Social Well-Being in Multi-Locational Work in Higher Education

Work in higher education institutions is changing as the different modes of remote work have increased, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. When employees work multi-locationally, the nature of social interaction and sense of community is different compared to traditional on-site work. This has an impact on social well-being. In this article, we investigate how multi-locational work in higher education is perceived by staff with regard to their social well-being. The following research questions were set for this study: (1) How is university employees’ social well-being affected by multi-locational work? and (2) How do university employees describe the relationship between social well-being and multi-locational work? This was a mixed-methods study focused on one Finnish university. The survey data analyses included factor analysis and linear regression analysis, and the interview data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that employees’ social well-being is best supported by organizations that facilitate and create opportunities for multi-locational work. An individual needs resources and skills to participate, interact, and be part of a community, and multi-locational work functions as such a resource. The findings contribute new viewpoints to the international discussion on how to perceive social well-being at the individual and communal levels.