Abstract
This study explores how managers and professional employees in
the South African banking sector perceive the balance between autonomy and
accountability in hybrid and remote work environments. While global research
has examined flexibility and engagement, limited attention has been given to how
communication, trust, and digital monitoring shape performance management
in distributed South African contexts.
Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative, phenomenological research
design was employed to capture lived experiences of remote and hybrid
work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-one participants,
including managers and professional employees, using purposive sampling. Data
were analyzed inductively through reflexive thematic analysis to identify patterns
of communication, trust, monitoring, and organizational support influencing
individual and organizational performance.
Findings: Participants valued flexibility, autonomy, and improved work–life
balance as key enablers of engagement and productivity. However, they also
reported challenges such as isolation, blurred boundaries, and technostress.
Managers emphasized the need for structured feedback, digital equity, and trustbased
performance monitoring to sustain accountability. The findings reveal
that adaptive performance management anchored in trust, communication,
and equitable access to resources enhances both employee well-being and
organizational effectiveness in distributed work environments.
Research limitations/implications: The study’s qualitative focus and singleinstitution
context constrain generalizability. Future research could employ
longitudinal or mixed-method approaches across industries to examine
how performance management practices evolve within hybrid and remote
work models.
Originality/value: This research contributes to the limited body of qualitative
evidence on performance management in hybrid and remote contexts within
developing economies. By integrating Social Exchange Theory and the Job
Demands–Resources model, it advances understanding of how reciprocity, trust,
and resource equity sustain engagement and productivity in digitally mediated
work environments.