Outline of a Theory of “Work-Life Balance”: How Multiple Fields Structure the Family-Employment-Leisure Nexus

1757b Working anytime, anywhere: the effects on the world of work

Experiencing work-life balance is considered a health promoting resource. To counter-balance the negative development of teachers' work situation, salutogenic resources need to be examined among teachers. To examine resources related to teachers' experience of their work-life balance. Using a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire was distributed to 455 teachers in compulsory schools in a Swedish community. A total of 338 teachers participated (74%). A multiple linear regression method was used for the analysis. Four variables in the regression model significantly explained work-life balance and were thereby possible resources: time experience at work; satisfaction with everyday life; self-rated health; and recovery. The strongest association with work-life balance was time experience at work. Except time experience at work, all were individual-related. This study highlights the importance of school management's support in reducing teachers' time pressure. It also emphasizes the need to address teachers' individual resources in relation to work-life balance. In order to support teachers' work-life balance, promote their well-being, and preventing teachers' attrition, we suggest that the school management would benefit from creating a work environment with strengthened resources.

The current study investigates the relationship between quality of work life (QWL) and work–life balance (WLB) among construction workers in a developing country, India. A multi-layered conceptual model involving collegiality and job security as moderators in the relationships were developed. A survey instrument was used, and data were collected from 592 construction workers from southern India. After checking the psychometric properties of the measures using LISREL 9.30 software for covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), a structural model was analyzed using Hayes’s PROCESS macros. The findings indicate the following: (i) QWL is positively associated with (a) WLB and (b) job satisfaction; (ii) job satisfaction positively predicts QWL; and (iii) job satisfaction mediates the relationship between QWL and WLB. The results also support the following: (i) work environment (second moderator) moderates the moderated relationship between QWL and collegiality (first moderator) in influencing job satisfaction; and (ii) work hours (second moderator) moderates the moderated relationship between job satisfaction and job security (first moderator) to influence WLB. The first three-way interaction between QWL, collegiality, and work environment and the second three-way interaction between job satisfaction, job security, and work hours have been investigated for the first time concerning construction workers in a developing country context and make a novel contribution to the advancement of literature on QWL and WLB. Further, this study contributes to the socio-economic well-being of workers and contributes to the sustainable working environment. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.

The use of social media, such as social networking sites continues to grow in everyday life, along with their use in the workplace. So, a concern raised about how the personal use of social networking sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc., at work affects employee job performance. Moreover, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between social networking usage and employee job performance through the mediating role of work–life balance. The quantitative methodology was employed in this study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire adapted from a previously validated survey. The target population consisted of Gen-Y employees of the corporate sector in Chandigarh, Delhi, and Haryana (UTs/states) of India. Judgemental sampling was applied to collect data from 224 employees of the corporate sector. The study results indicated that time spent, frequency of using social networking sites has significant relationship with job performance and work–life balance of employees while work–life balance and employee job performance are significantly positively related. However, social networking use has a significant negative relationship with job performance and work–life balance. Additionally, work–life balance significantly mediates the relationship between social networking usage and job performance. Therefore, the study concluded that employees struggle to set boundaries since they cannot distinguish between work and family life due to the rise in technology and social media use. Therefore, managers and HR professionals need to consider the negative aspect of online social networking at work. Further, the implications for managers and organizations are discussed.

Increasing sickness absence rates among care and service employees in Sweden motivate health-promoting activities. It is crucial to employers and key stakeholders, like HRM departments, to have knowledge of resources related to employees' work life balance (WLB) to increase well-being at work. The aim of the study was to explore resources associated with WLB, with focus on work and private lives among care and service employees. A questionnaire survey to a total population of two municipality departments (n = 631, response rate 76%) was conducted. A linear regression model showed five significant main resources related to WLB: a positive life situation, recovery, a positive time experience at work, a positive time experience in private life and well-being. Logistics regression models further exploring the main resources showed essential sub-resources such as health-promoting leadership, supportive home environment and reflection on everyday life. This two-step analysis with a salutogenic perspective points out a holistic and complex picture of possibilities to promote employees’ WLB and well-being. These findings can be used as a supportive framework for HR departments in charge of competence development for managers. Moreover, the results are important in both policy-making and as a foundation for workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions.

