678941/study-wfh-may-remain-post-covid-19
Barbieri, B., Balia, S., Sulis, I., Cois, E., Cabras, C., Atzara, S., & Simone, S, D. (2021). Don’t call it smart: Working from home during the pandemic crisis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.741585
Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., & Davis, S. J. (2020). 60 million fewer commuting hours per day: How Americans use time saved by working from home (University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2020-132). https://bfi.uchicago.edu/working-paper/60-million-fewer-commuting-hours-per-day-how-americans-use-time-saved-by-working-from-home/
Bedi, R. S. (2021). Tighter MCO 3.0: 80% of govt staff, 40% of private sector to work from home, says Ismail Sabri. The Star.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/05/22/tighter-mco-30-80-of-govt-staff-40-of-private-sector-to-work-from-home-says-ismail-sabri
Bhattacharya, S., & Mittal, P. (2020). The impact of individual needs on employee performance while teleworking. Australasian Accounting Business and Finance Journal, 14(5), 65-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.14453/aabfj.v14i5.5
Bosua, R., Gloet, M., Kurnia, S., Mendoza, A., & Yong, J. (2013). Telework, productivity and wellbeing: An Australian perspective. Telecommunications of Australia, 63(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.7790/tja.v63i1.390
Bouziri, H., Smith, D. R., Descatha, A., Dab, W., & Jean, K. (2020). Working from home in the time of COVID-19: How to best preserve occupational health? Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 77(7), 509-510. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2020-106599
Chatterjee, S., Chaudhuri, R., & Vrontis, D. (2022). Does remote work flexibility enhance organization performance? Moderating role of organization policy and top management support. Journal of Business Research, 139, 1501-1512.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.10.069
Choukir, J., Alqahtani, M. S., Khalil, E., & Mohamed, E. (2022). Effects of working from home on job performance: Empirical evidence in the Saudi context during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(6), 1–18.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063216
Chung, H., Seo, H., Forbes, H., & Birkett, H. (2020). Working from home during the COVID-19 lockdown: Changing preferences and the future of work (Report No. DPC 130423 07/20). University of Birmingham.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-social-sciences/business/research/wirc/epp-working-from-home-COVID-19-lockdown.pdf
Conway, M. W., Salon, D., da Silva, D. C., & Mirtich, L. (2020). How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect the future of urban life? Early evidence from highly educated respondents in the United States. Urban Science, 4(4), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4040050
Cousins, B. (2020). What affiliation motivation has to do with remote work culture. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/12/29/what-affiliation-motivation-has-to-do-with-remote-work-culture/?sh=33d5e91e5ad1
Daft, R. L. (2008). The Leadership Experience. Cengage Learning.
Daud, K., Turiman, M. S., Rahmat, N. H., & Kasi, P. M. (2021). Working from home in the new normal: Perceived benefits and challenges. In International Virtual Symposium: Research, Industry & Community Engagement (RICE 2021). https://www.academia.edu/49380626/WORKING_FROM_HOME_IN_THE_NEW_NORMAL_PERCEIVED_BENEFITS_AND_CHALLENGES
Davidescu, A. A., Apostu, S. A., Paul, A., & Casuneanu, I. (2020). Work flexibility, job satisfaction, and job performance among Romanian employees—Implications for sustainable human resource management. Sustainability, 12(15), 1-53. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156086
Jager, D. S., Born, M., & Der Molen, H. K. (2017). Self-other agreement between employees on their need for achievement, power, and affiliation: A social relations study. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 2(1),?1–12. https://doi.org/10.16993/sjwop.29
Formankova, L., & Krizkova, A. (2015). Flexibility trap – the effects of flexible working on the position of female professionals and managers within a corporate environment. Gender in Management: AnInternational Journal, 30(3), 225-238. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/GM-03-2014-0027
Figueroa, J. F., Wadhera, R. K., Mehtsun, W. T., Riley, K., Phelan, J., & Jha, A. K. (2021). Association of race, ethnicity, and community-level factors with COVID-19 cases and deaths across US counties. Healthcare, 9(1), 1-5.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100495
Gaskell, A. (2020). Is a blurred work-life balance the new normal? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2020/05/11/is-a-blurred-work-life-balance-the-new-normal/?sh=5f9a14621813
Ghislieri, C., Sanseverino, D., Addabbo, T., Bochicchio, V., Musumeci, R., Picardi, I., Tomio, P., Guidetti, G., & Converso, D. (2022). The show must go on?: A snapshot of Italian academic working life during mandatory work from home through the results of a national survey. Social Sciences, 11(3), 1–22.
https://doi.org/https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/3/111
Grant, M. J. (2021). Remote Working and its impact on Employee Job Satisfaction During COVID-19. [Master’s thesis, Winona State University]. Leadership Education Capstones. https://openriver.winona.edu/leadershipeducationcapstones/60
Hashim, R., Bakar, A., Noh, I., & Mahyudin, H. A. (2020). Employees’ job satisfaction and performance through working from home during the pandemic lockdown. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 5(15), 461-467.
https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2515
Ipsen, C., van Veldhoven, M., Kirchner, K., & Hansen, J. P. (2021). Six key advantages and disadvantages of working from home in Europe during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1-17.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041826
Kohont, A., & Ignjatovic, M. (2022). Organisational support of working from home?: Aftermath of COVID-19 from the perspective of workers and leaders. Sustainability, 14(9), 1–16. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095107
Kong, X., Zhang, A., Xiao, X., Das, S., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Work from home in the Post-COVID World. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 10(2), 1118-1131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2022.04.002
Kossek, E. E., & Michel, J. S. (2011). Flexible work schedules. In S. Zedeck (Eds.), APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 1. Building and Developing the Organization (pp. 535–572). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/12169-017
Lafferty, A., Phillips, D., Dowling-Hetherington, L., Fahy, M., Moloney, B., Duffy, C., Paul, G., Fealy, G., & Kroll, T. (2022). Colliding worlds: Family carers’ experiences of balancing work and care in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health and Social Care in the Community, 30(3), 1133–1142. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13365
Lonska, J., Mietule, I., Litavniece, L., Arbidane, I., Vanadzins, I., Matisane, L., & Paegle, L. (2021). Work–life balance of the employed population during the emergency situation of COVID-19 in Latvia. Front. Psychol., 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682459
McClelland, D.C. (1987) Human Motivation. Cambridge University Press.
