Non-work Life Research Articles

Collaborating for change: The importance of multi-sector partnerships in addressing poverty and inequality through decent work

Work has stopped being a means to eradicating poverty; More than half of those living in poverty come from a household with at least one working adult. In-work poverty is multifaceted and has experiences across both work and non-work lives, and leads to profound consequences for individuals, their families, and society as a whole. It also has important spillover implications for organisations and managers, diverting their attention and creating rising costs. In this paper we outline the important role for organisations to address poverty, through building a case for decent work. We outline a collaborative multi-sector approach based on partnerships with six key stakeholders whose engagement and collaboration increase awareness and understanding about work and how it can be improved for workers, their families and society as a whole. This work with City of Edinburgh Council, in Scotland, combines processes of open dialogue, knowledge-generation, and dissemination between the stakeholders focusing on creating a fairer world, where people’s experiences are prioritised over economic imperatives, and where human flourishing can occur in tandem with ecological flourishing.

A dual‐process model of the effects of boundary segmentation on work–nonwork conflict

AbstractSegmentation of work from nonwork life is widely presented as desirable to maximize recovery from work. Yet it involves effort which may reduce its positive effects. We present a dual‐process model of segmentation based on integrating boundary theory and self‐regulation theory that shows how creating and maintaining boundaries can have both positive and negative effects. Segmentation allows individuals not only to psychological detach from work, thereby reducing work–nonwork conflict, but can also deplete an individual's momentary capacity for state self‐control, increasing work–nonwork conflict. We tested our model with two studies: a weekly diary study with a sample of 436 individuals and a daily diary study with data collected at two time points each day from 162 participants. Using a Bayesian approach, we find some support for our hypothesized dual pathways. In both studies, psychological detachment mediated a negative relationship between segmentation and work–nonwork conflict. In the daily study, self‐control capacity mediated a positive relationship between segmentation and work–nonwork conflict, but this effect was present only when individuals worked onsite and not when working at home. This article contributes towards understanding the mechanisms explaining the relationship between segmentation and work–nonwork conflict and underscores the importance of self‐regulation in this process.

Needs-based job crafting: Validation of a new scale based on psychological needs.

We present the conceptualization and validation of the Needs-Based Job Crafting Scale (NJCS), a new assessment tool theoretically grounded in the Identity-Based Integrative Needs Model of Crafting and DRAMMA psychological needs (detachment, relaxation, autonomy, mastery, meaning, and affiliation). The article is composed of three studies. In Study 1, we develop the NJCS and test its factorial structure using a cross-sectional sample of Finnish employees (N = 578). In Study 2, we validate the factor structure and test the scale for measurement invariance across time with longitudinal samples from Finland (N = 578) and Japan (N = 228). In Study 3, we examine the convergent, criterion, and incremental validity using a sample of German and Swiss employees (N = 1,101). The results confirm a six-factor structure of the scale as defined by the detachment, relaxation, autonomy, mastery, meaning, and affiliation needs in all three samples. The NJCS showed convergent validity when correlated with the conceptually related Needs-Based Off-Job Crafting Scale (NOCS), a job crafting scale based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, and the Proactive Personality Scale. Further, the six job crafting dimensions explain a large amount of variance in work engagement, job satisfaction, burnout, and psychological needs satisfaction; thus, supporting criterion validity of the scale. Finally, the NJCS explains variance beyond the existing JD-R based job crafting scale in work engagement, job satisfaction, burnout, and recovery experiences; thus, supporting incremental validity of the NJCS. Together with the existing NOCS, the NJCS facilitates the examination of crafting dynamics within and across work and nonwork life domains, applying a shared theoretical framework of psychological needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Temporary Workers Who Pursue the Contemporary Well-Lived, Flourishing Life: A Qualitative Study

Aristotle’s notion of eudaimonia guided this investigation on a growing and essential group of professionals that seeks voluntary role transitions to meaningfully advance their careers and nonwork priorities. Using the Straussian grounded theory approach, this interview-based qualitative study: (1) discusses how participants’ work arrangement enabled them to organize their work and nonwork lives in ways that were subjectively meaningful to them; (2) highlights how participants gave meaning to their work in relation to their social ties; and (3) contributes to the communication literature on meanings of work and human flourishing in communication studies.

