Work-family Imbalance Research Articles

Support a better work-family balance in the hotel sector

ABSTRACT The work-family balance issue has received significant attention in the hotel industry, yet effective solutions to support this balance remain scarce. Given the labour shortage of the hotel sector, underestimating individuals with family-to-work conflict is not a wise solution for management. This study aims to explore innovative ways of supporting hotel employees’ work-family balance under their family-to-work conflict. Specifically, this study tests the mediating role of job insecurity and the moderating roles of psychological empowerment and extrinsic motivation in the link between family-to-work conflict and work-family balance. A two-wave survey was conducted among 211 Chinese hotel employees. The Process analyses were employed to analyse the data. The results indicate that family-to-work conflict leads to work-family imbalance through job insecurity; family-to-work conflict triggers job insecurity, but only when employees’ psychological empowerment is low; job insecurity impairs work-family balance, but this detrimental impact can be buffered by extrinsic motivation. The study delineates the pathways and conditions under which family-to-work conflict leads to work-family imbalance, offering not just a nuanced perspective on the issue but also practical recommendations for enhancing work-family balance within the hotel industry.

More Happiness or More Payment: Psychological and Influencing Factors of “Two-Child” Women of Childbearing Age in the Context of “Three-Child”

The paper aims to investigate the psychological well-being and determinants of women of childbearing age who have already had one child, and to identify their practical needs for fostering a supportive environment to encourage additional childbearing. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 mothers of two children, and the interview data were subjected to axial coding. The influencing factors of reproductive willingness among women of childbearing age can be integrated into a three-layer structural model: the first layer includes four nodes: economic investment and energy; The second layer covers 16 nodes, including education expenses and work family imbalance; The third layer consists of 40 nodes, such as high education costs and energy shortages. In summary, the fertility challenges currently faced by women of childbearing age with a second child are the result of the interaction of multiple factors, and addressing these challenges requires joint efforts from the national, social, family, and individual levels.

Workplace Psychosocial Factors, Work Organization, and Physical Exertion as Risk Factors for Low Back Pain Among US Workers: Data From the 2015 National Health Interview Survey.

To evaluate the association between workplace psychosocial, organization, and physical risk factors with low back pain (LBP) among US workers. 2015 National Health Interview Survey data were analyzed to calculate the prevalence rates and prevalence ratios for LBP across levels of workplace psychosocial and organizational risk factors among 17,464 US adult workers who worked ≥20 hours per week. Results were also stratified by workplace physical exertion. The adjusted prevalence rates of LBP were significantly elevated for workers reporting high job demand, low job control, work-family imbalance, bullying, job insecurity, working alternate shifts, and physical exertion. Job control and nonstandard shifts were significantly associated with LBP only among those who reported low/no physical exertion. LBP prevalence was associated with select workplace psychosocial and organization risk factors. Stratification by physical exertion modified multiple associations.

A study on work-family life imbalance among women administrators in UAE higher education institutions

The study explored the factors causing work-family imbalance among women administrators in higher education institutions in the UAE and how it affects their personal and organizational well-being. The research found that the existing literature doesn't give enough attention to the mismatch between women administrators' work and family goals. Furthermore, it provides little insight into the integration of work-family support systems. The study applied the Spillover theory to explain that women administrators face significant work-family imbalances that adversely impact their personal well-being and organizational effectiveness. The research also used Facilitation theory to examine how work-family support systems could reduce the adverse effects of work-family imbalances. The study surveyed 271 female administrators working in higher education institutions in the UAE. The findings, presented through structural equation modeling, showed that the demanding nature of research, teaching, and administrative work in higher education and women administrators' professional aspirations in socially demanding societies create work-life imbalance and work stress. The study proposed work-family support systems that could moderate the effect of work-family imbalances on work stress.

