Does it matter where your manager works? Comparing managerial work mode (traditional, telework, virtual) across subordinate work experiences and outco

1. Timothy D Golden⇓

1. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA

1. Timothy D Golden, Lally School of Management and Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180, USA. Email: goldent@rpi.edu

1. Allan Fromen

1. GfK Custom Research, USA

Abstract

Although research has begun to examine impacts from employee work modes such as teleworking, studies to date have overlooked the impact that managers who work away from the office might have on subordinates. Using a large dataset (N = 11,059), this study therefore compares three managerial work modes (traditional, telework, virtual work), to investigate differences in subordinate work experiences and outcomes. Results suggest that in comparison to subordinates with managers in a traditional work mode, work experiences and outcomes are generally less positive for subordinates with teleworking managers who spend a portion of the week away from the office, and they are lower as well for subordinates with virtual managers who are away from the office full time. These results differ based on the subordinate’s own work mode and are modest in magnitude. This study suggests a need for further investigation into the effects of managerial work modes on subordinate experiences and outcomes.

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