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BACKGROUND: Virtual office work, or telework/remote work, has existed since the 1970s due to the widespread availability of new technologies. Despite a dramatic increase in the demand for remote office work, few studies have examined its long-term effects on work environments and worker well-being. OBJECTIVE: A prospective field intervention study was undertaken to examine the effects of a Virtual Office program on office workers’ psychosocial perceptions, mental and physical well-being, workplace satisfaction, and performance. METHOD: A large public service organization undertook a 12-month Virtual Office (VO) pilot program using a systems approach The study included 137 VO employees (intervention condition), and 85 Conventional Office (CO) employees (control condition). The VO intervention used a systems approach consisting of establishing a steering committee, training programs, and VO resource website. The survey measures and follow-up focus group observations were used to examine the impact of the VO intervention. RESULTS: Virtual office participants reported higher job control, group interactions and cohesiveness, and quality of supervision than the CO participants. VO participants reported lower upper body musculoskeletal symptoms and physical/mental stress than CO participants. VO participants reported higher performance (customer satisfaction) than the CO participants. CONCLUSION: The study findings were sufficiently positive to provide a basis for work organizations to undertake similar pilot programs. Consideration of system factors when designing an effective VO program can benefit employee’s well-being and performance. The rationale for implementing VO programs is underscored by the current COVID-19 pandemic. VO work will continue to some degree for the foreseeable future.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a research model in which coworker service sabotage influences hospitality employees’ service creativity via work engagement. It also aims to test the moderating effect of sensitivity to the interpersonal mistreatment of others (SIMO). Design/methodology/approach A time-lagged questionnaire study was performed in hotels in China. The hypotheses were tested via hierarchical multiple regression. Findings Coworker service sabotage is indirectly associated with hospitality employees’ service creativity via work engagement. The trait of SIMO buffers the harmful effect of coworker service sabotage. Research limitations/implications Although our research design helps mitigate common method bias, it could still exist. Other coworker behaviors that might influence employees were not included in this research. The findings may also be biased due to the restricted sample from China. Practical implications Hospitality organizations should take measures to curb service sabotage. Organizations could also provide supportive resources to suppress the negative impacts of coworker service sabotage. Moreover, organizations should motivate those low in SIMO to care more about customers. Originality/value The research takes the lead in investigating the outcomes of service sabotage from a third-party perspective. Work engagement is identified as the mechanism for transmitting the impact of coworker service sabotage to employees. Moreover, a new moderator that attenuates the negative effects of coworker service sabotage is found.

This study examined the factors of computer use, job tasks, musculoskeletal and visual discomfort and organizational support to better understand the magnitude of their impact on the safety and health of computer work employees. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a large manufacturing company to investigate these relationships. Associations between these study variables were tested along with moderating effects framed within a conceptual model. Significant relationships were found between discomfort, computer use and psychosocial factors including supervisory relations moderating the relationships between workstation satisfaction and visual and musculoskeletal discomfort. This study provides guidance for developing recommendations in designing office ergonomic interventions with the goal of reducing musculoskeletal and visual discomforts while enhancing worker performance and their quality of worklife.