Hybrid workspace and affective well-being: the mediating role of positive work reflection

Abstract

Purpose

In a post-pandemic era, the hybrid workspace (HW) that came into practice now remains a new normal way of working for employees. This new practice has received a great deal of attention from researchers recently. However, the impact of HW on the affective well-being (AWB) of employees is less investigated. The present study focuses on the relationship between HW and affective states (positive and negative affects together) and the role of positive work reflection (PWR).

Design/methodology/approach

This present research work is based on the cross-sectional data collected from employees of IT and software sectors in India, through the purposive convenience sampling method (N = 329). Respondents were identified through the social and industrial connections of the authors. Structural equation modeling with AMOS 24 was adopted for hypothesis testing.

Findings

The empirical findings showed that HW is positively related to positive affects, negatively related to negative affects and positively associated with PWR. In addition, the PWR can partially mediate the relationship between HW and affective states, which is in line with the existing literature on PWR.

Originality/value

By exploring the less investigated link between HW and affective states, this study offers new insights into the understanding of HW and AWB. Based on the ideas of cognitive appraisal theory, this study contributes to the literature by proposing and analyzing PWR as a mechanism that partially mediates the influence of HW on the positive and negative affects of employees. These findings will facilitate the decision-makers, employees and organizations to understand the essential benefits of HW in the form of affective states and PWR. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to explore the relationship between HW, PWR and AWB of employees.

Citation

Karpagavalli, R. and Suganthi, L. (2024), "Hybrid workspace and affective well-being: the mediating role of positive work reflection", Kybernetes, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-09-2023-1804