Personal use of smartphones in the workplace and work–life conflict: a natural quasi-experiment

PurposePrior research has extensively examined how bringing technology from work into the non-work life domain creates conflict, yet the reverse pathway has rarely been studied. The purpose of this study is to bridge this gap and examine how the non-work use of smartphones in the workplace affects work–life conflict.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from three literature streams: technostress, work–life conflict and role boundary theory, the authors theorise on how limiting employees' ability to integrate the personal life domain into work, by means of technology use policy, contributes to stress and work–life conflict. To test this model, the authors employ a natural experiment in a company that changed its policy from fully restricting to open smartphone access for non-work purposes in the workplace. The insights gained from the experiment were explored further through qualitative interviews.FindingsWork–life conflict declines when a ban on using smartphones for non-work purposes in the workplace is revoked. This study's results show that the relationship between smartphone use in the workplace and work–life conflict is mediated by sensed stress. Additionally, a post-hoc analysis reveals that work performance was unchanged when the smartphone ban was revoked.Originality/valueFirst, this study advances the authors' understanding of how smartphone use policies in the workplace spill over to affect non-work life. Second, this work contributes to the technostress literature by revealing how, in specific situations, engagement with ICT can reduce distress and strain.

Sensemaking through the storm: How postpartum depression shapes personal work-family narratives.

Many women experience psychological and emotional challenges during their transition to becoming a working mother. Postpartum depression (PPD) is one common, salient aspect of motherhood that can serve as a work-life shock event and profoundly shape women's work and nonwork lives yet has evaded discussion in the organizational sciences. Taking a grounded theory approach, we interviewed 41 women who experienced PPD as well as key informants who provided additional insights about PPD (e.g., an obstetrician, women working for organizations that support postpartum health). Our analysis highlights how being diagnosed with PPD activates a complex sensemaking process in which women process an imposing identity-a concept we introduce to the identity and work-family literatures reflecting an unexpected, undesirable identity that imposes upon existing (e.g., work) and/or provisional identities that may or may not be fully elaborated (e.g., motherhood), ultimately shifting how women think about the intersection of work and family. We also delineate how supports and antisupports (i.e., overt acts dismissive of women's PPD) shape the aforementioned processes. Combined, our research aims to advance the discussion of PPD within organizational scholarship, rendering significant implications for both theory and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of strain on boundary management: findings from a daily diary study and an experimental vignette study.

Transformations in the work-nonwork interface highlight the importance of effectively managing the boundaries between life domains. However, do the ways individuals manage the boundaries between work and nonwork life change from one day to the next? If so, which antecedents may explain these intra-individual fluctuations in boundary management? Drawing on boundary management, spillover, and resource theories, we investigate daily changes in segmentation preferences and integration enactments as a function of experiencing strain in work and nonwork life. Assuming that changes in segmentation preferences reflect an individual's strategy to regulate negative cross-role spillover, we suppose that strain increases individuals' segmentation preferences; at the same time, however, it could force individuals to enact more integration. We test our assumptions with data from two studies with different methodological approaches. The first study uses a daily diary research design (Study 1, 425 participants with 3,238 daily observations) in which full-time professionals rated strain in work and nonwork life, segmentation preferences, and integration enactments every evening for 10 workdays. The second study uses an experimental vignette research design (Study 2, 181 participants), where we experimentally manipulated strain in work and nonwork life and investigated causal effects on participants' hypothetical segmentation preferences. The results of multilevel modeling analyses in Study 1 show that segmentation preferences and integration enactments fluctuate from day to day as a function of strain. More specifically, strain is related to preferring more segmentation but enacting more integration. Study 2 replicates the results of Study 1, showing that strain causally affects segmentation preferences. This two-study paper is one of the first to address daily fluctuations in segmentation preferences and integration enactments, extending our knowledge of temporal dynamics in boundary management. Furthermore, it demonstrates that strain is an antecedent of these daily fluctuations, offering starting points for practical interventions.

An old wound that sits around: The racial trauma experience of East Asian American women in the workplace

Limited research has been conducted to explore the racial trauma experience of East Asian American women, especially in the workplace. We sought to understand (a) how racial trauma has influenced this population's work and non-work life and (b) how they have coped with this traumatic stress in career development and mental health aspects. Twelve participants working in the United States participated in semi-structured interviews about the impact of workplace racial trauma on their mental health, work, relationships, and coping strategies. Five domains were developed using conventional content analysis: (a) racial trauma at work is expressed with microaggression, (b) racial trauma causes a loss of psychological safety, (c) racial trauma creates relationship dilemmas, (d) racial trauma creates challenges in participants’ career development paths, and (e) career and mental health coping strategies are used to manage racial traumatic stress. Implications for theoretical advances and counseling and organizational practice are also discussed.

Work-life conflict and facilitation: Mostly indirect effectson domain-specific and work-life balance satisfaction over time.

