Should I Stay or Should I Go (to the Office)?—Effects of Working from Home, Autonomy, and Core Self–Evaluations on Leader Health and Work–Life Balance

Abstract

Leaders represent a high-demand group in organizations. The effects of leaders’ personal and workplace resources on their health and work–life balance have often slipped under the radar, as most studies are directed outwardly and focus on follower outcomes. With this study, we closed a gap in the research and investigated the positive effects of remote work, autonomy, and leaders’ core-self evaluations (CSE) on two important leader outcomes: health and work–life balance. We hypothesized that the relationship between remote work and the outcomes would be moderated by leaders’ CSE and their autonomy—in such a way that leaders with lower resources benefit more from remote work and achieve better health and work–life balance the more days they spend working from home. A sample of 367 leaders reported their frequency of working from home, their autonomy, and CSE. Their health and work–life balance were assessed five months later. Results showed a moderating effect of CSE on both outcomes, indicating that leaders with low CSE benefit more in terms of health and work–life balance. There was no moderating effect of autonomy. Leaders with high resources (autonomy and CSE) had overall higher levels of health and work–life balance regardless of work location. Practitioners in organizations should consider working from home as a resource for leaders, particularly if personal resources are lower.