International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

The Relationship between Remote Working and Individual Work Performance Mediated by Satisfaction with Work-Life Balance

Open access
The main purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between remote working and individual work performance and if satisfaction with work-life balance could mediate such a relationship. Using purposive sampling techniques, a group of 110 employees of a utility company in Sarawak, Malaysia, completed a self-report questionnaire encompassing sociodemographic information and the following measures: remote working scale, satisfaction with work-life balance scale, and individual work performance scale. The survey data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS v26.0 and PROCESS. The study’s findings confirmed the mediating role of satisfaction with work-life balance in the relationship between remote working and individual work performance. In conclusion, the finding of this study is in line with the Social Exchange Theory in terms of the reciprocity mechanism where remote working meets an employee’s higher level of satisfaction with work-life balance, they will, in return, express their commitment through their performance by increasing their task and contextual performance and decreasing counterproductive work behavior.
Albion, M. J. (2004). A Measure of Attitudes Towards Flexible Work Options. Australian Journal of Management, 29(2), 275–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/031289620402900207
Mohd Noor, A. N. (2021, March 11). WFH concept may not suit everyone. Www.Thesundaily.My. Retrieved June 3, 2022, from https://www.thesundaily.my/local/wfh-concept-may-not-suit-everyone-DA7174894
Anderson, D., & Kelliher, C. (2020). Enforced remote working and the work-life interface during lockdown. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 35(7/8), 677–683. https://doi.org/10.1108/gm-07-2020-0224
Beham, B., & Drobni?, S. (2010). Satisfaction with work?family balance among German office workers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25(6), 669–689. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941011056987
Brough, P., Hassan, Z., & O’Driscoll, M. (2014). Work-Life Enrichment. Psychosocial Factors at Work in the Asia Pacific, 323–336. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8975-2_17
Campo, A. M. D. V., Avolio, B., & Carlier, S. I. (2021). The Relationship Between Telework, Job Performance, Work–Life Balance and Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviours in the Context of COVID-19. Global Business Review, 097215092110499. https://doi.org/10.1177/09721509211049918
Charron, K. F., & Lowe, D. J. (2005). Factors that affect accountant’s perceptions of alternative work arrangements. Accounting Forum, 29(2), 191–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2004.10.002
Cropanzano, R., Anthony, E. L., Daniels, S. R., & Hall, A. V. (2017). Social Exchange Theory: A Critical Review with Theoretical Remedies. Academy of Management Annals, 11(1), 479–516. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2015.0099
Davis, S. N., & Tuttle, J. D. (2017). Context, Opportunity, and Demands: Satisfaction with Work-Life Balance in 26 Countries. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 48(4), 329–348. https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.48.4.329
Farooq, R., & Sultana, A. (2021). The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on work from home and employee productivity. Measuring Business Excellence, 26(3), 308–325. https://doi.org/10.1108/mbe-12-2020-0173
Ferreira, R., Pereira, R., Bianchi, I. S., & da Silva, M. M. (2021). Decision Factors for Remote Work Adoption: Advantages, Disadvantages, Driving Forces and Challenges. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010070
Flexible Work Arrangements Income Tax Deduction - Initiatives. (n.d.). TalentCorp Malaysia. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from https://www.talentcorp.com.my/fwatax
Greenhaus, J. H., Collins, K. M., & Shaw, J. D. (2003). The relation between work–family balance and quality of life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3), 510–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0001-8791(02)00042-8
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach. Guilford Press.