BackgroundIn many European countries, women have a higher sickness absence rate than men.Women also report higher levels of work-life conflict, which has a negative impact on women’s self-perceived health. Interventions studies on work-life balance literature are scarce. This research adds knowledge about work-life balance by examining female employees’ experiences of a newly developed intervention program, the BELE program (Balance in Everyday Life Empowerment program), aiming to enhance the work-life balance and wellbeing of female employees.MethodsAll participants in the BELE program were included in the sample (n = 55) of the study. The methods used for gathering data were focus group interviews (n = 8) and semi-structured individual interviews (n = 8). A qualitative content analysis was used for the analyses.ResultsThe results showed that a majority of the participants experienced a process of change for enhancement of wellbeing and balance in their everyday life when taking part in the BELE program. In the analyses, three main themes emerged. Reflecting and strengthening inner resource, Trying to change everyday patterns and habits and Experiencing more balance and well-being.ConclusionsThe results point out the importance of awareness and reflection on everyday life to promote work-life balance and wellbeing. The BELE program was described as a wakeup call to one’s own life and as an enhancer of empowerment processes and equality in the homes. Moreover, the results showed the need for health education in the workplace focusing on both work and private life to enhance balance and wellbeing among female employees’. The findings indicate that it is important to work at individual and group levels in work-life balance interventions and not merely at the organizational level or in the workplace setting.

At present, many researchers see hope that artificial intelligence, machine learning in particular, will improve several aspects of the everyday life for individuals, cities and whole nations alike. For example, it has been speculated that the so-called machine learning could soon relieve employees of part of the duties, which may improve processes or help to find the most effective ways of performing tasks. Consequently, in the long run, it would help to enhance employees' work-life balance. Thus, workers' overall quality of life would improve, too. However, what would happen if machine learning as such were employed to try and find the ways of achieving work-life balance? This is why the authors of the paper decided to utilize a machine learning tool to search for the factors that influence the subjective feeling of one's work-life balance. The possible results could help to predict and prevent the occurrence of work-life imbalance in the future. In order to do so, the data provided by an exceptionally sizeable group of 800 employees was utilised; it was one of the largest sample groups in similar studies in Poland so far. Additionally, this was one of the first studies where so many employees had been analysed using an artificial neural network. In order to enable replicability of the study, the specific setup of the study and the description of the dataset are provided. Having analysed the data and having conducted several experiments, the correlations between some factors and work-life balance have indeed been identified: it has been found that the most significant was the relation between the feeling of balance and the actual working hours; shifting it resulted in the tool predicting the switch from balance to imbalance, and vice versa. Other factors that proved significant for the predicted WLB are the amount of free time a week the employee has for themselves, working at weekends only, being self-employed and the subjective assessment of one's financial status. In the study the dataset gets balanced, the most important features are selected with the selectKbest algorithm, an artificial neural network of 2 hidden layers with 50 and 25 neurons, ReLU and ADAM is constructed and trained on 90% of the dataset. In tests, it predicts WLB based on the prepared dataset and selected features with 81% accuracy.

At present, many researchers see hope that artificial intelligence, machine learning in particular, will improve several aspects of the everyday life for individuals, cities and whole nations alike. For example, it has been speculated that the so-called machine learning could soon relieve employees of part of the duties, which may improve processes or help to find the most effective ways of performing tasks. Consequently, in the long run, it would help to enhance employees’ work-life balance. Thus, workers’ overall quality of life would improve, too. However, what would happen if machine learning as such were employed to try and find the ways of achieving work-life balance? This is why the authors of the paper decided to utilize a machine learning tool to search for the factors that influence the subjective feeling of one’s work-life balance. The possible results could help to predict and prevent the occurrence of work-life imbalance in the future. In order to do so, the data provided by an exceptionally sizeable group of 800 employees was utilised; it was one of the largest sample groups in similar studies in Poland so far. Additionally, this was one of the first studies where so many employees had been analysed using an artificial neural network. In order to enable replicability of the study, the specific setup of the study and the description of the dataset are provided. Having analysed the data and having conducted several experiments, the correlations between some factors and work-life balance have indeed been identified: it has been found that the most significant was the relation between the feeling of balance and the actual working hours; shifting it resulted in the tool predicting the switch from balance to imbalance, and vice versa. Other factors that proved significant for the predicted WLB are the amount of free time a week the employee has for themselves, working at weekends only, being self-employed and the subjective assessment of one’s financial status. In the study the dataset gets balanced, the most important features are selected with the selectKbest algorithm, an artificial neural network of 2 hidden layers with 50 and 25 neurons, ReLU and ADAM is constructed and trained on 90% of the dataset. In tests, it predicts WLB based on the prepared dataset and selected features with 81% accuracy.

