Ercan Özen; Simon Grima; Bahattin Hamarat

doi:10.47743/saeb-2021-0016

Authors

Ercan Özen University of Usak, Uşak
Simon Grima University of Malta, Msida
Bahattin Hamarat University of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart, Çanakkale

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47743/saeb-2021-0016

Keywords:

telework, wellbeing, remote working, COVID-19, public and private entities, Turkish Financial Services Industry

Abstract

Since the worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases, teleworking in the Turkish Financial Services Industry has become increasingly popular. Wellbeing of working outside traditional workplace settings, is still in its infancy and as far as we understand, has not yet been addressed in the Turkish Financial Industry. We administered a survey using the telephone, e-mail and other social media asking employees in the financial sector in Turkey currently working under these new conditions to provide us with specific responses which take as our data. 438 valid responses were received and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling on Lisrel. We tested the relationship between teleworking, Covid-19 fear, emotional experience, and affective well-being. As a result of the study we found a significant relationship (i) between Covid-19 fear and individual differences and (ii) between individual differences and affective wellbeing. The findings will allow financial institutions managers to re-evaluate working conditions during the pandemic period, while guiding legislators to produce policies.

JEL Codes - D53; I31; D91

References

Ahrendt, D., Cabrita, J., Clerici, E., Hurley, J., Leončikas, T., Mascherini, M., . . . Sándor, E., 2020. Living, working and COVID-19. Eurofound. European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2020/living-working-and-covid-19.

Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., and Shockley, K. M., 2015. How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1529100615593273

Anderson, A. J., Kaplan, S. A., and Vega, R. P., 2015. The impact of telework on emotional experience: When, and for whom, does telework improve daily affective well-being? European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(6), 882-897. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2014.966086

Barrick, M. R., and Mount, M. K., 1991. The big-five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44(1), 1-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x

Beybur, M., and Cetinkaya, M., 2020. Covid-19 Pandemisinin Turkiye'de Dijital Bankacilik Urun Ve Hizmetlerinin Kullanimi Uzerindeki Etkisi. Uluslararası Batı Karadeniz Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi, 4(2), 148-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.46452/baksoder.829078

Burke, M. J., Brief, A. P., and George, J. M., 1993. The role of negative affectivity in understanding relations between self-reports of stressors and strains: A comment on the applied psychology literature. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(3), 402-412. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.78.3.402

Caillier, J. G., 2014. Do role clarity and job satisfaction mediate the relationship between telework and work effort? International Journal of Public Administration, 37(4), 193-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2013.798813

Chin, W. W., 1998. The Partial Least Squares Approach to Structural Equation Modeling. In G. A. Marcoulides (Ed.), Modern methods for business research (pp. 295-336): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Clark, L. A., Karau, S. J., and Michalisin, M. D., 2012. Telecommuting attitudes and the "big five" personality dimensions. Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 13(3), 31-46.

Cropley, M., Dijk, D. J., and Stanley, N., 2006. Job strain, work rumination, and sleep in school teachers. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 15(2), 181-196. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13594320500513913

Cropley, M., and Millward Purvis, L. J., 2003. Job strain and rumination about work issues during leisure time: A diary study. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 12(3), 195-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13594320344000093

Daniels, K., Lamond, D., and Standen, P., 2000. Managing telework: An introduction to the issues. In K. Daniels, D. Lamond and P. Standen (Eds.), Managing telework: Perspectives from human resource management and work psychology (pp. 1-8): Thomas Learning.

Deci, E. L., and Ryan, R. M., 1985. Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior: Springer, Boston, MA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7

Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., and Smith, H. L., 1999. Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276

Doğan, M. M., and Düzel, B., 2020. Covid-19 Özelinde Korku-Kaygı Düzeyleri. [Fear-Anxiety Levels in Covid-19]. Journal of Turkish Studies, 15(4), 739-752. http://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.44678

Eurofound, 2020. Living, working and COVID-19: First findings – April 2020, Dublin. from https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2020/living-working-and-covid-19-firstfindings-%20april-2020

European Commission, 2020. European Semester: Country-specific recommendations. from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0500&from=EN

Eurostat, 2021. Employed persons working from home as a percentage of the total employment, by sex, age and professional status (%) (lfsa_ehomp). Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database?node_code=lfsa_ehomp

Fana, M., Tolan, S., Torrejon Perez, S., Urzi Brancati, M. C., and Fernandez Macias, E., 2020. The COVID confinement measures and EU labour markets http://dx.doi.org/10.2760/597979

Gainey, T. W., and Clenney, B. F., 2006. Flextime and telecommuting: Examining individual perceptions. Southern Business Review, 32(1), 13-21.