The majority of work-life research has been anchored around work-life conflict/facilitation and balance constructs, though these constructs have largely been examined in isolation from one another. The purpose of the current study is to provide a direct replication and longitudinal extension of Grawitch et al.'s cross-sectional study exploring work-life balance satisfaction's relation to interdomain conflict and facilitation. We conducted a three-wave longitudinal study (0, 1 and 6 months) to test the causal assumptions of the original study. In addition to exploring relationships between bidirectional conflict/facilitation and work-non-work balance (WLB) satisfaction variables, the pathways by which work-life constructs influence work and non-work life satisfaction were examined. Time 1 results largely replicated those from Grawitch et al. Time 2 and Time 3 models demonstrated consistency in the relationships between satisfaction with work and non-work life and work-life balance and general stability across time points. Work-life conflict and life-work facilitation demonstrated the strongest indirect effects from Time 1 to Time 3 satisfaction constructs. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in light of these findings.

상담자의 일과 삶의 균형 유형에 따른 심리적 소진의 차이

Objectives The purpose of this study is to categorize counselor’s work-life balance types according to their levels of three sub-factors of work-life balance (work-family balance, work-leisure balance, work-growth balance) and to examine the differences in psychological burnout among these types. Methods A survey was conducted on 315 counselors working in Seoul and Gyeonggi regions, and a correlation analysis was performed between work-life Balance and psychological burnout. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted on the three variables of sub-factors of work-life balance, and one-way ANOVA and MANOVA were performed to confirm differences in psychological burnout by type. Results A significant negative correlation between work-life balance and psychological burnout was found. Counselors’ work-life balance types were best divided into four clusters: “satisfied counselors”, “average counselors”, “overly growth-focused counselors”, and “overloaded counselors”. There were differences in the overall mean and all sub-factors of psychological burnout by type. Conclusions “Overly growth-focused counselors” showed more emotional exhaustion than “average counselors”, indicating that even if counselors are content with their work-growth balance, they may experience emotional exhaustion if their work-leisure balance is inadequate. This finding underscores the importance of effective time and energy management between work and non-work activities to prevent and recover from psychological burnout. It also suggests that counselors need to balance their lives by engaging in activities that enjoy and care for themselves as individuals, as well as striving for self-development in their non-work lives.

Negotiating business and family demands: the response strategies of highly educated Indian female entrepreneurs

ABSTRACT This study explores how highly educated Indian women entrepreneurs prioritize and manage the work and family role boundaries. It also explores whether boundary management strategies vary based on motherhood and business stages. We explored these issues by interviewing twenty-five financially successful well-educated women entrepreneurs from five cities (Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Cochin) in India. We found that the mothers with younger children and entrepreneurs in the early stages of the business preferred to integrate the work and family roles than to set a clear boundary between the roles, using various boundary management tactics to achieve work-life balance (WLB). They attempted to minimize imbalance by creating a resource pool, flexible scheduling, working fewer hours, and preferring workplace proximity. Social support seemed to be essential to reconcile the multiple role demands. According to the business and motherhood stages, significant differences were observed in the type and level of WLB issues women face. The study provides recommendations for successful reconciliation between the work and non-work lives in the Indian context. In this culturally unique context, while access to institutional support for women entrepreneurs is meager, any effort to help them reconcile their work and family demands will be helpful.

Workplace regimes in Western Europe, 1995–2015: Implications for intensification, intrusion, income and insecurity

The article investigates the emergence of ‘new’ forms of working such as ‘lean production’ and ‘learning organisations’ in Western Europe, 1995–2015. First, the article identifies the dominant forms of work organisation (‘workplace regimes’) across Western Europe, including new ‘pressure’ and ‘extreme’ varieties of previously identified regimes. Second, the article analyses the implications of these workplace regimes for various important worker outcomes – insecurity, income, intensity of work and intrusion of work into non-working life – and assesses the ‘trade-offs’ of different outcomes across regimes. Third, the article assesses the changing distribution of these regimes, whether certain forms such as Lean Production are coming to dominate the division of labour, and where and for whom. The shape of the ‘new world of work’ is increasingly Lean, but remains open to political contestation – both in how regimes themselves are organised and in the mix of regimes in particular societies and for particular workers.

Why increase in telework may have affected employee well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? The role of work and non-work life domains.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04250-8.

