Do blended working arrangements enhance organizational attractiveness and organizational citizenship behaviour intentions? An individual difference perspective

In blended working arrangements (BWAs), employees have discretion over when and where they work. Although BWAs are proliferating worldwide, the lack of predefined temporal and locational structures is unlikely to appeal to every employee. To investigate with whom and when BWAs cause positive reactions, we conducted two experimental vignette studies among full-time employees. In Study 1, we used a 2 (BWAs: yes vs. no) × 2 (development support: yes vs. no) between-subjects design (N = 212) and, in Study 2, a within-subjects design with the same factors (N = 114). Additionally, in both studies, we measured individual differences in autonomy orientation and personal need for structure. Study 1 showed that, relative to traditional working arrangements, BWAs enhance organizational attractiveness and intention to demonstrate organizational citizenship behaviour. In Study 2, in which employees could compare working arrangements, we only found effects of BWAs among employees high in autonomy orientation or low in personal need for structure. Development support for independent working was not found to moderate the effects of BWAs. By indicating which employees tend to prefer BWAs, our findings could help organizations determine employees’ suitability for such arrangements, which is likely to contribute to BWAs being effective.