Gajendran, R. S., and Harrison, D. A., 2007. The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1524-1541. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1524

Golden, T. D., Veiga, J. F., and Dino, R. N., 2008. The impact of professional isolation on teleworker job performance and turnover intentions: Does time spent teleworking, interacting face-to-face, or having access to communication-enhancing technology matter? The Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(6), 1412-1421. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0012722

Haines, V. Y., St-Onge, S., and Archambault, M., 2002. Environmental and person antecedents of telecommuting outcomes. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 14(3), 32-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/joeuc.2002070103

Hair, J. F. J., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M., 2017. A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Los Angeles: Sage Publication.

Hawthorne, G., 2006. Measuring social isolation in older adults: Development and initial validation of the friendship scale. Social Indicators Research, 77, 521-548. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11205- 005-7746-y

Karatas, Z., and Tagay, O., 2021. The relationships between resilience of the adults affected by the covid pandemic in Turkey and Covid-19 fear, meaning in life, life satisfaction, intolerance of uncertainty and hope. Personality and Individual Differences, 172(April), 110592. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110592

Kinnunen, U., Feldt, T., Sianoja, M., de Bloom, J., Korpela, K., and Geurts, S., 2017. Identifying long-term patterns of work-related rumination: Associations with job demands and well-being outcomes. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(4), 514-526. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2017.1314265

Kish, G. B., and Donnenwerth, G. V., 1969. Interests and stimulus seeking. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 16(6), 551-556. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0028503

Kotera, Y., and Correa Vione, K., 2020. Psychological impacts of the New Ways of Working (NWW): A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(14), 5080. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145080

Kuo, J. R., Edge, I. G., Ramel, W., Edge, M. D., Drabant, E. M., Dayton, W. M., and Gross, J. J., 2012. Trait rumination is associated with enhanced recollection of negative words. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36, 722-730. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10608-011-9430-7

Ladikli, N., Bahadir, E., Yumusak, F. N., Akkuzu, H., Karaman, G., and Turkkan, Z., 2020. Kovid-19 Korkusu Olcegi'nin Turkce Guvenirlik Ve Gecerlik Calismasi. The International Journal of Social Sciences (Islamabad), 3(2), 71-80.

Larsen, R. J., and Buss, D. M., 2008. Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature (3rd ed.): McGraw Hill.

Lundberg, U., and Lindfors, P., 2002. Psychophysiological reactions to telework in female and male white-collar workers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(4), 354-364. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.7.4.354

Luse, A., McElroy, J., Townsend, A., and DeMarie, S., 2013. Personality and cognitive style as predictors of preference for work- ing in virtual teams. Computers in Human Interaction, 29(4), 1825-1832.

Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., and Diener, E., 2005. The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803-855. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803

Marsh, K., and Musson, G., 2008. Men at work and at home: Managing emotion in telework. Gender, Work and Organization, 15(1), 31-48.

Martin, L. L., and Tesser, A., 1996. Some ruminative thoughts. In R. S. Wyer (Ed.), Advances in social cognition (pp. 1-47): Erlbaum.

Matevka, P. J., Rapino, M. A., and Landivar, L. C., 2012. Current population reports, home-based workers in the United States: 2010. Household Economic Studies, (October), 70-132. https://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-132.pdf.

McCrae, R. R., and Costa, P. T., 2003. Personality in adulthood: A five- factor theory perspective (2nd ed. ed.): Guildford Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203428412

Milasi, S., Bisello, M., Hurley, J., Sostero, M., and Fernández-Macías, E., 2020a. The potential for teleworking in Europe and the risk of a new digital divide. https://voxeu.org/article/potential-teleworking-europe-and-risk-new-digital-divide.

Milasi, S., González-Vázquez, I., and Fernandez-Macias, E., 2020b. Telework in the EU before and after the COVID-19: where we were, where we head to. JRC Science for Policy Brief. https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/jrcsh/files/jrc120945_policy_brief_-_covid_and_telework_final.pdf.

