Lonely When Working From Home: The Risks and Opportunities of Task Interdependence

Buiter, Leon David (2022) Lonely When Working From Home: The Risks and Opportunities of Task Interdependence. Master thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Past research indicates that task interdependence contributes to the development of friendships at work. However, working from home has been shown to negatively impact on workplace relationships, whilst physical proximity is important for maintaining qualitative relationships. This study examines whether task interdependent workers are subjected to a distinct risk or protection from experiencing loneliness when working from home. It is hypothesized, that more task interdependent workers (vs. less task interdependent workers) would experience less loneliness, due to an increased interaction frequency, as long as these interactions are pleasurable and conducive to a sense of belonging. However, there would be a risk of higher levels of loneliness if the interactions are frustrating and reduce the sense of belonging. Colleague support, supervisor support, and organizational support were measured to represent the quality of participants’ interactions. Therefore, levels of support were assumed to moderate and direct the effect of task interdependence on loneliness. The participants (N = 556) worked in a range of countries and industries and mainly from home (i.e., 3-5 days per week). Multiple regression analyses did not yield support for the hypothesized effects. However, colleague support and supervisor support were negatively associated with loneliness. Implications of the findings for theory are discussed.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Keller, A.C.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (WOP) [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	17 Feb 2022 15:31
Last Modified:	17 Feb 2022 15:31
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/159

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