Teleworking Components and Scientific Productivity in Spanish ERC-Granted Teams: The Mediating Role of Climate and Well-Being

Abstract

The practice of teleworking is being consistently and unprecedently used across multiple work sectors, including the research one, yet the direct and mediated links of specific telework designs with productivity are unclear, and analyses at multiple levels missing. Accordingly, this study aims at exploring the mediating role of the climate for well-being and well-being outcomes in the relationship between multiple components of teleworking and scientific productivity, both at the individual and team level. Data were collected from 358 members of 48 Spanish European Research Council (ERC)granted teams. Analyses were conducted both at the individual and team level, after checking for the relevant aggregation indexes. Telework components of quantity, frequency, flexibility, and voluntariness were found to have direct and mediated significant relationships with scientific productivity, confirming the need to investigate telework with a closer focus on how it is designed and implemented in the different teams. Specifically, climate for well-being, eudaimonic wellbeing, and negative emotions were found to play a relevant role in mediating the relationship between some telework components (i.e., telework flexibility and voluntariness) and scientific productivity. Also, telework quantity and frequency were found to have, respectively, positive and negative relationship with scientific productivity. Practical and theoretical implications are further discussed in the article. Los componentes del teletrabajo y la productividad científica en los equipos españoles financiados por el ERC: el papel mediador del clima y el bienestar R E S U M E NLa práctica del teletrabajo se está utilizando de manera consistente y sin precedentes en múltiples sectores laborales, también en el de la investigación. No obstante, todavía quedan cuestiones que dilucidar sobre la relación entre aspectos específicos del diseño del teletrabajo y la productividad, así como los posibles mecanismos mediadores entre ambos a distintos niveles de análisis (individual, equipo). El trabajo tiene como objetivo explorar el papel mediador del clima para el bienestar y sus consecuencias en la relación entre múltiples componentes del teletrabajo y la productividad científica, tanto a nivel individual como de equipo. Se han recogido datos de 358 miembros de 48 equipos españoles subvencionados por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación (ERC). Los análisis se han realizado a ambos niveles tras comprobar los índices de agregación pertinentes. Cuatro componentes del teletrabajo (intensidad, frecuencia, flexibilidad y voluntariedad) presentaban relaciones significativas, directas e indirectas, con la productividad científica, confirmando la necesidad de investigar cómo se diseña e implementa en los equipos el teletrabajo. Se ha visto que el clima para el bienestar, el bienestar eudaimónico y las emociones negativas mediaban la relación entre algunos componentes del teletrabajo (la flexibilidad y la voluntariedad del teletrabajo) y la productividad científica. Además, la int...

The Joint Role of Focused and Molar Climates and Eudaemonic Well-being as Mediators of the Relationship between Flexible Telework and Scientific Productivity in Spanish ERC-Granted Teams

“…The practice of teleworking can be designed and implemented in the workplace by leveraging on and manipulating multiple of its components, such as its frequency, voluntariness, flexibility, quantity, and need for justification, with different effects on workers (Martinolli et al, 2023). Among these, flexibility (a.k.a., flextime), namely the possibility to decide when to telework, represents the one component that mostly captures the essence of teleworking and most strongly impacts employees' everyday work experience.…”