How does employee cultural background influence the effects of telework on job stress? The roles of power distance, individualism, and beliefs about telework

Previous research into telework and job stress is characterized by inconsistent findings and reported beneficial, nonsignificant, and dysfunctional effects of telework on employees’ job stress levels and well-being. To investigate when the effects of telework on job stress are beneficial versus dysfunctional, the study draws on telework research and cultural value theory and analyzes the moderating role of employee cultural background (i.e., individualism and power distance), the influence of which on the effects of telework is expected to be transmitted by an employee’s beliefs about telework effectiveness and isolation. Although prior research analyzed the effects of telework in different occupations and industries, a very important matter has received very little attention – namely, the effects of telework on job stress across employees with different cultural backgrounds. To successfully implement telework arrangements, organizations must know whether employee cultural background influences the effectiveness of telework. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the related implementation of telework arrangements in many countries amplify the importance of understanding the influence of culture on the effects of telework on employee well-being. The hypotheses are tested through a three-wave survey study with 604 teleworkers from different countries. The results indicate that telework only reduces job stress when employees do not believe that telework will lead to social isolation. The study further expands telework research by showing that employees with high power distance scores have negative beliefs about telework, whereas employees with high individualism scores have positive beliefs about the effectiveness of telework.