Homeworking: Having a Closer Look on the Spillover between Work and Nonwork Domain

Purpose: Homeworking is said to enhance employees’ commitments in non-work domains (Bergum, 2007). However, research to date, has revealed inconclusive results concerning the effects homeworking has on employees’ involvement in areas beyond work (e.g., Wilhelmson & Thurn, 2015). In this research, drawing from boundary management theory (Kreiner, Hollensbe, & Sheep, 2009), we explore the role of perceived manager supportiveness and employees’ well-being to understand how and why the effects of teleworking unfold in employees’ non-work domain. Methodology: We used matched employer-employee data from the British Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS, 2011) to test our multi-level model (19.142 employees, 1.012 workplaces). Results: The use of homeworking was negatively associated with employees’ well-being (y = -0.20, p <.01) which, in turn, was positively associated with commitment in the non-work domain (y = 0.32, p <.01). Moreover, the negative association between homeworking and employees’ well-being weakened in workplaces where perceived manager supportiveness was higher (v.s. Lower; y = - 0.05, p <.05). Overall, our proposed model was supported. Originality/Value: This study contributes to (a) our theoretical understanding of why homeworking impairs employees’ commitment in non-work domains and by b) exploring the role of perceived manager supportiveness, which highlights the importance of the nature of social interactions homeworker has with his or her manager.