Strategic Studies of Culture

Strategic Studies of Culture

The Effect of Cultural Background on the Relationship Between Telework and Employees' Job Stress

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Mostafa Heidari Haratemeh
Associate Professor of the Department of Economics, Naragh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Naragh, Iran. Email: Mo.heidarih@iau.ac.ir
10.22083/scsj.2024.451528.1165
Abstract
Background and purpose: cultural background affects its effects and job stress through beliefs about the effectiveness and social isolation caused by telework. In the current study, the beneficial and ineffective effects of telework on job stress are taken from existing research using the theory of cultural values and the moderating role of employees' cultural background, including; Individualism and power distance were investigated and analyzed as research objectives. Methodology: The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey method (three-stage/temporal to reduce the risk of common method variance). In the first survey, 981 employees of the company, 511 (52% response rate), completed the second survey. 384 employees completed the third survey with a response rate of 75.2%. Data through standard questionnaires; power distance and individualism with six items; job stress, beliefs about the effectiveness and social isolation of remote work were collected with three items each and analyzed using structural equations and Mplus software.

Findings: The effects of telework on job stress depend on cultural values. Employees with low power distance and high individualism scores welcome telework plans due to positive beliefs about the effectiveness of telework, while employees with high power distance scores and low individualism perceive telework as a destructive work mode and have more negative beliefs in They have Telework. Therefore, telework only reduces job stress when employees do not believe that telecommuting leads to social isolation. Conclusion: Organizations should support telework with high power distance orientation and low individualism who have negative beliefs about teleworking, because by changing negative beliefs, the beneficial effects of teleworking, including effectiveness and lack of social isolation, while reducing stress, cause well-being and reduce costs, Organizational trips will be made by employees.
Keywords
Cultural Background
Individualism
Job Stress
Power Distance
Social Isolation
Telework
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