<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze the paradoxical relationship between work flexibility, work-life balance, work motivation, and the performance of remote workers in Pontianak, a representative tier-2 city. Drawing on the Self-Determination Theory framework, this study posits work motivation as a mediator that transforms flexibility and work-life balance into actual performance. The method used is quantitative, employing the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The sample consisted of 102 digital creative workers in Pontianak City who had been working remotely for at least six months. The test results revealed that work flexibility has a significant negative effect on work-life balance due to the phenomenon of boundary blurring. Regarding direct effects, work flexibility and work-life balance were found to have no significant effect on performance. However, work flexibility and work-life balance have a significant positive effect on work motivation. Furthermore, work motivation has a significant effect on performance. Mediation analysis confirmed that work motivation acts as a full mediator in the relationship between work flexibility and work-life balance on performance. These findings underscore that without strong intrinsic motivation, providing work flexibility and work-life balance is insufficient to improve the performance of remote workers in the gig economy ecosystem, particularly in developing cities in Indonesia.]]>
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