The future of work: work engagement and job performance in the hybrid workplace

Purpose Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the authors examine how working in the hybrid workplace model (telework and flexible work) affects job performance via the intervening role of work engagement. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted a quantitative approach and collected data from 277 employees working in universities in Nigeria. Partial least square structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data and test the hypotheses. Findings The findings reveal that flexible work, not telework, has a significant and positive effect on job performance. It also emerges that flexible work positively affects work engagement, and work engagement significantly mediates the relationship between flexible work and job performance. However, the findings do not support the effect of telework on work engagement and the mediating role of work engagement in the proposed relation between telework and job performance. Originality/value The paper provides fresh insights by linking the components of the hybrid workplace model with job performance and employee work engagement and extending the JD-R model to the hybrid workplace setting. The practitioners can benefit from the findings of this study by factoring in the importance of the hybrid workplace model in designing policies and procedures to promote job performance.