Engaged at a distance: cohesion, culture and performance in remote and hybrid workforces

What the paper says

Purpose This study examines how workplace cohesion and supportive work culture influence in-role performance among employees working in remote and hybrid arrangements. Grounded in the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model, it explores work engagement as a core psychological mechanism linking organizational social resources to employee performance in flexible work settings. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from full-time US-based employees via Amazon Mechanical Turk during the late phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Established scales measured workplace cohesion, supportive culture, work engagement and in-role performance. After rigorous quality screening, responses from remote and hybrid workers were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling with bootstrapping to test direct and mediated effects. Findings Both workplace cohesion and supportive work culture significantly predicted in-role performance, with work engagement partially mediating these relationships. Results highlight engagement’s dual function as a motivational and self-regulatory mechanism – particularly valuable in decentralized work environments where traditional oversight and in-person interaction are reduced. Originality/value This study extends the JD–R framework to remote and hybrid contexts, offering new evidence on how social and cultural resources sustain performance in digitally mediated workplaces. It demonstrates that cohesion and supportive culture remain vital drivers of engagement and effectiveness when physical proximity and structural support are limited.