The influence of transformational leadership on employee engagement in the context of hybrid work

https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v5i4.3293
Published: Dec 31, 2025

Abstract:

Purpose: This study investigates how transformational leadership influences employee engagement in hybrid work environments, addressing a research gap in understanding leadership mechanisms that operate across both remote and in-office contexts.

Methodology/approach: A mixed-methods design was employed by surveying 94 employees reduced from an initial 150 responses following data cleaning and conducting semi-structured interviews with 15 managers. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis to deepen the interpretation of the survey findings.

Results/findings: The results show that transformational leadership, particularly through idealized influence and inspirational motivation, is positively associated with employee engagement in hybrid settings. Communication quality and trust function as key mediating factors that strengthen this relationship.

Conclusion: The study concludes that transformational leadership plays a critical role in sustaining employee engagement within hybrid work arrangements. Effective communication and trust-building emerge as essential leadership practices for maintaining employee commitment across flexible work modalities.

Limitations: The generalizability of the findings is constrained by the reduced sample size after data cleaning and the cross-sectional nature of the study.

Contribution: This research contributes to the growing literature on hybrid work by contextualizing transformational leadership within blended work environments and by offering practical guidance for leaders seeking to foster engagement through communication and trust-building strategies.

Keywords:
1. Communication
2. Employee Engagement
3. Hybrid Work Environment
4. Motivation
5. Transformational Leadership
Authors:
Feriandy Feriandy
Universitas Mitra Bangsa, Jakarta, Indonesia
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How to Cite
Feriandy, F. (2025). The influence of transformational leadership on employee engagement in the context of hybrid work. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 5(4), 359–371. https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v5i4.3293
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Issue & Section
Vol. 5 No. 4 (2025): December
Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

References

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    Amegayibor, G. K. (2021). Leadership Styles and Employees' Performance: A Case of Family-owned Manufacturing Company, Cape Coast. International Journal of Financial, Accounting, and Management, 3(2), 149-164. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ijfam.v3i2.624

    Bantilan, J. C., Sombilon, E. J. J., Regidor, A. R., Mondoyo, D. P., & Edig, M. M. N. (2024). Impact of Transformational Leadership and School Environment on Organizational Commitment of Teachers. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 4(2), 99-116. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jshe.v4i2.1584

    Boccoli, G., Gastaldi, L., & Corso, M. (2024). Transformational Leadership and Work Engagement in Remote Work Settings: The Moderating Role of the Supervisor’s Digital Communication Skills. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 45(7), 1240-1257. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2023-0490

    Bojovic, I., & Jovanovic, S. S. (2020). Transformational Leadership and Psychological Needs of Employees. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 7(1), 226-235. doi:https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v7i1.512

    Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One Size Fits All? What Counts as Quality Practice in (Reflexive) Thematic Analysis?. Qualitative research in Psychology, 18(3), 328-352. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238

    Carlo, A. D., Corso, L. D., Carluccio, F., Colledani, D., & Falco, A. (2020). Positive Supervisor Behaviors and Employee Performance: The Serial Mediation of Workplace Spirituality and Work Engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-8. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01834

    Chua, J., & Ayoko, O. B. (2021). Employees’ Self-Determined Motivation, Transformational Leadership and Work Engagement. Journal of Management & Organization, 27(3), 523-543. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2018.74

    Eduzor, N. C. (2024). Leadership Styles and Organizational Performance: Examining the Impact of Transformational Leadership on Employee Engagement and Business Success. International Journal of Development, Sustainability and Environmental Management, 4(1), 16-24. doi:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10500674

    Erickson, S. (2021). Communication in a Crisis and the Importance of Authenticity and Transparency. Journal of Library Administration, 61(4), 476-483. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2021.1906556

    Franken, E., Bentley, T., Shafaei, A., Farr-Wharton, B., Onnis, L.-a., & Omari, M. (2021). Forced Flexibility and Remote Working: Opportunities and Challenges in the New Normal. Journal of Management & Organization, 27(6), 1131-1149. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2021.40

    Gartner, J., Mäkelä, K., Sumelius, J., & Vuorenmaa, H. (2024). The Accelerating Disconnection of Work from Time and Place: New Questions for HR. In T. Bondarouk & J. Meijerink (Eds.), Research Handbook on Human Resource Management and Disruptive Technologies (pp. 270-282). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Hadi, M. Y. (2025). Hubungan Antara Kepemimpinan Transformasional dan Kinerja Organisasi pada Perguruan Tinggi Negeri di Indonesia. RIGGS: Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Business, 4(3), 6378-6396. doi:https://doi.org/10.31004/riggs.v4i3.2966

