Does homeworking affect employee engagement in a German service company? A thematic analysis of employees’ perspectives of engagement whilst homeworking during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose This paper aims to explore how homeworking influences employee engagement in a German service company during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide recommendations for organisations on how to secure employees’ engagement remotely. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a qualitative research design in a case study setup with a German service company. A refined framework links homeworking and engagement based on the data collected from interviews and surveys. Findings This paper identifies several factors that affect engagement whilst homeworking, such as work–life balance, family, work intensification, team environment, leadership, organisational activities and flexible working arrangements. The paper also proposes a refined framework that links homeworking and engagement and offers practical implications for organisations. Research limitations/implications This paper is based on a small and homogeneous sample from one service company in Germany, which limits the generalisability of the findings. Future research could use larger and more diverse samples, longitudinal designs and quantitative methods to examine the impact of homeworking on engagement. Originality/value This paper contributes to the scarce literature on homeworking and engagement by providing new and up-to-date insights into the homeworking experience and its effect on engagement in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper also offers useful suggestions for organisations on how to adapt their practices and policies to secure engagement in a remote work environment.