Working from home, feeling bad? A panel analysis regarding the absence of work–family conflict, self-efficacy, and HR development practices

Mona Höyng; Lutz Bellmann

Authors

Mona Höyng ✉️ Department of Human Resource Management, Mercator School of Management, University of Duisburg-Essen
monahoeyng@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9734-515X
Lutz Bellmann Nicolaus-Copernikus-University Toruń, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4892-5454

Keywords:

HR development practices, mental well-being, gender, self-efficacy, work-family conflict, work from home

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of mental well-being among employees working from home. Therefore, the direct effects as well as a three-way interaction effect—of the absence of work–family conflict (WFC), self-efficacy, and HR development practices—are investigated as key drivers of employees’ mental well-being.

Design/methodology/approach: We use a large four-wave employee survey from the Linked Personnel Panel for Germany and employ linear mixed-effect regression analysis to examine the hypothesized relationships.

Findings: Support for the positive direct effects of the absence of WFC on mental well-being among women and men was found. While self-efficacy promoted mental well-being solely among men but not among women, HR development practices were a significant positive predictor of mental well-being among women but not among men. Empirical support for the three-way interaction effect of high self-efficacy and high HR development practices strengthening the corresponding relationship among women and men was found.

Originality: This study contributes to the literature by providing new empirical evidence of panel data regarding the determinants of mental well-being among employees working from home. Additionally, we found a three-way interaction effect that links the absence of WFC, self-efficacy, and HR development practices with employees’ mental well-being. By doing so, we identified one specific resource gain spiral of employees working from home and therefore extend the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory. Moreover, based on our findings developing a ‘Gender Role–COR Theory’ is suggested to examine the varying impacts of resources on mental well-being among women and men.

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