Miner, A., Glomb, T., and Hulin, C., 2005. Experience sampling mood and its correlates at work. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78(2), 171-193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/096317905X40105

Nolen-Hoeksema, S., 1991. Responses to depression and their effects on the duration of depressive episodes. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100(4), 569-582. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.100.4.569

Nolen-Hoeksema, S., 2000. The role of rumination in depressive disorders and mixed anxiety/depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(3), 504-511. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.109.3.504

Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Larson, J., and Grayson, C., 1999. Explaining the gender difference in depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(5), 1061-1072. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.5.1061

O’Neill, T. A., Hambley, L. A., and Bercovich, A., 2014. Prediction of cyberslacking when employees are working away from the office. Computers in Human Behavior, 34(May), 291-298. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.015

Querstret, D., and Cropley, M., 2012. Exploring the relationship between work-related rumination, sleep quality, and work-related fatigue. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17(3), 341-353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0028552

Redman, T., Snape, E., and Ashurst, C., 2009. Location, location, location: Does place of work really matter? British Journal of Management, 20(1), 171-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2008.00640.x

Reis, H. T., Sheldon, K. M., Gable, S. L., Roscoe, J., and Ryan, R. M., 2000. Daily well-being: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(4), 419-435. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167200266002

Roberti, J. W., 2004. A review of behavioral and biological correlates of sensation seeking. Journal of Research in Personality, 38(3), 256-279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00067-9

Rook, J., and Zijlstra, F. R. H., 2006. The contribution of various types of activities to recovery. 25. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 15(2), 218-240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13594320500513962

Satici, B., Gocet-Tekin, E., Deniz, M. E., and Satici, S. A., 2020. Adaptation of the fear of COVID-19 scale: Its association with psychological distress and life satisfaction in Turkey. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18(3), 1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00294-0

Schoenenberg, K., Raake, A., and Koeppe, J., 2014. Why are you so slow? Misattribution of transmission delay to attributes of the conversation partner at the far-end. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 72(5), 477-487. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2014.02.004

Sewell, G., and Taskin, L., 2015. Out of sight, out of mind in a new world of work? Autonomy, control, and spatiotemporal scaling in telework. Organization Studies, 36(11), 1507-1529. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0170840615593587

Smith, S. A., Patmos, A., and Pitts, M. J., 2018. Communication and Teleworking: A Study of Communication Channel Satisfaction, Personality, and Job Satisfaction for Teleworking Employees. International Journal of Business Communication, 55(1), 44-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2329488415589101

Sonnentag, S., Mojza, E. J., Binnewies, C., and Scholl, A., 2008. Being engaged at work and detached at home: A week-level study on work engagement, psychological detachment, and affect. Work and Stress, 22(3), 257-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02678370802379440

Sonnentag, S., and Zijlstra, F. R. H., 2006. Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(2), 330-350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.2.330

Tietze, S., and Nadin, S., 2011. The psychological contract and the transition from office- based to home-based work. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(3), 318-334. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-8583.2010.00137.x

Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., and Nolen-Hoeksema, S., 2003. Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 247-259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1023910315561

Van Horn, J. E., Taris, T. W., Schaufeli, W. B., and Schreurs, P. J., 2004. The structure of occupational well-being: A study among Dutch teachers. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(3), 365-375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/0963179041752718

Vega, R. P., Anderson, A. J., and Kaplan, S. A., 2015. A Within-Person Examination of the Effects of Telework. Journal of Business and Psychology, 30(2), 313-323. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9359-4

Virick, M., DaSilva, N., and Arrington, K., 2010. Moderators of the curvilinear relation between extent of telecommuting and job and life satisfaction: The role of performance outcome orientation and worker type. Human Relations, 63(1), 137-154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726709349198

Watson, D., 2000. Mood and temperament: Guilford Press.

Watson, D., Clark, L. A., McIntyre, C. W., and Hamaker, S., 1992. Affect, personality, and social activity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(6), 1011-1025. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.63.6.1011

Watson, D., and Pennebaker, J. W., 1989. Health complaints, stress, and distress: Exploring the central role of negative affectivity. Psychological Review, 96(2), 234-254. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033- 295X.96.2.234

Weiss, H. M., 2002. Deconstructing job satisfaction: Separating evaluations, beliefs and affective experiences. Human Resource Management Review, 12(2), 173-194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(02)00045-1

Weiss, H. M., and Cropanzano, R., 1996. Affective events theory: A theoretical discussion of the structure, causes and consequences of affective experiences at work. In B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behaviour, 19 (pp. 1-74): JAI Press.

Zohar, D., 1999. When things go wrong: The effect of daily work hassles on effort, exertion and negative mood. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72(3), 265-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/096317999166671

Zuckerman, M., and Como, P., 1983. Sensation seeking and arousal systems. Personality and Individual Differences, 4(4), 381-386. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(83)90003-X