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. 2024 Apr 5;21(4):447.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21040447.

Beyond Work: The Role of "Family-Friendly" Practices in the Subjective Well-Being of Teleworkers and On-Site Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sílvia Lopes  1   2 , Rita Couto  1 , Anabela Rodrigues  2 , Ana Sabino  3   4 , Íris M Oliveira  2 , Paulo C Dias  2 , Ângela Leite  2 , Vânia Sofia Carvalho  1
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Beyond Work: The Role of "Family-Friendly" Practices in the Subjective Well-Being of Teleworkers and On-Site Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sílvia Lopes et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telework emerged as a pivotal strategy to mitigate the spread of the virus. However, telework's feasibility was contingent on job roles. This gave rise to two distinct groups: teleworkers and on-site workers. However, the impacts of social support and well-being extended to both groups. This study investigated the link between organisational and supervisory family support and subjective well-being, examining work engagement as a mediator. Conducted in Portugal, this cross-sectional study surveyed 515 individuals via web-based questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and multiple-group analysis. The findings revealed a positive correlation between perceived organisational family support (POFS) and work engagement for both groups. Additionally, perceived supervisory family support (PSFS) positively correlated with work engagement for telecommuters but not on-site workers. Furthermore, work engagement was positively associated with subjective well-being for both groups. Moreover, work engagement mediated the relationship between POFS and subjective well-being. This study enriches the literature by analysing POFS, PSFS, work engagement, and subjective well-being dynamics among teleworkers and on-site employees.

Keywords: COVID-19; organisational support; subjective well-being; supervisor support; teleworkers; work engagement; “family-friendly” practices.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Unstandardised estimates for the multigroup model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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