Despite an increase in work-life balance literature, the development of successful support to help employees manage their work -life balance is slow. Moreover, there are few interventions with a comprehensive approach to workplace health promotion focusing on work-life balance. This paper aims to present the development and building blocks of a holistic interdisciplinary health-promoting program, the BELE program, to enhance female employees working in human service organizations health and well-being with a focus on work-life balance. The planning and development of the program was done through an intervention mapping and research circles methodology. The planning- and development process of the program resulted in a theoretical framework, and a program structure with a program content. The intervention program was named "The Balance in Everyday Life Empowerment program" (BELE program). The BELE program adds to the existing body of work-life balance knowledge, so far often based on a conflict approach. Interventions focusing on a comprehensive approach to health and work-life balance with a salutogenic approach are rare. Furthermore, the integration with occupational therapy and health promotion in a workplace health promotion framework is innovative. In a previous study, the BELE program has shown that it enhances women's well-being and balance in their everyday life.

Today, balance between serious and enjoyable activities work life balance (WLB) has turned into a subject of worry for business pioneers considering the contemporary segment, mechanical, market, and hierarchical changes related with it. WLB for female’s representatives is profoundly alluring, on the off chance that there is no work fulfillment and consistency throughout everyday life, it can make a quandary to them. In order to reduce friction between official and domestic life, WLB requires achieving equilibrium between professional and personal work. Any company's ultimate performance is influenced by the performance of its employees, who in turn are influenced by a variety of factors, including job satisfaction, family, or both. The purpose of a study that is carried out among the employed female faculties of a colleges in Kerala is to investigate the working environment as well as the level of satisfaction that the women-respondent employees perceive regarding the various determinants of WLB. In addition, examining the effects of working women receiving family support is another important goal. The main objective was to identify how women faculty balance their work, family and how it affects the performance of the female faculty in colleges of Kerala. A survey was conducted to identify how women faculty balance their work, family and how it affects the performance of the female faculty in colleges of Kerala and 43 respondents were responded to the survey the data were interpret in SPSS software and obtained the outcome of the study.

Along with the growing interest in Work–Life Balance (WLB) in academic debates, policymaking, corporate discourse and everyday life, critical scholars have called for an enquiry into the conceptual and practical ambiguities inherent in WLB discourse and policies. This article aims to contribute to this scholarship by exploring the evolution and the limitations of WLB provisions and policies, with specific reference to the European Union (EU) legal framework. The article provides an account of the evolution of the EU legal framework and explores the regulatory innovations introduced by Directive EU 2019/1158 on Work-Life Balance for Parents and Carers, adopted in June 2019. Drawing on the insights provided in the critical literature, in particular the objections to the focus on work–family balance of professionals at the expense of workers in lower income groups, this article assesses the new Directive against the background of increasing family diversity and the rise of non-standard employment. While some progress has been made towards the recognition of ‘non-standard’ families, many non-standard workers may still fall outside the scope of the Directive, or may not meet the eligibility criteria to access WLB measures, with detrimental effects in terms of equality. The article concludes by presenting the rationale for adopting an intersectional-sensitive approach to WLB. Work–Life Balance, European Pillar of Social Rights, Family-related Leave, Nonstandard Employment, Domestic Work, Intersectional analysis

