Abstract:

This research examines how flexible working arrangements function as job resources influencing employee engagement and wellbeing among academics in UK higher education and addresses a critical gap at the intersection of flexible working literature, employee engagement research and higher education studies. Grounded in Job Demands-Resources theory, the study investigates whether hybrid working operates as a beneficial resource or an intensifying demand across different institutional contexts. Using interpretivist methodology, qualitative data were collected from 44 participants (30 academics, 6 line managers, 8 expert contributors) across universities in the UK. The research explores how flexible working influences engagement requires accessing participants' lived experiences, interpretations and sense-making. The research addresses a critical gap in understanding how flexible working's effectiveness depends on sectoral context, employment security and resource availability. Preliminary findings suggest flexible working functions as a genuine job resource only when three conditions are met: employment security, adequate institutional resources, and genuine scheduling autonomy. Without these conditions, flexibility becomes an additional demand intensifying work-life conflict. The theoretical contribution lies in specifying contextual conditions moderating whether flexibility functions as a resource or a demand, advancing both JD-R theory and flexible working literature toward greater contextual sophistication.This has significant implications for HRM policy and practice in managing hybrid work arrangements post-pandemic.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Human Resource Management

Keywords: Strategic HRM;Stress and well-being;Future of work, technology & Innovation

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Dr. Yemisi Bolade-Ogunfodun

Biography