Publication Date

Spring 2017

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Howard Tokunaga

Keywords

Employee Engagement, Flexible Work Arrangements, Flextime, Gender, Remote Work, Workplace Flexibility

Subject Areas

Psychology

Abstract

Previous research has identified both perceptions of the availability of flexible work arrangements and use of these arrangements as a predictor of engagement (Richman, Civian, Shannon, Hill, & Brennan, 2008; Ten Brummelhuis, Bakker, Hetland, & Keulemans, 2012). However, no studies have looked at the incremental effect use of flexible work arrangements have on engagement, above and beyond actual use. Very few studies have looked at how gender moderates the relationship between perceptions of flexible work arrangements and use of flexible work arrangements and engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the relationships between perceptions and actual use of flexible work arrangements and to examine the moderating effect of gender on these aforementioned relationships. One hundred and forty-nine survey results collected from employees at the Bay Area branch of large technology company revealed that actual use of flexibility did not have an effect on engagement, above and beyond that of perceptions of flexibility and engagement. Gender was found to moderate the relationship between actual use of flexible work arrangements and dedication, one of the three subscales of engagement assessed in the present study. It is suggested that organizations increase offerings of flexible work arrangements, and encourage employees to perceive the availability of these offerings, in order to increase the dedication of their employees.

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