Assessing the relationship between leadership styles and work engagement in remote working environments

Purpose – The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between full range leadership model (FRLM) leadership styles and work engagement (WE), drawing on WE theory and the job demands-resources (JD-R) perspective in remote work contexts. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 212 remote workers in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. Leadership styles were measured using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X-Short) and WE with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17). Hierarchical regression analyses assessed direct and moderated relationships, with age and gender as potential moderators. Findings – Transformational leadership had the strongest and most consistent positive association with WE. Transactional leadership correlated positively with WE but did not show a unique association once transformational and passive-avoidant leadership were included in regression models. Passive-avoidant leadership, contrary to expectations, showed a positive association with WE in regression analysis. Age demonstrated a direct positive association with WE, while gender showed only limited evidence of moderation. Originality/value – The study's main contribution lies in positioning leadership as a higher-level contextual factor that is associated with employees' access to engagement-relevant resources in fully remote work. The study clarifies the relative importance of FRLM styles, especially passive-avoidant leadership, which showed an unexpected positive association in the multivariable model, highlighting the need for a more context-sensitive interpretation of passive-avoidant leadership in remote work.