ROLE OF ISOLATION ON PERFORMANCE OF WORK-FROM-ANYWHERE IT PROFESSIONALS IN INDIA: A MOTIVATION MEDIATED AND COMMITMENT MODERATED APPROACH.

Abstract

This research investigates the mediating influence of motivation on employee isolation and job performance of work-from-anywhere (WFA) Information Technology (IT) professionals in India. The study is underpinned by the lenses of the need-to-belong theory and self-determination theory. The research questions covered in the study are: (a) Does employee isolation affect job performance? (b) Does motivation mediate the connection between employee isolation and job performance? (c) Does motivation during employee isolation affect job performance? (d) Does organizational commitment during employee isolation moderate the connection between motivation and job performance? An online/offline survey was engaged to collect data from 410 IT employees work-from-anywhere minimum of one or more days per week from 3 regions of 28 states and eight union territories in India. The responses were collected from IT professionals from India serving various IT firms from June 2022 to May 2023. The hypothesis in the study considered structural equation modelling. The findings indicate that (a) employee isolation has a negative influence on job performance, (b) motivation mediates indirect-only (full mediation) the link between employee isolation and job performance, (c) motivation significantly influences job performance during employee isolation, and (d) during employee isolation organization commitment does not moderate on the connection between motivation and job performance. The employers need to build upon motivating tools for WFA IT professionals, which ensures employees’ belongingness by giving rewards, a sense of purpose towards assignments, autonomy, and developing IT expertise to bring relatedness, which significantly increases performance among employees in work isolation situations. Through the combination of need-to-belong and self-determination theories, the research contributes to the work-from-anywhere literature by exploring the relations between employee isolation, job performance, and the mediating influence of motivation on IT professionals in India in the current scenario.

Key Words: Work-from-anywhere (WFA); Employee Isolation (EI); Motivation (M); Job Performance (JP); Organizational Commitment (OC); Information Technology (IT)