Specialty Satisfaction of Senior Specialists of a Tertiary Level Medical Teaching Institution

Introduction: Like any other professions specialty satisfaction is an important factor for quality service in the healthcare institutions also. There are different reasons of satisfaction and dissatisfaction in different age group, gender and types of specialties. Aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of the senior specialists on their own specialties. Methodology: It was a questionnaire based survey. Sample size was 45. Specialists have more than 5-year experience were included in this study. Reasons of selecting the specialty, causes of satisfaction or dissatisfaction were included in the questionnaire. Level of satisfaction was documented by Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) guideline. Non-judgmental or neutral participants were excluded from the study. Chi-square test was done for the significance tests for categorical data. Result: Satisfaction level was very high (93%) and was equally distributed in both the genders. Among the participants 29 (65%) were male and 16 (35%) were female. Key reasons of selecting the specialty were scope to teach (44.44%), scope to treat patients (33.33%) and duration of the course (26.67%). Main causes of satisfaction were less physical / mental stress (21.92%), student / patient satisfaction (17.81%) and scope of job / family time balance (16.44%). The most important fator for specialist dissatisfaction was less time to work-family imbalance (26.09%). Conclusion: Selecting the specialty is an important decision of life. Spending time with family is desirable for the specialists and lack of work-family imbalance can lead to high level of dissatisfaction.

Psychological effects of the covid-19 pandemic: Perceived stress, anxiety, work-family imbalance, and coping strategies among healthcare professionals in Khartoum state hospitals, Sudan, 2021

Psychological effects of the covid-19 pandemic: Perceived stress, anxiety, work-family imbalance, and coping strategies among healthcare professionals in Khartoum state hospitals, Sudan, 2021

Retraction Statement: Psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceived stress, anxiety, work-family imbalance, and coping strategies among healthcare professionals in Khartoum state hospitals, Sudan, 2021.

Retraction Statement: Psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceived stress, anxiety, work-family imbalance, and coping strategies among healthcare professionals in Khartoum state hospitals, Sudan, 2021.

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES: EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN LEADERS

The purpose of the study is to find out the challenges women experienced in reaching leadership positions. At the global level, according to the Global Gender Gap Report (2022), 33% of women hold leadership roles; however, in Pakistan, this number is lower. Eagly and Carli’s (2003) theoretical framework emphasized the multifactorial barriers that women face in achieving leadership positions. A qualitative approach was used to get an in-depth understanding of the problem. Using the non-probability purposive sampling technique ten female heads of departments from the different public sector universities of Rawalpindi were selected who were willing to participate in the study voluntarily. With mutual consent, in-depth interviews were conducted. The findings reveal multiple barriers that affect women’s ability to advance in leadership positions on three different levels: barriers at work, barriers in the home, and barriers at the individual level. The findings at work-level challenges include dealing with gender stereotypes, problems with leadership styles, and a lack of social networking. The findings at family-level barriers include work-family imbalance, different types of early socialization, and a choice between family and career. The findings at individual-level obstacles include issues with the physical appearance for upward mobility, Barriers for family oriented female leaders and grateful attitudes of female leaders. Based on the findings, the study suggests multifaceted approaches to deal with this issue at every level. Keywords: Career, Challenges, Leadership, Obstacles, Stereotypes, Women

Overtime work, job autonomy, and employees' subjective well-being: Evidence from China.

Chinese workers suffer more from overtime than in many countries. Excessive working hours can crowd out personal time and cause work-family imbalance, affecting workers' subjective well-being. Meanwhile, self-determination theory suggests that higher job autonomy may improve the subjective well-being of employees. Data came from the 2018 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS 2018). The analysis sample consisted of 4,007 respondents. Their mean age was 40.71 (SD = 11.68), and 52.8% were males. This study adopted four measures of subjective well-being: happiness, life satisfaction, health status, and depression. Confirmation factor analysis was employed to extract the job autonomy factor. Multiple linear regression methods were applied to examine the relationship between overtime, job autonomy, and subjective well-being. Overtime hours showed weak association with lower happiness (β = -0.002, p < 0.01), life satisfaction (β = -0.002, p < 0.01), and health status (β = -0.002, p < 0.001). Job autonomy was positively related to happiness (β = 0.093, p < 0.01), life satisfaction (β = 0.083, p < 0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between involuntary overtime and subjective well-being. Involuntary overtime might decrease the level of happiness (β = -0.187, p < 0.001), life satisfaction (β = -0.221, p < 0.001), and health status (β = -0.129, p < 0.05) and increase the depressive symptoms (β = 1.157, p < 0.05). While overtime had a minimal negative effect on individual subjective well-being, involuntary overtime significantly enlarged it. Improving individual's job autonomy is beneficial for individual subjective well-being.

