Do Leadership Commitment and Performance-Oriented Culture Matter for Federal Teleworker Satisfaction With Telework Programs?
| DOI | 10.1177/0734371X18776049 |
| Date | 01 March 2020 |
| Author | So Hee Jeon,Myungjung Kwon |
| Published date | 01 March 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
research-article2018
Article
Review of Public Personnel Administration
2020, Vol. 40(1) 36 –55
Do Leadership Commitment
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DOI: 10.1177/0734371X18776049
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Culture Matter for Federal
Teleworker Satisfaction With
Telework Programs?
Myungjung Kwon1 and So Hee Jeon2
Abstract
A substantial number of federal employees have been teleworking due to its perceived
benefits—time and location flexibility and better balance between family and work.
Yet, managing teleworkers in public organizations can be challenging due to the added
expenses associated with monitoring remote workers. Also, the unforeseen drawbacks
of remote work may decrease teleworker satisfaction with telework programs. Drawing
on insights from the political economy of hierarchy and institution theories, this study
examines whether leadership commitment to telework and performance-oriented
culture matter for federal teleworker satisfaction with telework programs. It examines
two-year datasets of the 2008 and 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys. The
findings show that leadership commitment to telework, performance-oriented culture,
and the enactment of the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act all play significant roles in
enhancing federal teleworker satisfaction with telework programs.
Keywords
telework, leadership commitment, performance-oriented culture, teleworker
satisfaction, flexible work arrangement
Introduction
Since the enactment of the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act (TEA), telework has been
one of the most popular public management innovations that federal government
1California State University, Fullerton, USA
2Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, USA
Corresponding Author:
Myungjung Kwon, Associate Professor, Division of Politics, Administration, and Justice, California State
University, Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92834, USA.
Email: mkwon@fullerton.edu
Kwon and Jeon
37
agencies attempt to attract, retain, and/or motivate talented and skilled new-generation
workers. The new-generation workforce is different from the baby-boomer workforce.
First, they are more concerned about balance between work and life (Berman,
Bowman, West, & Van Wart, 2016). Second, there are more nontraditional families—
dual-income couples, single mothers, and single fathers who face the challenge of
finding proper child care while they are working (Klingner, Nalbandian, & Llorens,
2010). Telework can help accommodate the preferences and needs of the new-genera-
tion workforce by providing them with time and location flexibility that can facilitate
a better work–life balance (Bae & Goodman, 2014; Bae & Kim, 2016; Ko, Hur, &
Smith-Walter, 2013; Taskin & Edwards, 2007). According to the U.S. Office of
Personnel Management (OPM), telework is defined as “a work arrangement that
allows an employee to perform work, during any part of regular, paid hours, at an
approved alternative worksite (e.g., home, telework center)” (https://www.telework.
gov/about/). The 2010 TEA requires all federal agencies to establish and offer tele-
work to their workforce, and it has been successful both in increasing the number of
federal teleworkers and in providing a variety of benefits to the federal workforce and
agencies (Bae & Kim, 2016; Berman et al., 2016; Overmyer, 2011; Perez, Sánchez,
Carnicer, & Jiménez, 2004; U.S. OPM, 2013; Wadsworth, Facer, & Arbon, 2010).
Despite the rapidly increasing number of teleworkers throughout all federal gov-
ernment agencies, however, little research has been done to explore federal teleworker
satisfaction with telework programs. In the current literature, a number of recent stud-
ies have attempted to examine the effects of telework in federal government agencies
(Bae & Kim, 2016; Caillier, 2013; Lee & Kim, 2017; Mahler, 2012; Overmyer, 2011).
For example, Caillier (2013) examined the impact of telework on turnover intention,
Bae and Kim (2016) studied the effect of telework on job satisfaction, and Lee and
Kim (2017) researched the impact of telework eligibility, participation, and technical
and managerial support on teleworkers’ and nonteleworkers’ job satisfaction, per-
ceived fairness, and intention to stay. However, as yet no large-N study has been pub-
lished that examines federal teleworker satisfaction with telework programs. Given
that the enactment of the 2010 TEA required a great deal of sustained commitment and
resources, and resulted in a substantial number of federal teleworkers, it is timely and
important to study the satisfaction of teleworkers with regard to their telework pro-
grams and inform practicing supervisors, managers, and leaders of what factors affect
teleworker satisfaction with telework programs. To address this gap in the literature,
this article focuses on explanatory factors absent from previous telework studies to
explore the determinants of federal teleworker satisfaction with telework programs
and, accordingly, the following research question is pursued:
Research Question 1: Do leadership commitment and performance-oriented cul-
ture matter for federal teleworker satisfaction with telework programs?
