Psychological topics, Vol. 34 No. 3, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31820/pt.34.3.3
Working From Home as Necessary but Unusual Arrangement: The Case of Croatian Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic
Mitja Ružojčić
orcid.org/0000-0001-8751-3367
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Zvonimir Galić
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Zagreb, Croatia
Antun Palanović
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Zagreb, Croatia
Maja Parmač Kovačić
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Zagreb, Croatia
Krešimir Žnidar
; Prizma CPI, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Supplements: S_Ruzojcic_M_et_al_PT_2025-34-3_Supplement.pdf
Abstract
We explored the determinants of the psychological experience of working from home (WFH) in a “double” specific context of non-voluntary WFH during the COVID-19 lockdown in Croatia, a country where WFH was a highly unusual arrangement. In two studies, using a nationally representative and a convenient sample, we investigated whether job and personal demands/resources predicted work-life balance (WLB), job performance and well-being of Croatian employees WFH during the lockdown. Our comprehensive operationalization of WLB included work-to-family and family-to-work conflict, the time structure of working days and psychological detachment from work. Both studies showed that WLB, especially time structure, is important for job performance and well-being and that childcare responsibilities act as a personal demand that lowers WLB. Study 2 showed that childcare responsibilities negatively affect job performance and well-being via lower WLB and that conscientiousness, emotional stability and autonomy act as resources that contribute to WLB, job performance, and well-being. We believe that these findings have implications for work organization in circumstances where WFH is necessary but to unusual arrangements such as sudden global or local crises.
Keywords
work from home; crises; work-life balance; job demands-resources
Hrčak ID:
341098
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2025.
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