    Hands, A. S. (2022). Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Data in Mixed Methods Research: An Illustration. The Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 45(1), 1-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.5206/cjilsrcsib.v45i1.10645

    John, B., Alsamarra'i, Z., & Panteli, N. (2025). Reconfiguring Digital Embeddedness in Hybrid Work: The Case of Employee Experience Management Platforms. Information systems journal, 35(2), 450-479. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12545

    Kelliher, C., Richardson, J., & Boiarintseva, G. (2019). All of Work? All of Life? Reconceptualising Work?Life Balance for the 21st Century. Human Resource Management Journal, 29(2), 97-112. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12215

    Mäkikangas, A., Juutinen, S., Mäkiniemi, J.-P., Sjöblom, K., & Oksanen, A. (2022). Work Engagement and its Antecedents in Remote Work: A Person-Centered View. Work & stress, 36(4), 392-416. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2022.2080777

    Masrifah, S., & Kuswinarno, M. (2024). Peran Kepemimpinan Transformasional dalam Menciptakan Kepuasan Kerja Karyawan. Jurnal Media Akademik (JMA), 2(11), 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.62281/v2i11.1006

    Mutha, P., & Srivastava, M. (2021). Engaging Virtual Teams. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 56(4), 732-747.

    Nurhidayah, R., & Muliansyah, D. (2024). Digital Leadership and Employee Engagement in Hybrid Work Environments: The Role of Trust and Communication. RIGGS: Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Business, 3(2), 23-33. doi:https://doi.org/10.31004/riggs.v3i2.1067

    Östergård, N., Högberg, K., & Lundh Snis, U. (2025). Trust and Leadership in the Hybrid Workplace. 58 th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2025 (HICSS), 5427-5436. doi:https://doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2025.652

    Pervin, M. T., & Begum, R. (2022). Engaging Employees in Management and Decision-Making Process: A Case Study on “Vision Garments Limited”. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 2(1), 71-85. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v2i1.1225

    Prihandaka, D. J. P., Rohman, I. Z., & Wijaya, N. H. S. (2022). Supportive Leadership and Employee Creativity: Will Leader-Member Exchange Mediate the Relationship. Annals of Management and Organization Research, 4(1), 35-45. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v4i1.1477

    Schaufeli, W. (2021). Engaging Leadership: How to Promote Work Engagement?. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-10. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754556

    Syed, S., Singh, H., Thangaraju, S. K., Bakri, N. E., & Hwa, K. Y. (2020). The Impact of Cyberloafing on Employees’ Job Performance: A Review of Literature Journal of Advances in Management Sciences & Information Systems, 6, 16-28. doi:https://doi.org/10.6000/2371-1647.2020.06.02

    Wang, B., Liu, Y., Qian, J., & Parker, S. K. (2021). Achieving Effective Remote Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Work Design Perspective. Applied psychology, 70(1), 16-59. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12290

    Wiatr, A. (2025). Mastering the Hybrid: Influence of Managerial Presence in Team Support. Review of Managerial Science, 1-30. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-025-00889-8

