Do I Own My Organisation? Drivers of Satisfaction Among Remote and Hybrid Workers in India

Work and workplaces have changed post the pandemic prompting workers to re-evaluate their sense of belongingness, connection and ownership with their organisations. This questioning of psychological ownership has an impact on their work proficiency and job satisfaction. Proficiency and satisfaction of employees are crucial outcomes for individuals and organisations alike. In this study, job demand-resource and self-efficacy theories were deployed to understand the interrelationship between psychological ownership, employee engagement, work proficiency and job satisfaction. Indian employees from multinational corporations were contacted to respond to the structured survey questionnaire ( n = 180). The data were analysed using structural equation modelling and PROCESS Macro. Results showed a significant relationship between psychological ownership and satisfaction, and this relationship was surprisingly stronger at lower levels of employee engagement than at higher levels. Further, work proficiency served as a mediator in the relationship between psychological ownership and satisfaction. Multinational organisations could use the research findings to design training programmes and policy initiatives to increase employees’ sense of ownership, proficiency, engagement and satisfaction in the context of remote and hybrid workers. Our contribution is novel in investigating these underlying mechanisms in multinational corporations in India.