Flexible work arrangement and job satisfaction: the mediation of work–life balance

Purpose The study investigated flexible work arrangements and job satisfaction with work–life balance (WLB) as the mediator. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of 327 employees from the aviation sector and private Universities in South Western Nigeria served as the research design, with a focus on organisations that implement flexible work arrangements. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the research data. Findings Flexible work schedules and flexible annual leave have significant positive relationships with WLB. Besides, there is a significant association between WLB and job satisfaction, and WLB fully mediates the association between flexible work schedules and job satisfaction, partially mediates the relationship between flexible annual leave and job satisfaction, but does not mediate the association between flexible job target and job satisfaction. The study makes theoretical and empirical contributions. Research limitations/implications The first limitation concerns the closed-ended nature of the items in the research instrument. Secondly, the use of cross-sectional data limits the causality of hypothesised relationships. Thirdly, this study elicited data from organisations in Southwestern Nigeria. Future studies should expand the geographical scope to permit a more robust analysis. Practical implications The use of remote maintenance supports in the aviation sector and remote work in the education sector can contribute to equilibrating the work–life disequilibrium of employees and thus enhance their satisfaction. Social implications By increasing the level of productivity, flexible work arrangements will stimulate firm expansion and thus, the need to employ more workers and ultimately reduce the level of unemployment and the attendant social consequences of unemployment. Originality/value The study contributes to empirical literature and to theory. Specifically, it contributes to the social exchange, boundary, conservation of resources and flexible work theories.