Hybrid Meetings and Employee Well-being Post-COVID-19 Era: A Comparative Analysis of Stress and Engagement between Greece and the Netherlands

Abstract

After the outbreak of COVID-19, organizations have adopted several hybrid work arrangements like hybrid meetings to combat the restrictions created during the pandemic, to continue with information sharing, managing complex work tasks and collaborating. This thesis aims to explore the impact of hybrid meetings on employee well-being in the post-pandemic era, comparing Greece and the Netherlands. To investigate the above relationship, a cross-sectional analysis was executed. The data were collected with the use of questionnaires that were digitally distributed to 177 participants, 77 from Greece and 100 from the Netherlands. This thesis statistically evaluated the data by using linear regression with a moderator. The contribution to the scientific scene was by reaching to the conclusion that BNS has a mediating effect on hybrid meetings, however hybrid meetings have no direct effect on stress and engagement of employees, both in Greece and the Netherlands. The moderating role of digitalization was not as significant as expected, as it did not influence to a certain degree the relation of hybrid meetings with employee well-being, however the finding potrayed a strong direct relation of digitaliazation to stress and engagement. The findings of this research aid in creating a positive work environment for all organizations in Europe that nurtures employees’ holistic well-being