Inamdar, A. (2022, May 4). Improving Employee Performance During Remote Work. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/05/03/improving-employee-performance-during-remote-work/?sh=213c632d341f
Israel, G. D. (1992). Determining sample size. University of Florida https://www.psycholosphere.com/Determining%20sample%20size%20by%20Glen%20Israel.pdf
Jackson, L. T., & Fransman, E. I. (2018). Flexi work, financial well-being, work–life balance and their effects on subjective experiences of productivity and job satisfaction of females in an institution of higher learning. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v21i1.1487
Kong, E., Hassan, Z., & Abdullah Bandar, N. F. (2020). The Mediating Role of Leisure Satisfaction between Work and Family Domain and Work-Life Balance. Journal of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development, 6(1), 44–66. https://doi.org/10.33736/jcshd.1603.2020
Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C., Hildebrandt, V., van Buuren, S., van der Beek, A. J., & de Vet, H. C. (2012). Development of an individual work performance questionnaire. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 62(1), 6–28. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410401311285273
Madsen, S. R. (2006). Work and family conflict: Can home-based teleworking make a difference? International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 9(3), 307–350. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijotb-09-03-2006-b002
Majority of surveyed Malaysia employees prefer flexible ways of working post-COVID-19 pandemic. (2021, July 5). [Press release]. https://www.ey.com/en_my/news/2021/07/majority-of-surveyed-malaysia-employees-prefer-flexible-ways-of-working-post-covid-19-pandemic
Metselaar, S. A., den Dulk, L., & Vermeeren, B. (2022). Teleworking at Different Locations Outside the Office: Consequences for Perceived Performance and the Mediating Role of Autonomy and Work-Life Balance Satisfaction. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 0734371X2210874. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x221087421
Miheli?, K. K., & Aleksi?, D. (2017). “Dear Employer, Let Me Introduce Myself” – Flow, Satisfaction with Work–Life Balance and Millennials’ Creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 29(4), 397–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2017.1376503
Nakrošien?, A., Bu?i?nien?, I., & Goštautait?, B. (2019). Working from home: characteristics and outcomes of telework. International Journal of Manpower, 40(1), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm-07-2017-0172
Ortiz-Bonnin, S., Blahopoulou, J., García-Buades, M. E., & Montañez-Juan, M. (2022). Work-life balance satisfaction in crisis times: from luxury to necessity – The role of organization’s responses during COVID-19 lockdown. Personnel Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-07-2021-0484
Palumbo, R. (2020). Let me go to the office! An investigation into the side effects of working from home on work-life balance. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 33(6/7), 771–790. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm-06-2020-0150
Palumbo, R., Flamini, G., Gnan, L., Pellegrini, M.M., Petrolo, D. and Fakhar Manesh, M. (2022), "Disentangling the implications of teleworking on work–life balance: a serial mediation analysis through motivation and satisfaction", Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 68-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-08-2020-0156
Prakash, V. (2018). Work-life Balance: Perceptions of the Non-work Domain. IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, 7(2), 97–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/2277975218769505
Randstad Malaysia. (2021, June 14). Randstad Malaysia. Randstad. https://www.randstad.com.my/hr-trends/employer-brand/malaysian-workers-ranked-salary-over-work-life-balance/
Randstad Malaysia. (2022, April 5). Randstad Malaysia. RANDSTAD. https://www.randstad.com.my/hr-trends/workforce-trends/88-per-cent-malaysians-empowered-improve-work-life-balance/
Sharabi, M. (2017). Work, family and other life domains centrality among managers and workers according to gender. International Journal of Social Economics, 44(10), 1307–1321. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijse-02-2016-0056
Shirmohammadi, M., Au, W. C., & Beigi, M. (2022, March 10). Remote work and work-life balance: Lessons learned from the covid-19 pandemic and suggestions for HRD practitioners. Human Resource Development International, 25(2), 163–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2047380
Spilker, M. (2014). Making Telework Work: The Effect of Telecommuting Intensity on Employee Work Outcomes (Doctorate’s Dissertation). https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/215/?utm_source=irl.umsl.edu%2Fdissertation%2F215&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
TalentCorp,. (2025). https://www.talentcorp.com.my/resources/press-releases/launch-of-the-flexible-work-arrangement-fwa-guidelines/
Tsen, M. K., Gu, M., Tan, C. M., & Goh, S. K. (2021). Does flexible work arrangements decrease or increase turnover intention? A comparison between the social exchange theory and border theory. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 42(11–12), 962–983. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijssp-08-2021-0196
Valcour, M. (2007). Work-based resources as moderators of the relationship between work hours and satisfaction with work-family balance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1512–1523. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1512
Waight, C. L., Kjerfve, T. N., Kite, A., & Smith, B. (2022, March 9). Connecting and relating in Brazil: implications of remote work. Human Resource Development International, 25(2), 231–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2048435
Zulkifli, A. M. (2022, August 16). Long road to work-life balance in Kuala Lumpur. MalaysiaNow. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2022/08/16/long-road-to-work-life-balance-in-kuala-lumpur
Visnubalan, K., Hassan, Z., Bandar, N. F. A., & Kasa, M. (2025). The Relationship between Remote Working and Individual Work Performance Mediated by Satisfaction with Work-Life Balance. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(10), 664–681.