Examining Job Performance in Work from Home Considering Job Concentration and Social Isolation: The Moderating Role of Emotional Stability in a Diary Study

Using Self-Determination theory as the theoretical framework, this study investigates the impact of work from home (WFH) on employees' job concentration, social isolation, and job performance, with the first two also serving as mediators of the relationship between WFH and job performance. The moderation effect of an important personality trait, emotional stability, has been also considered. A diary study including 102 public sector workers was conducted over eight consecutive working days. Results showed that WFH is associated with increased job concentration and social isolation. These relationships are associated with workers’ emotional stability, that enhanced the positive effects of WFH on job concentration and buffered the negative effects of isolation associated with WFH. Positive indirect relationships between WFH and job performance were found even when considering emotional stability. While offering insights on the mechanisms linking WFH to work outcomes, this study has implications for practitioners, suggesting that emotional stability may contribute to the success of WFH programs.