Abstract
The purpose of this study is to compare the impact of work-family balance, work-leisure balance, and work-growth balance on work engagement and to empirically demonstrate the mediating effect of job crafting in this process. Unlike previous studies that have assumed only positive outcomes of work-life balance, this study attempts a new perspective. Specifically, while previous research has either integrated the three sub-dimensions of work-life balance (family, leisure, growth) to examine their effects or focused on a specific life domain, this study differentiates itself by comparing the individual effects of these life sub-domains to see how their effects and mechanisms differ. To achieve this, an online survey was conducted targeting office workers, and out of the 184 responses collected, 161 were used for the final analysis after excluding insincere responses. The results indicated that, first, work-family balance showed a negative relationship with both job crafting and work engagement, with job crafting mediating the relationship between work-family balance and work engagement. Second, work-leisure balance was found to be statistically insignificant in all cases. Third, work-growth balance showed a positive relationship with both job crafting and work engagement, with job crafting mediating the relationship between work-growth balance and work engagement. The interpretation of these findings is as follows: reducing work-family balance, which shows a negative relationship with work-centric variables, is not the implication. Rather, this study is closer to a counterargument questioning whether the Western-centric perspective on balance is appropriate in the domestic context, whether a quantitative focus on balance can truly measure real balance, and whether work-family balance and its outcomes can be assumed solely as a matter of individual choice. The goal is to suggest the need for ongoing discourse on work-life balance that changes with time and place within organizational contexts.
Published Version
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