The Mediating Role of Work Engagement in the Relationship between Flexible Work Arrangements, Work-life Balance, and Organizational Commitment

Medi Primatori Purnawan; Arissetyantyo Nugroho; Eka Sudarmaji; Viator BM Nadaek

doi:10.61255/jeemba.v4i5.1791

Authors

Medi Primatori Purnawan Universitas Pancasila, Indonesia
Arissetyantyo Nugroho Universitas Pancasila, Indonesia
Eka Sudarmaji Universitas Pancasila, Indonesia
Viator BM Nadaek Universitas Batam, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61255/jeemba.v4i5.1791

Keywords:

Flexible Work Arrangements, Work Engagement, Work-Life Balance, Organizational Commitment, PLS-SEM

Abstract

Purpose – This study tests work engagement as the mechanism linking flexible work arrangements (FWA) to work-life balance (WLB) and organizational commitment (OC) among employees of pharmaceutical companies in Batam, Indonesia, motivated by two prior studies reporting non-significant results along this pathway.

Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative, cross-sectional survey of 300 employees across production, quality control/quality assurance, regulatory affairs, and administrative roles was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with Confirmatory Tetrad Analysis (CTA-PLS), the Cross-Validated Predictive Ability Test (CVPAT), and Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) as supplementary techniques.

Finding/Results – Flexible work arrangements significantly predicted work engagement, and work engagement significantly predicted both work-life balance and organizational commitment. Flexible work arrangements had no significant direct effect on organizational commitment, which was instead fully mediated by work engagement. Flexible work arrangements had a significant direct effect on work-life balance, but in the opposite direction to that hypothesized, producing a competitive mediation pattern with the positive indirect effect through work engagement.

Originality/Value – The study refines the application of the Job Demands-Resources model in a flexible work context by showing that work engagement mediates the flexibility-to-outcome pathway differently depending on the outcome, offering a more nuanced account than a uniform mediation story in an under-studied manufacturing/pharmaceutical setting.

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