BackgroundNurses in Sweden have a high absence due to illness and many retire before the age of sixty. Factors at work as well as in private life may contribute to health problems. To maintain a healthy work–force there is a need for actions on work-life balance in a salutogenic perspective. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of resources in everyday life to balance work and private life among nurses in home help service.MethodsThirteen semi-structured individual interviews and two focus group interviews were conducted with home help service nurses in Sweden. A qualitative content analysis was used for the analyses.ResultIn the analyses, six themes of perceptions of recourses in everyday life emerged;(i) Reflecting on life. (ii) Being healthy and taking care of yourself. (iii) Having a meaningful job and a supportive work climate. (iv) Working shifts and part time. (v) Having a family and a supporting network. (vi) Making your home your castle.ConclusionsThe result points out the complexity of work-life balance and support that the need for nurses to balance everyday life differs during different phases and transitions in life. In this salutogenic study, the result differs from studies with a pathogenic approach. Shift work and part time work were seen as two resources that contributed to flexibility and a prerequisite to work-life balance. To have time and energy for both private life and work was seen as essential. To reflect on and discuss life gave inner strength to set boundaries and to prioritize both in private life and in work life. Managers in nursing contexts have a great challenge to maintain and strengthen resources which enhance the work-life balance and health of nurses. Salutogenic research is needed to gain an understanding of resources that enhance work-life balance and health in nursing contexts.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how long commutes negatively affect employees’ creative deviance at work, exploring the mediating role that impaired work–life balance plays in linking commute to restricted creative deviance, as well as examining whether access to flexible work arrangements can alleviate commuting’s detrimental indirect effects.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a three-wave survey methodology conducted over monthly intervals with 246 participants in China’s Pearl River Delta region. Rigorous screening ensured a demographically diverse sample.FindingsCommuting time negatively affects creative deviance, both directly and indirectly through work–life balance. Flexible work arrangements mitigate the adverse effects of long commutes on work–life balance, subsequently weakening the indirect effect of commuting time on creative deviance through work–life balance.Practical implicationsA holistic approach is suggested for organizations aiming to foster a supportive and ethical work environment, which involves a combination of organizational policies, leadership practices and individual actions to promote both creativity and employee welfare.Originality/valueThis research breaks new ground by identifying commuting time as a key factor influencing creative deviance in the workplace, mediated by work–life balance. It integrates transportation research with organizational behavior, applying an ethics of care perspective to challenge traditional paradigms. The study’s interdisciplinary approach, bridging multiple fields, provides a novel, holistic view of how non-work factors impact workplace innovation.

As dreams reflect waking life, the so-called continuity hypothesis of dreaming, the literature showing that work-related stress affects dreams negatively is very plausible. As in waking life, hobbies are an important component in the work-life balance. In the present study, the work-life balance in dreams was studied. Overall, 1695 persons (960 women, 735 men; mean age: 53.84 ± 13.99 years) participated in an online survey entitled "Everyday life and dreams". The data collected refer to the pre-pandemic period. The findings indicate that hobby-related dreams are more frequent in persons who often engage in their hobbies, supporting the notion of a thematic continuity. As expected, the emotional tone of hobby-related dreams was more positive compared with dreams in general and work-related dreams in particular. Interestingly, the emotional valence of hobby-related dreams was related to the valence of general emotionality towards work in waking life, supporting the idea of an emotional continuity between waking and dreaming. The work-life balance in dreams could be defined as the difference of the percentages of work-related and hobby-related dreams; it is linked to work-related stress and the hobby frequency, factors similar to those that shift the work-life balance in waking life toward the "work" end of the spectrum.

In today's interconnected world, social media has transformed the way we communicate, share information, and interact with others. However, alongside the benefits of social media usage come challenges that can affect individuals' work-life balance. With the pervasive integration of social media into everyday life, individuals increasingly face challenges in managing their online presence alongside their professional and personal responsibilities. Social media fatigue, characterized by feelings of exhaustion, overwhelm, and disengagement resulting from excessive use of social media, has emerged as a significant concern. Drawing upon existing literature and empirical studies, this article delves into the mechanisms through which social media fatigue influences work-life balance and provides insights into potential coping strategies. By critically analyzing the various dimensions of this phenomenon, this paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities involved and offers recommendations for individuals, organizations, and policymakers.