Work, life and COVID‐19: a rapid review and practical recommendations for the post‐pandemic workplace

Remote working because of the COVID‐19 pandemic has eroded boundaries between work and home, necessitating the need to evaluate the long‐term impacts of these changes and mitigate any negative effects on workers' work‐life experiences. To do so, we reviewed and examined work‐life research published since the start of the pandemic. The review yielded a sample of 303 work‐life scholarly articles, with three common themes: 1) work‐life boundaries have become more permeable, with behavior‐based and time‐based work‐life conflict emerging as the more salient forms of work‐life conflict; 2) technical work demands have increased, as employees grapple with techno‐invasion, techno‐overload and techno‐complexity; and 3) psychological and emotional work demands have intensified. Based on these key findings, we call for multi‐level and multi‐agency responses to deal with the complex, diverse nature of work‐life demands. Specifically, we offer recommendations at the individual‐, team/organizational‐ and societal/governmental‐levels to enhance employees' work and non‐work lives after the pandemic.

Talking About Private Government: A Review of the Economic Claims Made to Rebut Anderson’s Analysis

In Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk About It), Elizabeth Anderson argues that most people in the United States and other liberal societies spend their working lives under the kind of autocratic rule we would normally associate with communist dictatorships. They are forced to work in oppressive environments, deprived of many freedoms, and given practically no say over working conditions. Even in their nonworking lives workers are frequently subjected to employer scrutiny and sanction. And the legal framework and economic realities surrounding employment are such that exit is viable for only a small minority. Anderson’s work has generated great interest and, along with it, several criticisms that take exception to her observations, economic assumptions, and conclusions. This paper delineates the various economic claims made against Private Government so as to facilitate further inquiry of these issues.

Crafting work-nonwork balance involving life domain boundaries: Development and validation of a novel scale across five countries.

Ongoing developments, such as digitalization, increased the interference of the work and nonwork life domains, urging many to continuously manage engagement in respective domains. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent home-office regulations further boosted the need for employees to find a good work-nonwork balance, thereby optimizing their health and well-being. Consequently, proactive individual-level crafting strategies for balancing work with other relevant life domains were becoming increasingly important. However, these strategies received insufficient attention in previous research despite their potential relevance for satisfying psychological needs, such as psychological detachment. We addressed this research gap by introducing a new scale measuring crafting for a work-nonwork balance and examining its relevance in job-and life satisfaction, work engagement, subjective vitality, family role and job performance, boundary management and self-rated work-nonwork balance. The Work-Nonwork Balance Crafting Scale was validated in five countries (Austria, Finland, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland), encompassing data from a heterogeneous sample of more than 4,200 employees. In study 1, exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factorial scale structure. Confirmatory factor analysis, test for measurement invariance, and convergent validity were provided in study 2. Replication of confirmatory factor analysis, incremental and criterion validity of the Work-Nonwork Balance Crafting Scale for job and life satisfaction were assessed in study 3. Study 4 displayed criterion validity, test–retest reliability, testing measurement invariance, and applicability of the scale across work cultures. Finally, study 5 delivered evidence for the Work-Nonwork Balance Crafting Scale in predicting work-nonwork balance. The novel Work-Nonwork Balance Crafting Scale captured crafting for the challenging balance between work and nonwork and performed well across several different working cultures in increasingly digitalized societies. Both researchers and practitioners may use this tool to assess crafting efforts to balance both life domains and to study relationships with outcomes relevant to employee health and well-being.

Changes in Career Thinking and Work Intentions Among Family Medicine Educators in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study examined the attitudes and perceptions of family medicine educators with regards to COVID-19's impact on both career thinking and work intentions. We surveyed 949 Family Medicine educators and practicing physicians as part of the 2021 Council of Academic Family Medicine's (CAFM) Educational Research Alliance (CERA) survey. Changes in thinking about their nonwork lives (P < .001, OR = 2.82), changes in life priorities (P < .001, OR = 2.07), along with recent changes to the educator job that are perceived as less enjoyable (P < .001, OR = 1.31), are associated with career thinking changes. Perception of being treated fairly (P = .002, OR = 0.83), changes in thinking about nonwork lives (P = .003, OR = 1.29), changes in life priorities (P < .001, OR = 1.65), and recent less enjoyable changes to the educator job (P < .001, OR = 1.26), are associated with an intent to reduce work hours. Perception of being treated fairly (P < .001, OR = 0.81), changes in life priorities (P < .001, OR = 1.31), recent work changes that are less enjoyable (P < .001, OR = 1.38), and workload increases (P = .02, OR = 0.87), are associated with increased thoughts of doing something different in 5 years. Older participants were more likely to intent to reduce hours (P < .001, OR = 1.05) and have increased thoughts of doing something different in 5 years (P < .001, OR = 1.04). Meanwhile, women were more likely to experience career thinking changes (P = .02, OR = 1.42). Our findings suggest that the career thinking and work intentions of family medicine educators have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. There may be consequences for how they think about and approach their careers and jobs in the future. Additional research is needed to determine what these actual consequences mean. In addition, employers should carefully assess these types of changes, identify which educator subgroups they may affect the most, and act accordingly, particularly in areas like recruitment and retention.

