Does Working Out-of-the-Office Work for Employees? Alternative Work Arrangements, Ambiguity, and Job Satisfaction in the Federal Workforce

Public employees working away from the office has become more common in recent years, but the impact of these changes is not fully understood. This study considers whether out-of-office work culture impacts how employees come to make sense of their organizations, jobs, and work life, and, in turn, how this may affect job satisfaction. Using Stata 15’s random sampling tool, the authors employ Structural Equation Modeling of three random samples of 2,000 respondents from the 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Findings indicate that employees are likely to perceive more goal clarity and support for work–life balance where out-of-office work proliferates, leading to higher job satisfaction. By altering how employees interact with their colleagues, working away from the office often leaves employees with clearer perceptions of organizational goals and boundaries around their work lives. In turn, this supports higher job satisfaction as public servants have a stronger understanding of their work identities. This adds further dimension to understanding how the push toward telework or similar arrangements impacts organizations and employees in the public sector.