Md Shah, A. U, Safri, S. N. A., Thevadas, R., Noordin, N. K., Abd Rahman, A., Sekawi, Z., Ideris, A., & Sultan, M. T. H. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia: Actions taken by the Malaysian government. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 97, 108-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.05.093
Mohamad, Z. S., & Despois, D. Y. (2022). Spillover-crossover effects of work-life conflict among married academicians in private university. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 30(1), 139–157. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.30.1.08
Muda, H., Loganathan, N., Awang, Z., Jusoh, H., & Baba, Z. S. (2018). Application of Theory, Methodology and Analysis in Conducting Research. Penerbit Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Kuala Terengganu.
Mustajab, D., Bauw, A., Rasyid, A., Irawan, A., Akbar, M. A., & Hamid, M. A. (2020). Working from home phenomenon as an effort to prevent COVID-19 attacks and its impacts on work productivity. TIJAB (The International Journal of Applied Business), 4(1), 13-21. https://doi.org/10.20473/tijab.V4.I1.2020.13-21
Ndubisi, N. O., & Kahraman, C. (2005). Teleworking adoption decision?making processes: Multinational and Malaysian firms comparison. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 18(2). 150-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410390510579891
Nunnally, J., & Bernstein, I. (1994). Psychometric Theory (3rd ed). McGraw-Hill.
Prihadi, K. D., Lim, E. S. Z., Chan, K. C., Lee, S. M. H., & Ridwan, A. (2021). Efficacy of working from home among urban professionals in Malaysia during the pandemic: The robust predictive role of mattering. International Journal of Public Health Science, 10(1), 215–220. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v10i1.20736
Purwanto, A., Asbari, M., Fahlevi, M., Mufid, A., Agistiawati, E., Cahyono, Y., & Suryani, P. (2020). Impact of work from home (WFH) on Indonesian teachers performance during the Covid-19 pandemic: An exploratory study. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(5), 6235-6244.
Rupietta, K., & Beckmann, M. (2016). Working from home – What is the effect on employees’ effort? (WWZ Working Paper 2016/07).
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/154352834.pdf
Schieman, S., Badawy, P., & Hill, D. (2022). Did perceptions of supportive work – life culture change during the COVID-19 pandemic? Journal of Marriage and Family, 84(2), 655–672. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12826
Shareena, P., & Shahid, M. (2020). Work from home during COVID 19: Employees Perception and Experiences. Global Journal for Research Analysis, 9(5). 1-3. https://www.doi.org/10.36106/gjra
Shifrin, N. V., & Michel, J. S. (2021). Flexible work arrangements and employee health: A meta-analytic review. Work & Stress, 36(1), 60-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2021.1936287
Siegling, A. B., & Petrides, K. V. (2020). Motivation (Achievement, Affiliation, Power). In Carducci, B. J., Nave, C. S., Di Fabio, A., Saklofske, D. H., & Stough, C. (Eds.), The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences: Personality Processes and Individual Differences (pp. 299-303). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119547174.ch228
Singh, K. (2011). Study of achievement motivation in relation to academic achievement of students. International Journal of Educational Planning & Administration, 1(2), 161-171. https://www.ripublication.com/ijepa/ijepav1n2_8.pdf
Sivanandham, H. (2021). More Malaysians working from home than global average, survey finds. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/01/21/more-malaysians-working-from-home-than-global-average-survey-finds
Sokolowski, K., & Heckhausen, H. (2008). Social bonding: Affiliation motivation and intimacy motivation. In Heckhausen, J., & Heckhausen, H. (Eds.), Motivation and Action, (pp. 184–201). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/ CBO9780511499821.008
Sooriyapperuma, W., & Nawarathna, C. L. K. (2021). ‘Determinants of Employees’ Job Satisfaction when working from home; with particular reference to the telecommunication and software companies in Colombo district Sri Lanka. Asian J. Soc. Sci. Manag. Technol., 3(2), 47-61. http://www.ajssmt.com/Papers/324761.pdf
Tambou, S. M., Abd Rahim, N., & Sabar, A. M. N. (2021). The National-International Employee And Employer Perspective On Work From Home. Putrajaya: Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia.
Teh, B. H., Hooi, P. C., Loh, Y. L., San Ong, T., & Hong, Y. H. (2013). Enhancing the implementation of telecommuting (work from home) in Malaysia. Asian social science, 9(7), 1-11. 10.5539/ass.v9n7p1
Vyas, L., & Butakhieo, N. (2021). The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: An exploratory study on Hong Kong. Policy design and practice, 4(1), 59-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2020.1863560
Zamani, N. F. M., Ghani, M. H. @ M., Radzi, S. F. M., Rahmat, N. H., Abdul Kadar, N. S., & Azram, A. A. R. (2021). A study of work from home motivation among employees. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 11(8), 388-398. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1.2021.118.388.398.
In-Text Citation: (Mohamad et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Mohamad, N. H. S., Anuar, N., Hidayu Shafie, N. R., Jaafar, N. S., & Saifuddin, M. Z. (2022). Working From Home: Analysing Employees’ Perspective on Flexibility, Work-Life Balance and Work Performance. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(10), 1913– 1931.