Desire to work from home: Results of an Irish study

Large levels of working from home (WfH) were induced by social distancing and viral control measures undertaken to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Representing an unpredicted change in the way large amounts of people undertake their day to day work, it is expected that the legacy of this event, in terms of significant alterations to work and commuting patterns will have wide-ranging and long-lasting results. However, how persistent the current trends will be, remains an open question. Therefore, there is a need for a well-represented study of employees' preferences for the post-pandemic future and focus on white-collar workers and their well-established attitudes considering their flexibility in terms of workplace arrangements. This paper presents the results of a survey undertaken in Ireland in the summer of 2021 gauging the desire of office workers to WfH, the format that most appeals to them, the consideration of home relocation based on the ability to WfH, and the factors that may explain such preferences. Results indicate high levels of desire to WfH, either full time or partially, with increased desire to WfH positively correlated to pre-pandemic commute length, and to a perceived increase in work productivity and quality of non-work life as a result of time spent WfH. Additionally, a number of workers state that they may consider home relocation based upon the ability to WfH. These results should be interpreted as the desire to WfH or total addressable market that exists, rather than the likely levels of WfH that will be observed post-Covid.

Grief at the Work-Life Interface

As recent research shows, grief is an integral part of organizational life as well as the experience which spills over from one domain to another. Nevertheless, we know relatively little about: (1) the processes involved in experiencing life-related and work-related grief, (2) the impact such grief has on a griever as well as their colleagues, (3) what circumstances make this experience lighter or harder, and (4) how colleagues, leaders, and organizations can best help to grieving employees as they move through grief towards recovery. Thus, our symposium includes qualitative and quantitative research that enriches the understanding of the phenomenon of a grieving employee, provides research-based recommendations for organizations in managing and interacting with a grieving colleague, and, therefore, strongly contributes to the Academy of Management’s conference theme “Creating a Better World Together”. The symposium includes five papers showcasing the impact of personal and professional grief on employees’ work and non-work lives. Together with discussion, led by Dr. Sally Maitlis, the papers aim to provide insight into the consequences of grief and mourning for employees, their colleagues, and organizations, build an emerging community of scholars focused on issues related to grief and the work-life interface, and generate a strong program of future academic research. From Grieving to Career Change: How a Personal Grief-Inducing Event Affects Professional Identity Presenter: Lidiia Pletneva; ESSEC Business School Ambivalence in the Early Stages of Compassion: The Relational Process of Noticing Suffering Presenter: Ashley Elizabeth Hardin; Washington U. in St. Louis Presenter: Liza Yasemin Barnes; U. of Colorado, Boulder Presenter: Kristina Marie Workman; Cornell U. Presenter: Kira Franziska Schabram; U. of Washington The Vicious Solitude of Grief in the Work and Non-work Lives of Police Officers Presenter: Kimberly Rocheville; Creighton U. Keeping Mom and Pop Alive: Collective Mourning and Continuity during Rapid Organizational Growth Presenter: Hilary Hoyt Hendricks; U. of Michigan “Fake it till you make it?” On surface acting and depression following the loss of a loved one Presenter: Hadar Freidin; Tel Aviv U. Presenter: Sharon Toker; Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv U.

Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors and Psychological Distress: A Secondary Analysis across Four Occupational Populations.

This study assessed the associations of employee’s perceptions of family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) and their psychological distress across four occupational populations (n = 3778): Information technology; healthcare; military-connected Veterans; and National Guard service members. Data were gathered and analyzed from four larger archival datasets to compare differences in these relationships. Results revealed significant negative relationships between employee reports of FSSB and their psychological distress within occupations, as expected. Furthermore, results revealed significant differences across occupational populations for employee reports of both FSSB and psychological distress. Hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the extent of these mean differences across groups. Results revealed significant differences among these four groups such that the military-connected Veteran employees demonstrated significantly stronger associations of FSSB, and psychological distress compared to the other three occupations of information technology, healthcare, and National Guard service members. These findings suggest the importance of FSSB to worker psychological health across a variety of occupational populations, specifically noting the importance and presence of FSSB for Veteran employees’ psychological distress in civilian workplaces. Practical implications include the need for training leaders on how to better support employees’ work and non-work lives, mental health, and well-being.