THE IMPACT OF FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Abstract

Recent research has indicated that employee engagement is low among America's workforce. It has also indicated that higher education as an industry is no exception to this trend. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between flexible work arrangements such as teleworking and flexible scheduling, work-life balance, and employee engagement. The theory of action in this study was based upon the tenets of Social Exchange Theory and the norms of reciprocity which would suggest that employees who receive the organizational support to balance work and life will be more likely to repay that support with increased employee engagement. This study was initially planned to implement a high level of workplace flexibility among a group of university human resources professionals to understand their experiences with workplace flexibility. However, the implementation of the intervention was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in the study having the unique opportunity to document and learn from participants' experiences while working remotely as a result of a global pandemic and public health crisis. Through direct observations, semi-structured interviews, and participant journal entries, this study explored the impact that such a major workplace disruption had on the population's work-life balance, level of employee engagement, the challenges faced, lessons learned while teleworking, and the unit's organizational capacity. This study may be used to inform future research or decisions related to employee engagement, workplace flexibility, or response to similar workplace disruptions.