Exploring the impact of flexible work arrangements on employee engagement in telecommunications: case of Egypt
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(2).2025.13
-
Article InfoVolume 23 2025, Issue #2, pp. 198-207
- 36 Views
-
5 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have become a cornerstone of modern organizational practices, offering solutions to enhance employee engagement and adapt to evolving workplace demands. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of flexible work arrangements on job engagement, focusing on how dimensions such as workload flexibility, workplace flexibility, and flexible working hours influence employee vigor, dedication, and absorption within the Egyptian telecommunications sector. A descriptive-analytical approach was adopted, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 300 employees across different departments in the Egyptian Telecom Company. Statistical analyses, including correlation and regression, were employed to test the relationships between the variables. The findings reveal that FWAs significantly enhance job engagement, explaining 62% of the variance in engagement levels. Flexibility in workload emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.28), followed by flexible workplace (β = 0.25) and flexible working hours (β = 0.22). Flexible workplace and working hours also had substantial impacts, reflecting the importance of spatial and temporal flexibility in addressing employee needs. While flexible working procedures contributed positively, their influence was comparatively lower, indicating the operational constraints of the telecommunications sector. The results underscore the practical value of FWAs in enhancing workforce motivation and organizational performance. By strategically implementing tailored FWA policies, organizations in dynamic sectors like telecommunications can foster a more engaged and adaptable workforce, ensuring resilience and competitiveness in a rapidly changing environment.
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at University of Bisha for supporting this work through the Fast-Track Research Support Program.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)J28, M12, M54, O15
-
References22
-
Tables10
-
Figures0
-
- Table 1. Distribution of population and sample across departments in the Egyptian Telecom Company
- Table 2. Reliability and validity results
- Table 3. Descriptive statistics for FWAs and job engagement
- Table 4. Correlation between FWAs and job engagement
- Table 5. Regression analysis for FWAs and job engagement
- Table 6. Regression analysis for flexible workplace and job engagement
- Table 7. Regression analysis for flexible working hours and job engagement
- Table 8. Regression analysis for flexible working procedures and job engagement
- Table 9. Regression analysis for flexibility in workload and job engagement
- Table 10. Summary of hypotheses testing
-
- Agbanu, I., Tsetim, J., & Suleman, A. (2023). Flexible work arrangements and productivity of sales representatives of book publishing companies in Nigeria. International Journal of Innovation in Marketing Elements, 3(1), 1-20.
- Awang, N., & Nadzri, N. (2023). The implementation of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and its impact for work-life balance of women’s workforce. I-IECONS E-Proceedings, 10(1), 438-449.
- Boell, S., Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., & Campbell, J. (2016). Telework paradoxes and practices: The importance of the nature of work. New Technology, Work and Employment, 31(2), 114-131.
- Brega, C., Briones, S., Javornik, J., León, M., & Yerkes, M. (2023). Flexible work arrangements for work-life balance: A cross-national policy evaluation from a capabilities perspective. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 43(13/14), 278-294.
- Chen, Y., & Fulmer, I. (2018). Fine-tuning what we know about employees’ experience with flexible work arrangements and their job attitudes. Human Resource Management, 57(1), 381-395.
- Gašić, D., & Berber, N. (2023). The mediating role of employee engagement in the relationship between flexible work arrangements and turnover intentions among highly educated employees in the Republic of Serbia. Behavioral Sciences, 13(2), Article 131.
- Gerards, R., De Grip, A., & Baudewijns, C. (2018). Do new ways of working increase work engagement? Personnel Review, 47(2), 517-534.
- Hill, E., Hawkins, A., Ferris, M., & Weitzman, M. (2001). Finding an extra day a week: The positive influence of perceived job flexibility on work and family life balance. Family Relations, 50(1), 49-58.
- Koreshi, S., & Alpass, F. (2023). Understanding the use of flexible work arrangements among older New Zealand caregivers. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 42(5), 1045-1055.
- Masuda, A., Poelmans, S., Allen, T., Spector, P., Lapierre, L., Cooper, C., Abarca, N., Brough, P., Ferreiro, P., Fraile, G., Lu, L., Lu, C-Q., Siu, O. L., O’Driscoll, M.P., Simoni, A.S., Shima, S., & Moreno-Velazquez, I. (2012). Flexible work arrangements availability and their relationship with work-to-family conflict, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: A comparison of three country clusters. Applied Psychology, 61(1), 1-29.
- McNall, L., Masuda, A., & Nicklin, J. (2009). Flexible work arrangements, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work-to-family enrichment. The Journal of Psychology, 144(1), 61-81.
- Rahman, M. (2019). Impact of flexible work arrangements on job satisfaction among the female teachers in the higher education sector. European Journal of Business and Management, 11(18), 97-107.
- Rahman, M., Kistyanto, A., & Surjanti, J. (2020). Flexible work arrangements in COVID-19 pandemic era: Influence on employee performance through the mediating role of innovative work behavior. Journal of Business and Management Sciences.
- Sardeshmukh, S., Sharma, D., & Golden, T. (2012). Impact of telework on exhaustion and job engagement: A job demands and job resources model. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2012(1).
- Sharma, B. S., & Gaur, N. (2023). The impact of flexible work arrangements on work-life balance. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), 5(3), 1-12.
- Singh, A. (2023). A descriptive interpretation of flexible work arrangements (FWA) and their impact on organizational outcomes. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 13(4), 205-217.
- Subramaniam, G., Rozlan, N., Putit, L., & Maniam, B. (2022). Flexible working arrangements and millennials during COVID-19: Work better leads to feel better? Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 7(21), 45-53.
- Ugargol, J., & Patrick, H. (2018). The relationship of workplace flexibility to employee engagement among information technology employees in India. South Asian Journal of Human Resources Management, 5(1), 40-55.
- Van Steenbergen, E., van der Ven, C., Peeters, M., & Taris, T. (2018). Transitioning towards new ways of working: Do job demands, job resources, burnout, and engagement change? Psychological Reports, 121(4), 736-766.
- Virick, M., DaSilva, N., & Arrington, K. (2010). Moderators of the curvilinear relation between extent of telecommuting and job and life satisfaction: The role of performance outcome orientation and worker type. Human Relations, 63(1), 137-154.
- Yıldız, R., & Aymelek, M. (2023). Striking the balance: The priority ranking of flexible work arrangements in freight forwarding companies. Marine Science and Technology Bulletin, 12(4), 428-444.
- Zvavahera, P., & Chirima, N. (2023). Flexible work arrangements and gender differences in research during the COVID-19 period in Zimbabwean higher learning institutions. Perspectives in Education, 41(1), 190-205.