From workspace spirituality to performance: How digital skills and innovative work behavior shape teleworking outcomes

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to introduce workplace spirituality (WSS) as a new theoretical construct that redefines the classic concept of WSS in the context of remote and digitally mediated labor. Furthermore, this study suggests a contextualization of employee performance in teleworking called Teleworker Performance (TP). The research proposes and examine the direct impact of WSS on TP, the mediating role of Innovative Work Behavior (IWB), and the moderating role of Digital Skills (DS).

Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on a survey of 245 remote workers from the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Purposive sampling was used to choose the sample, which included WhatsApp groups of remote workers as well as those working remotely at various workplaces in the Special Region. The data was analyzed using SEM-PLS version 4.

Findings: These data demonstrated that WSS positively influenced IWB, DTP, DCP, and DAP, with IWB serving as a partial mediator. This shows that a spiritually grounded digital work environment benefits both telework and IWB. However, DS had minimal effect on the WSS-IWB link, and WSS in the digital workspace was mostly independent of DS.

Research limitations/implications: This study was limited to remote workers in Yogyakarta and focused solely on that area. Future research should be conducted in other regions and explore longitudinal and cross-cultural designs.

Practical implications: Practically, businesses must strike a balance between investing in workspace skills and encouraging spiritual participation in the workspace.

Social Implications: This study underscores the importance of DTP, DCT, and DAP in the success of telework. In addition to infrastructure, companies must build spirituality and digital skills to improve the well-being and sustainability of teleworkers as an effective workforce strategy

Originality/value: This study highlights that effective telework depends on task, contextual, and adaptive digital performance.