How changes in autonomy-supportive managerial practices affect job satisfaction in teleworking

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the widespread adoption of teleworking, raising critical questions about the organizational conditions that sustain employee well-being in remote work settings. Although teleworking is often associated with autonomy, its overall impact on job satisfaction remains uncertain. Drawing on resource-based theory (RBT), the current study examines how autonomy-supportive managerial practices, which enhance autonomy while providing managerial support, shaped teleworkers' job satisfaction during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data from the first wave of the COVID-19 Socio-Economic Impacts survey in Luxembourg indicate three clusters, defined according to whether autonomy-supportive managerial practices reflect erosion of support, increased support, or no change. An ordered probit analysis reveals that only increased support significantly enhances job satisfaction, and eroded managerial support sharply undermines it. These findings highlight the strategic role of managerial support in ensuring that autonomy translates into positive experiences rather than work intensification or strain. With regard to teleworking research, this study (1) clarifies the mechanisms through which managerial practices influence job satisfaction; (2) addresses the autonomy paradox by clarifying that autonomy alone is insufficient, without autonomy-supportive managerial practices; and (3) frames teleworking as an element of diversity management and a way to accommodate heterogeneous employee needs. Managerially, the results also provide actionable guidance for designing teleworking arrangements.