Abstract
As remote and hybrid work become mainstream, after-hour interruptions from work into personal life (i.e., boundary violations) via information communicative technology will become even more prevalent. These interruptions trigger employees to suddenly disengage from their nonwork roles and reengage in work (i.e., interrole transitions), which can translate into adverse work and well-being outcomes for employees. It is critical to study after-hour ICT-related interruptions to ensure employees can effectively perform in both their work and nonwork spheres. Although there is a substantial knowledge base for boundary violations and interrole transitions, we have limited understanding of the mechanisms through which these experiences affect individuals on a daily basis. The present study builds on boundary theory with a comprehensive qualitative investigation of the boundary violation-interrole transition process and development of an episodic process model grounded in data. Using the event reconstruction method, employee experiences with after-hour ICT-related interruptions were deeply explored. Content analysis revealed defining features and underlying mechanisms of the boundary violation-interrole transition process and the interrelationships of these mechanisms, facilitating the development of an episodic model with testable propositions for future boundary research. The results suggest that after-hour ICT-related interruptions are a particular type of perceived work-family incompatibility that can be problematic for employees, thereby advancing work-family theory. As these interruptions cannot be eliminated and will increase as more employees work remotely, the results and proposed model can inform the design of organizational interventions intended to mitigate the negative effects of interruptions on employees’ daily lives.
Highlights
Work-related information and communicative technologies (ICTs; e.g., mobile phones, email communication, group chats, conferencing technology, social media technologies, etc.) are increasingly blurring the interface where work and family meet [1]
Despite substantial knowledge on the consequences of ICT-related interruptions and ICT use during nonwork time, Hu et al [3] recently called for “more empirical work to develop systematic approaches to address the proliferation of technology-related constructs and theoretical developments, which helps build testable models that comprehensively capture emerging ICT constructs” (p. 218)
A sample from this particular geographic area could help ensure the recruitment of participants who are likely to experience ICT-related interruptions at home and ICT use during nonwork time
Summary
Work-related information and communicative technologies (ICTs; e.g., mobile phones, email communication, group chats, conferencing technology, social media technologies, etc.) are increasingly blurring the interface where work and family meet [1]. Unexpected interruptions from work at home represent an ICT demand that pressures employees to flex their work boundaries and allow work to infiltrate into their home lives, resulting in the use of ICTs during nonwork time [2,3,4,5]. A misalignment between the purpose of ICT use (i.e., for work) and context of use (i.e., at home) can make interruptions at home feel like violations of personal boundaries, as personal goals and tasks are disrupted by work [2, 3, 6, 7]. Work-related ICT use during nonwork time can be a double-edged sword. Constant connectivity and interrole transitions have been associated with negative affect, work-family conflict, and impaired well-being [11,12,13,14,15,16,17]
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