Employee Well-Being and the Remote Leader: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Recent industry developments emphasize the need for research into promoting employee well-being via virtual leadership. While the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote work, global trends such as low unemployment rates sparked an urgency to prioritize employee well-being. This SLR analyses findings to understand the role of leadership behaviour within this context for application in the business environment. Applying the PRISMA method, 15 relevant studies before and during the pandemic were selected. The analysis found critical aspects of remote work which affect employee well-being while emphasizing implications for leadership. Key themes are boundaries between work-life and private life, supportive relationships and adequate use of technology. Contributing to existing research into employee well-being, this review discusses the effects of remote work on employee well-being, differentiates between research conducted before and during the pandemic and identifies implications for leaders to manage employee challenges in virtual environments to design post-COVID-19 work environments using remote work as a resource, not a demand. Based on the results, the review provides suggestions for further research into (1) comparative studies of employee well-being in remote and traditional work forms, (2) manager-employee relationships in remote settings and (3) virtual onboarding scenarios.Implications for Central European audience: The review informs leaders about well-being-promoting behaviour in remote work settings.