This research question is examined by drawing insights from the political economy
of hierarchy and institution theories and by using two-year datasets from the 2008 and
2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys (FEVSs) particularly for the U.S. Patent
38
Review of Public Personnel Administration 40(1)
and Trademark Office (USPTO). The rest of this article first outlines the key issues to
be addressed, introduces the theoretical foundations of the study, and develops the
research hypotheses. This is followed by a description of data and methods. After that,
the article presents research findings. Finally, the article discusses the implications of
the research findings for managing public human resources and suggests directions for
future research.
Federal Teleworkers: Are They Satisfied With Telework?
How can federal employees become teleworkers? According to the 2010 TEA, federal
employees must first be approved for telework eligibility by the head of their execu-
tive agency. Next, the agency managers determine whether the employees’ jobs are
appropriate for telework and also consider what technological support and perfor-
mance criteria are needed for telework to achieve the expected outcomes. Once these
predetermined criteria have been met, a federal employee can finally become a tele-
worker and can work from home or an alternate worksite (TEA, 2010). As such, it is
crucial for the agency to set clear standards and policies regarding telework eligibility
and teleworker performance to prevent possible negative consequences such as unfair-
ness and inequity issues during approval processes (Lee & Kim, 2017; Mahler, 2012).
Recent telework studies have identified potential benefits and costs of telework for
teleworkers. On one hand, telework helps teleworkers to achieve a better balance
between work and home, to be more motivated and satisfied with their jobs, and to
improve work performance through workplace and time flexibility (Bae & Goodman,
2014; Bae & Kim, 2016; Hunton & Norman, 2010; Ko et al., 2013; Kwon & Jeon,
2017; Maruyama, Hopkinson, & James, 2009; Taskin & Edwards, 2007; U.S. OPM,
2014). On the other hand, limitations on monitoring remote teleworkers by supervisors
and lack of support from political leaders can result in the abuse of telework privileges
and shirking by teleworkers that may lead to failure to achieve the promised effective-
ness of telework programs (Kwon & Jeon, 2017; Newman & Mathews, 1999; Perry-
Smith & Blum, 2000; Rein & Branigin, 2014). Although the abundant discretion and
flexibility afforded by teleworking are supposed to improve performance and produc-
tivity among teleworkers, such nontraditional work arrangements with full flexibility
can cause employees to have difficulty in separating work from personal lives and to
experience feelings of social isolation due to lack of face-to-face interactions with
supervisors and coworkers (Baruch, 2000; Caillier, 2013, 2014; Cooper & Kurland,
2002; Crandall & Gao, 2005; Gajendran & Harrison, 2007; Hamilton, 2002; D. Lee &
Hong, 2011; Mann & Holdsworth, 2003; Tavares, 2015). In addition, performance
management failure and role ambiguity can occur when teleworkers are uncertain
about what performance goals they are supposed to achieve and how they are perform-
ing their jobs (Igbaria & Guimaraes, 1999; Overmyer, 2011; Tavares, 2015; Weinert,
Maier, & Laumer, 2015). These challenges can undermine satisfaction among tele-
workers with their telework programs (Golden, 2006; Moore, 2000), the expected
quality of their work, and the effectiveness of telework programs. Due to the mixed
findings of the effects of telework on teleworkers presented in existing telework
Kwon and Jeon
39
studies, this article aims to examine teleworkers’ satisfaction with their telework pro-
grams, with a particular focus on understanding the impact of leadership and institu-
tional supports on teleworker satisfaction with telework programs.
Theories and Hypotheses
Political Economy of Hierarchy and Institutions
The earlier management of human resources was understood by scientific manage-
ment as...
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