Telework quality and employee well‐being: Lessons learned from the COVID‐19 pandemic in Italy

• Published date: 01 November 2023
• Author: Massimo Miglioretti,Andrea Gragnano,Silvia Simbula,Marco Perugini
• Date: 01 November 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12263

Received: 20 July 2021

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Accepted: 25 November 2022

DOI: 10.1111/ntwe.12263

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Telework quality and employee well‐being:

Lessons learned from the COVID‐19 pandemic

in Italy

Massimo Miglioretti|Andrea Gragnano|Silvia Simbula|

Marco Perugini

Department of Psychology, Bicocca

Center for Applied Psychology,

University of Milano‐Bicocca, Milan,

Italy

Correspondence

Massimo Miglioretti, Department of

Psychology, Bicocca Center for Applied

Psychology, University of Milano‐

Bicocca, piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1,

20126, Milan, Italy.

Email: massimo.miglioretti@unimib.it

Funding information

FISAC, Italian trade union, funded the

study

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) forced

organisations to implement intensive telework for

many of their workers overnight. This scenario was

completely new, and the emergency caused by COVID‐

19 created the possibility of experimenting with new

ways of working with an unknown impact on employ-

ee well‐being. Drawing on previous literature, we

defined a model of telework quality consisting of the

following four core domains: agile offices within

organisations, functional remote workstations, flex‐

time and engaging management. We identified two

high‐quality and low‐quality telework profiles using

latent profile analysis on a data sample of 2295

insurance and financial sector employees. Demo-

graphic, occupational and procedural characteristics

were associated with the probability of being in the

positive or negative profiles. Our results showed that

employees' emotional exhaustion and work engage-

ment levels were related to telework quality. This study

suggests that organisations need to consider the quality

of telework to effectively adopt new ways of working

that foster employee well‐being.

New Technol Work Employ. 2023;38:548–571.548

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wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ntwe

© 2022 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

KEYWORDS

COVID‐19, emotional exhaustion, latent profile analysis,

telework, well‐being, work engagement

INTRODUCTION

In March 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) was defined as a global pandemic, indicating

the significant global spread of this infectious disease (World Health Organization, 2020). To limit

the spread of the virus, the Italian government implemented a strict lockdown. From the 18th of

March to the 18th of May, citizens were confined to their homes, and all nonessential productive

activities were halted. During the COVID‐19 lockdown, 45% of Italian employees began working

remotely from home (Eurofound, 2020), most of them for the first time. Before COVID‐19, only

2% of employees in Italy regularly performed some form of telework versus the European average

of 8% (Messenger, 2019). This sudden and dramatic growth in telework has generated a new

scenario involving intensive mandatory forms of telework characterised by the requirement to

work from home with no other options. Before COVID‐19, telework was viewed as one possible

way of working, and organisations could choose eligible employees in line with their human

resources policy and organisational culture (Pyöriä, 2011). The COVID‐19 scenario raises many

questions, such as the following: What type of telework was performed? Did all teleworkers work

in the same way? Can we distinguish between different qualities of telework? Are personal and

organisational characteristics associated with different types of telework? Are different kinds of

telework associated with different levels of teleworker well‐being?

To answer these questions, adopting a person‐centred approach, we aim to identify different

profiles of teleworkers during the COVID‐19 pandemic using a new model of telework quality.

Then, we consider the differences between the profiles in terms of relevant sociodemographic,

occupational and organisational characteristics and whether the teleworkers' profiles are

characterised by different levels of work engagement and emotional exhaustion. Our study makes

several contributions to the literature. By integrating past knowledge about telework characteristics

(Beauregard et al., 2019; O'Neill et al., 2009) with the organisational constraints and individual

domains generated by the COVID‐19 situation (Chong et al., 2020), we define a novel framework of

telework that includes elements that should be considered synergically, such as the adequacy,

safety and ergonomics of workspaces; flexibility in the use of time and spaces; and inspiring

leadership able to clarify the job roles of followers. By examining the profile characteristics that

emerged from the latent profile analysis (LPA) of the proposed elements of telework, we identify

differences in the quality of telework implementation during COVID‐19. We highlight elements to

consider theoretically when studying telework and practically when planning telework by

organisations. Finally, in light of the mandatory model of full‐time telework implemented during

COVID‐19, we explore the association of profiles with employee well‐being, allowing us to identify

groups of vulnerable employees who experienced difficulties in teleworking.

The telework quality model

Contributions in the literature focusing on working during the COVID‐19 pandemic describe

the work done from home using the terms telework (Belzunegui‐Eraso & Erro‐Garcés, 2020;

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