Factors Hindering Self-Reported Employee Performance During Telework

Abstract

This quantitative study investigates the negative factors hindering self-reported employee performance during telework, with a primary focus on exhaustion and professional isolation. Data was collected from a sample of 801 full-time Romanian employees who performed telework for at least 20% of their weekly hours during the year before 2020. To ensure representativeness, a quota sampling method was applied. The findings reveal that socio-demographic variables operate intersectionally to shape an employee’s exposure to these remote work challenges. Consequently, employees experiencing high levels of telework-induced exhaustion or professional isolation exhibit significantly lower technical and social performance. Therefore, this article aims to demonstrate that sustaining high employee performance in a remote environment is fundamentally dependent on actively protecting the psychological well-being of the workforce.