Navigating the new normal: How workplace isolation impacted teleworkers’ psychological well-being in Covid-19? The roles of perceived organizational support and job insecurity

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Artar, Melike^{; *} | Erdil, Oya^{; 1}

Affiliations: Department of Management, Faculty of Business Administrative Sciences, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli, Turkey

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Melike Artar, Gebze Technical University, Faculty of Business Administrative Sciences, Kocaeli, Turkey. E-mail: artar@gtu.edu.tr. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7714-748X.

Note: [1] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3793-001X.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:During the Covid-19 period, academics have given great importance to the concept of teleworking. However, despite this interest, empirical studies investigating the effect of workplace isolation on employees’ behavior during Covid-19 are limited. OBJECTIVE:This study aims to investigate the relationship between workplace isolation and psychological well-being in light of the mediating role of perceived organizational support and the moderating role of job insecurity. METHODS:Within the scope of the research, teleworkers in accordance with the isolation rules was used as a criterion for the selection of the participants. In this vein, data collected from 382 respondents were investigated using structural equation modelling analysis. RESULTS:The results indicate that (1) workplace isolation positively relate to perceived organizational support and negatively related to psychological well-being, (2) perceived organizational support positively relate to psychological wellbeing, (3) perceived organizational support mediates the relationship between workplace isolation and psychological well-being, and (4) job insecurity moderates the relationship between perceived organizational support and psychological well-being. CONCLUSIONS:It is imperative to understand telework employees’ psychological and emotional processes, which have gained speed in the last year, in adapting to the new order. This study is critical in understanding the psychological processes of teleworkers.

Keywords: Teleworking, workplace, social isolation, job security, Covid-19, psychological well-being, employment

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-230580

Journal: Work, vol. 79, no. 3, pp. 1291-1306, 2024