Telework Intensity and Burnout: Rethinking the Role of Ethical Leadership, Ethical Climate, and Affective Commitment

Background: Ethical leadership and ethical climate are generally considered protective factors against burnout, while affective commitment has traditionally been understood as a personal resource that enhances employee well-being. However, recent evidence suggests that, under specific contextual conditions, these variables may also operate as demands that intensify emotional strain. Objective: This study examines how telework intensity moderates the relationships between ethical leadership, affective commitment, principle-based ethical climate, and burnout. Methods: Data were drawn from a doctoral study conducted in the Colombian electricity sector. Moderation analyses were performed to assess whether the number of telework days per week altered the strength and direction of associations between organizational variables and the dimensions of burnout. Results: Telework intensity did not moderate the relationship between ethical leadership and affective commitment, but it strengthened the positive association between affective commitment and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, it reversed the role of a principle-based ethical climate: from being positively associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization to acting as a protective factor under medium to high telework intensity. Conclusions: The findings challenge conventional assumptions about affective commitment and ethical climate, highlighting the ambivalent role of telework. They underscore the need for more nuanced theoretical frameworks and management practices that are sensitive to emerging psychosocial risks in virtual work environments.