Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) on employees’ perceived productivity, quality of work and organisational commitment (OC) with a special focus on the United Arab Emirates. It also analyses the mediating effect of employee happiness on the relationship between FWA and employees’ perceived productivity, OC and perceived work quality.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative, non-experimental correlational study was used for this research project. The study yielded numerical data, which were analysed using a deductive approach. The analysis aimed at exploring the relationships between the constructs, which were viewed as variables; these relationships were considered correlations, mediation and moderation. The sample comprises employees currently working at different public and private sector organisations, representing all major service industries in the UAE. Nine questions were used to assess the flexibility at work and six out of the nine questions were used to measure the level of FWAs using the Likert scale.

Findings

FWA has a significant and positive association with the employees’ perceived productivity, quality of work and OC. It was confirmed that happiness plays a mediating role in the relationship between FWA and employee outcomes. The facility allows employees to manage their personal and professional lives with ease using their preferred work method. This ability promotes employee satisfaction. In conclusion, managers and employees around the world should view FWAs as a positive tool to enhance employee productivity and OC, particularly in an emergency like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Research limitations/implications

The participants’ honesty was a limitation, which could raise questions on the validity of this study. This limitation arises when the self-report method is used for data collection. Use of multiple instruments could be another limitation.

Practical implications

Organisational leaders can use FWAs to improve employee outcomes. When an organisation grants flexible work options to employees, it implies that the organisation trusts its employees to complete the task. This factor motivates all employees to work with dedication, which is particularly true if the employees are creative people and wish to work on their preferred time and place.

Originality/value

This study is significant because the findings will allow managers to assess the benefits of using FWAs to improve employee productivity, particularly in the service sector. It combines the aspects of perceived productivity, OC and perceived work quality, as well as employee happiness to assess the role of FWAs in organisations. The study also investigates the influence of FWAs in improving these employee outcomes. Based on the literature review, this study on FWAs is the first of its kind in the UAE, the country using a truly multinational workforce coming from more than 100 countries and cultures.

中文翻译：

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灵活工作安排对员工感知生产力、组织承诺和感知工作质量的影响：阿拉伯联合酋长国案例研究

目的

本研究旨在研究灵活工作安排 (FWA) 对员工感知生产力、工作质量和组织承诺 (OC) 的影响，特别关注阿拉伯联合酋长国。还分析了员工幸福感对FWA与员工感知生产力、OC和感知工作质量之间关系的中介作用。

设计/方法/方法

本研究项目使用了定量的、非实验性的相关研究。该研究产生了数值数据，使用演绎方法对其进行了分析。分析旨在探索被视为变量的结构之间的关系；这些关系被认为是相关性、中介性和调节性。样本包括目前在不同公共和私营部门组织工作的员工，代表阿联酋的所有主要服务行业。九个问题用于评估工作灵活性，九个问题中的六个用于使用李克特量表衡量 FWA 的水平。

发现

FWA 与员工感知的生产力、工作质量和 OC 有显着的正相关。已经证实，幸福在 FWA 和员工成果之间的关系中起着中介作用。该设施允许员工使用他们喜欢的工作方式轻松管理他们的个人和职业生活。这种能力提高了员工的满意度。总之，世界各地的经理和员工应将 FWA 视为提高员工生产力和 OC 的积极工具，尤其是在 Covid-19 大流行等紧急情况下。

研究限制/影响

参与者的诚实是一种限制，这可能会引发对本研究有效性的质疑。当自我报告方法用于数据收集时，就会出现这种限制。使用多种仪器可能是另一个限制。

实际影响

组织领导者可以使用 FWA 来改善员工成果。当一个组织向员工授予灵活的工作选择时，这意味着该组织信任其员工能够完成任务。这一因素激励所有员工全心全意地工作，如果员工是富有创造力的人并希望在他们喜欢的时间和地点工作，则尤其如此。

原创性/价值

这项研究意义重大，因为这些发现将使管理人员能够评估使用 FWA 来提高员工生产力的好处，尤其是在服务行业。它结合感知生产力、OC 和感知工作质量以及员工幸福感等方面来评估 FWA 在组织中的作用。该研究还调查了 FWA 在改善这些员工成果方面的影响。根据文献综述，这项关于 FWA 的研究在阿联酋尚属首次，该国拥有来自 100 多个国家和文化的真正跨国劳动力。