A Study on Appreciation at work, Psychological Capital & Work Life Balance among Adults Employed in Online & Offline Workplaces

In the wake of Covid-19, many physical workplaces had to shift their gears to a virtual mode of functioning. While some people worked-from-home for a longer duration than they expected, some had to return to their workplaces sooner than they could have predicted primarily due to the nature of their work. The present study investigates the relationship of appreciation at work, psychological capital, workplace-stress, and work-life balance among adults employed in both online and offline work settings, with the aim to decipher as to which mode of work has proved itself to be better with respect to our chosen variables. Standardized scales were used to measure all the variables mentioned above. A total sample of 70 (35 work-from-home employees & 35 work-from-workplace employees) in the age range of 22 to 40 was taken. The results show a significantly positive correlation between perceived appreciation at work and work-life balance; perceived appreciation at work and PsyCap; Facets of PsyCap (self-efficacy, hope, resilience & optimism) and PsyCap as a separate entity. It was found that employees engaged in the online work setting(s) tend to receive and perceive more appreciation at work as compared to employees engaged in the offline work setting(s) thus indicating that work-from-home employees stand a better chance of being able to maintain a reasonably good work-life balance and a high level of psychological capital. It is suggested for organizations to focus their attention towards adopting simple yet effective measures such as appreciating employees adequately to validate their efforts and indirectly or directly contribute to their general well-being.