Employee withdrawal behavior during forced remote work: the roles of perceived organizational support and meaningful work

Purpose Employee withdrawal behavior can be costly for an organization. Referring to the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this study assessed employee withdrawal behavior during forced remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Job demands in the recent crisis tend to be high, resulting in the use of job resources, that is, perceived organizational support (POS) during remote work and meaningful work. Thus, the study aimed to examine the roles of POS and meaningful work toward employee withdrawal behavior during forced remote work. Design/methodology/approach Self-report questionnaires were received from 320 Thai forced remote employees in various industries. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, followed by structural equation model to test hypotheses. Findings The full mediating role of meaningful work between POS during remote work and employee withdrawal behavior was detected, emphasizing its significance as an intrinsic motivator to lessen the likelihood of withdrawal behavior. Originality/value Existing knowledge of remote work is questioned in terms of how it applies to a forced remote situation. This study also confirmed the JD-R model in an unfamiliar scenario, contributing to our knowledge of remote work as a future of work.