Working From Home as Necessary but Unusual Arrangement: The Case of Croatian Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

We explored the determinants of the psychological experience of working from home (WFH) in a “double” specific context of non-voluntary WFH during the COVID-19 lockdown in Croatia, a country where WFH was a highly unusual arrangement. In two studies, using a nationally representative and a convenient sample, we investigated whether job and personal demands/resources predicted work-life balance (WLB), job performance and well-being of Croatian employees WFH during the lockdown. Our comprehensive operationalization of WLB included work-to-family and family-to-work conflict, the time structure of working days and psychological detachment from work. Both studies showed that WLB, especially time structure, is important for job performance and well-being and that childcare responsibilities act as a personal demand that lowers WLB. Study 2 showed that childcare responsibilities negatively affect job performance and well-being via lower WLB and that conscientiousness, emotional stability and autonomy act as resources that contribute to WLB, job performance, and well-being. We believe that these findings have implications for work organization in circumstances where WFH is necessary but to unusual arrangements such as sudden global or local crises.