Exploring the effects of reduced load work arrangements (RLWAs): The role of individual autonomy and workplace level justice perceptions

This paper explores the effects of reduced load work arrangements (i.e. RLWAs) in a context where employees are seeking to balance their work-personal life while employers are reducing costs and staying competitive. We draw on the job-demands control theory and social information processing (SIP) theory to introduce two novel elements mainly to examine how and when the influence of RLWAs unfold: employee's perceived job autonomy as a mediating mechanism and role of social context (i.e., overall justice perceptions at workplace level) in shaping the consequences of RLWAs. We use a large representative data set acquired through WERS (2011) in the United Kingdom. Our findings partially support our hypotheses by shedding light on how and under which conditions the effects RLWAs unfold on employee outcomes. We contribute to debates that emphasize the bridging role of perceived job autonomy in translating the impact of RLWAs on employees' outcomes and hence to keep employees motivated while allowing them to achieve better balance between work and non-work.