Exploring the Positive Impact of Remote Work on Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Roles of Career Plateau, Autonomy, and Trust

Based on survey responses from public‑sector workers and the IT contractors who work with them (N = 196 for analyses), we explore how remote work is related to satisfaction through autonomy, career plateau, and trust, and the degree to which remote work serves to buffer the negative link between plateau and satisfaction. Results reveal a positive direct effect of remote work on job satisfaction (b=0.114, p=.011), with autonomy mediating a beneficial indirect path (b=0.025, p<.05) and career plateau exacerbating a negative indirect path (b=−0.087, p<.05). Trust does not emerge as a significant mediator, but remote work moderates the negative association between career plateau and satisfaction (b=0.173, p=.010), suggesting a buffering effect. The parallel-mediation model explains 39.7% of the variance in job satisfaction, highlighting the complex interplay between flexibility and career stagnation. These findings combine the work‑design and career‑plateau perspectives: remote working recrafts resources (autonomy) and constraints (plateau) together. Implications entail balancing schedule/location freedom with explicit development trajectories and visibility cues for those who are remote. Our findings contribute to theory by delineating when remote work acts as a resource or constraint, while offering practical insights for organizations navigating hybrid work models.