Telework and job satisfaction in knowledge-intensive public organizations: a quali-quantitative analysis from an environmental protection agency in Italy
Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management
ISSN: 1096-3367
Article publication date: 21 December 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to examine the relationship between telework conditions and employees' job satisfaction (JS) within knowledge-intensive public organizations (KIPOs). Additionally, it aims to unfold the mediating role played by both organizational and job characteristics, namely supervisory support (SS) and job autonomy (JA).
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis adopts a simultaneous qualitative-quantitative design, starting with a preliminary inductive analysis of qualitative data, followed by a deductive quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM). The data were retrieved from a survey completed by some 700 employees of a regional environmental protection agency in Italy.
Findings
Findings show that the positive association between conditions for telework (CT) and JS is partially mediated by both SS and JA. Moreover, the results of the study suggest a sequential nature of such mediational patterns.
Originality/value
This research provides an empirical contribution to a relatively under-investigated area: the role of job characteristics in explaining the nexus between telework and JS. Furthermore, the study takes place within the context of a KIPO, adding particular significance to the emerging insights due to the distinct nature of the work conducted in such settings.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of all the personnel of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Emilia-Romagna (ARPAE Emilia-Romagna), where the research was carried out, for their valuable collaboration at every stage of the study. The research was conducted within the PA-POP (People, Organization, Performance) Lab at SDA Bocconi School of Management. The authors declare that they have no stable involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or nonfinancial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
Citation
Giacomelli, G., Annesi, N. and Barbieri, M. (2023), "Telework and job satisfaction in knowledge-intensive public organizations: a quali-quantitative analysis from an environmental protection agency in Italy", Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-07-2023-0134
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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