  1. Adriyanto, A. (2023). Evaluation of Employee Engagement Level in Improving Productivity and Retention in the Company. ATESTASI: Jurnal Ilmiah Akuntansi, 6(1), 583-598. doi:https://doi.org/10.57178/atestasi.v6i1.1105
  2. Amegayibor, G. K. (2021). Leadership Styles and Employees' Performance: A Case of Family-owned Manufacturing Company, Cape Coast. International Journal of Financial, Accounting, and Management, 3(2), 149-164. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ijfam.v3i2.624
  3. Bantilan, J. C., Sombilon, E. J. J., Regidor, A. R., Mondoyo, D. P., & Edig, M. M. N. (2024). Impact of Transformational Leadership and School Environment on Organizational Commitment of Teachers. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 4(2), 99-116. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jshe.v4i2.1584
  4. Boccoli, G., Gastaldi, L., & Corso, M. (2024). Transformational Leadership and Work Engagement in Remote Work Settings: The Moderating Role of the Supervisor’s Digital Communication Skills. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 45(7), 1240-1257. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2023-0490
  5. Bojovic, I., & Jovanovic, S. S. (2020). Transformational Leadership and Psychological Needs of Employees. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 7(1), 226-235. doi:https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v7i1.512
  6. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One Size Fits All? What Counts as Quality Practice in (Reflexive) Thematic Analysis?. Qualitative research in Psychology, 18(3), 328-352. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238
  7. Carlo, A. D., Corso, L. D., Carluccio, F., Colledani, D., & Falco, A. (2020). Positive Supervisor Behaviors and Employee Performance: The Serial Mediation of Workplace Spirituality and Work Engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-8. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01834
  8. Chua, J., & Ayoko, O. B. (2021). Employees’ Self-Determined Motivation, Transformational Leadership and Work Engagement. Journal of Management & Organization, 27(3), 523-543. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2018.74
  9. Eduzor, N. C. (2024). Leadership Styles and Organizational Performance: Examining the Impact of Transformational Leadership on Employee Engagement and Business Success. International Journal of Development, Sustainability and Environmental Management, 4(1), 16-24. doi:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10500674
  10. Erickson, S. (2021). Communication in a Crisis and the Importance of Authenticity and Transparency. Journal of Library Administration, 61(4), 476-483. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2021.1906556
  11. Franken, E., Bentley, T., Shafaei, A., Farr-Wharton, B., Onnis, L.-a., & Omari, M. (2021). Forced Flexibility and Remote Working: Opportunities and Challenges in the New Normal. Journal of Management & Organization, 27(6), 1131-1149. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2021.40
  12. Gartner, J., Mäkelä, K., Sumelius, J., & Vuorenmaa, H. (2024). The Accelerating Disconnection of Work from Time and Place: New Questions for HR. In T. Bondarouk & J. Meijerink (Eds.), Research Handbook on Human Resource Management and Disruptive Technologies (pp. 270-282). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
  13. Hadi, M. Y. (2025). Hubungan Antara Kepemimpinan Transformasional dan Kinerja Organisasi pada Perguruan Tinggi Negeri di Indonesia. RIGGS: Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Business, 4(3), 6378-6396. doi:https://doi.org/10.31004/riggs.v4i3.2966
  14. Hands, A. S. (2022). Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Data in Mixed Methods Research: An Illustration. The Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 45(1), 1-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.5206/cjilsrcsib.v45i1.10645
  15. John, B., Alsamarra'i, Z., & Panteli, N. (2025). Reconfiguring Digital Embeddedness in Hybrid Work: The Case of Employee Experience Management Platforms. Information systems journal, 35(2), 450-479. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12545
  16. Kelliher, C., Richardson, J., & Boiarintseva, G. (2019). All of Work? All of Life? Reconceptualising Work?Life Balance for the 21st Century. Human Resource Management Journal, 29(2), 97-112. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12215
  17. Mäkikangas, A., Juutinen, S., Mäkiniemi, J.-P., Sjöblom, K., & Oksanen, A. (2022). Work Engagement and its Antecedents in Remote Work: A Person-Centered View. Work & stress, 36(4), 392-416. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2022.2080777
  18. Masrifah, S., & Kuswinarno, M. (2024). Peran Kepemimpinan Transformasional dalam Menciptakan Kepuasan Kerja Karyawan. Jurnal Media Akademik (JMA), 2(11), 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.62281/v2i11.1006
  19. Mutha, P., & Srivastava, M. (2021). Engaging Virtual Teams. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 56(4), 732-747.
  20. Nurhidayah, R., & Muliansyah, D. (2024). Digital Leadership and Employee Engagement in Hybrid Work Environments: The Role of Trust and Communication. RIGGS: Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Business, 3(2), 23-33. doi:https://doi.org/10.31004/riggs.v3i2.1067
  21. Östergård, N., Högberg, K., & Lundh Snis, U. (2025). Trust and Leadership in the Hybrid Workplace. 58 th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2025 (HICSS), 5427-5436. doi:https://doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2025.652
  22. Pervin, M. T., & Begum, R. (2022). Engaging Employees in Management and Decision-Making Process: A Case Study on “Vision Garments Limited”. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 2(1), 71-85. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v2i1.1225
  23. Prihandaka, D. J. P., Rohman, I. Z., & Wijaya, N. H. S. (2022). Supportive Leadership and Employee Creativity: Will Leader-Member Exchange Mediate the Relationship. Annals of Management and Organization Research, 4(1), 35-45. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v4i1.1477
  24. Schaufeli, W. (2021). Engaging Leadership: How to Promote Work Engagement?. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-10. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754556
  25. Syed, S., Singh, H., Thangaraju, S. K., Bakri, N. E., & Hwa, K. Y. (2020). The Impact of Cyberloafing on Employees’ Job Performance: A Review of Literature Journal of Advances in Management Sciences & Information Systems, 6, 16-28. doi:https://doi.org/10.6000/2371-1647.2020.06.02
  26. Wang, B., Liu, Y., Qian, J., & Parker, S. K. (2021). Achieving Effective Remote Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Work Design Perspective. Applied psychology, 70(1), 16-59. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12290
  27. Wiatr, A. (2025). Mastering the Hybrid: Influence of Managerial Presence in Team Support. Review of Managerial Science, 1-30. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-025-00889-8