The effects of locus of control and gender on work alienation: A research in remote workers

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between locus of control and work alienation in remote workers in the light of the moderating role of gender. For this purpose, data was collected via online survey method from 212 white-collar employees working remotely in the public or private sector. Statistical analyzes were carried out using IBM SPSS 22, IBM AMOS 23, Microsoft Office Excel and PROCESS v4.2. According to the research findings, there is a positive and significant relationship between the externalization of locus of control and the increase in work alienation. Although this relationship includes the meaninglessness and self-alienation sub-dimensions of work alienation, it does not include the powerlessness sub-dimension. In addition, gender has an expected moderating effect on the relationship between locus of control and work alienation, but this role is limited to the meaninglessness and self-alienation sub-dimensions of work alienation. The general level of work alienation and the powerlessness sub-dimension increases in non-managerial roles and decreases in upper-level managers. This situation can be explained by the incompatibility of organizational roles and responsibilities. Within the scope of the study, it is recommended that the relationship and inter-group differences detected by quantitative measurement methods be examined in depth with exploratory qualitative research and repeated in groups with different demographic characteristics that work remotely, to eliminate the occupational confounding variable, which is a potential limitation of the study. It is considered that the increase in the number and depth of research on employee and organizational well-being in the increasingly widespread remote working process, which has become increasingly important especially in the 'new normal' period that developed with the onset and continuation of the COVID-19, has a great contribution to both organizational behavior and general business literature.