Co-exposures to physical and psychosocial work factors increase the occurrence of workplace injuries among French care workers.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of co-exposures to physical and psychosocial factors (PSF) regarding the incidence of workplace injuries (WI) among care workers. Additional objective was to identify the work factors associated with the co-exposure combinations leading to the highest rates of WI. The study sample consisted of 4,418 care workers participating to the French Working Conditions Survey both in 2013 and 2016. WI were assessed during the 4-year follow-up by matching the databases of the National Health Insurance Funds' compensation system. We assessed exposure for physical factors and PSF using factorial analyses and hierarchical clustering. We implemented a Poisson regression model with the WI incidence as the outcome and the clusters as independent variables of interest. Logistic regression model allowed identifying the work factors that predicted co-exposure combinations with a WI rate > 40%. WI were highly related to both physical and psychosocial exposures. With low exposure to one or the other, there was no increased risk of WI. Physical factors and PSF potentiated each other and their co-exposure significantly increased the risk of WI, with model predicted rates per 1,000 persons-year for those most exposed to physical risk of 14.6 [4.5-24.8] with low PSF and 38.0 [29.8-46.3] with high PSF. Work factors that predicted co-exposure combinations with a rate > 40 WI% were: working as nursing assistant or hospital services officer, lack of predictability and flexibility of schedules, overtime, controlled schedules, work-family imbalance and insufficient preventive measures. Our findings highlight the need to take into account psychosocial factors in addition of only considering physical factors when analyzing WI occurrence, as usually done. Prevention actions must be taken to reduce both physical and psychosocial exposure. These results provide keys points for the prevention of WI among care workers.

Psychosocial risk factors for low back pain in US workers: Data from the 2002-2018 quality of work life survey.

Examining workplace psychosocial risk factors for back pain becomes increasingly important because of the changing nature of work and rising healthcare costs. Some psychosocial risk factors for back pain, such as work and family imbalance, exposure to a hostile work environment, and job insecurity, are understudied for the working population in the United States. Data used in this study came from the Quality of Work Life Survey (QWL), a supplementary module of the General Social Survey conducted in the United States. Data from the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 QWL surveys were used in these analyses, giving a total sample size of 6661. Five domains of workplace psychosocial risk factors for back pain were examined, including job strain, low social support, work-family imbalance, exposure to a hostile work environment (harassment and discrimination), and job insecurity. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of each psychosocial risk factor for back pain with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was estimated using a multivariable logistic regression model after controlling for job physical factors, occupation, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Significant associations were found between back pain and several psychosocial factors including job strain (aOR 1.19; CI 1.00,1.41), work-family imbalance (aOR,1.42; CI 1.22,1.64), harassment (aOR 1.40; CI 1.15,1.71), and discrimination (aOR 1.20 CI 1.00,1.44). This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between a variety of workplace psychosocial factors and back pain. Our findings suggest directions in future longitudinal research to examine emerging workplace psychosocial factors for back pain.

The Relationship between Workaholism and Employee Wellbeing: The Mediating Role of Work-Family Balance (WFB)

The influence of workaholism is one of the major impact factors on work-family imbalance and wellbeing. This paper presents the findings of recent empirical studies regarding the link of work-family balance and workaholism and how it shows a negative relationship between them, the link between work-family balance and employee wellbeing and how it shows a positive relationship between them, and finally the link between workaholism and employee wellbeing and how it shows a negative relationship between them. The researcher examines studies which were published over the past decade to investigate the relationship between workaholism and employee wellbeing while taking the mediating role of work-family balance (WFB). A conceptual framework was offered which may help and guide future research regarding this area.

An Interwoven Psychological Syndrome of Job Burnout and Work Engagement in Construction Project Management Professionals Due to Work-Family Imbalance.

Most current studies on the mental health of construction project management professionals (CPMPs) are conducted from a negative psychological perspective, lacking a comprehensive understanding of the positive-negative interwoven mechanism. This study developed a positive-negative dual-process psychological model of CPMPs to explore the interwoven mechanisms among five variables: family-supportive supervisor behavior (FSSB), work-family conflict, work-family enrichment, job burnout, and work engagement. We conducted a large-scale questionnaire survey among Chinese CPMPs. A total of 656 questionnaires were returned; 446 were considered valid. The groups of CPMPs prone to occupational psychological problems were identified, which enhanced the targeted organizational management in the construction industry. The hypothetical model was verified with SEM. The results revealed that the effect of work-family enrichment was more significant than work-family conflict, which implies that the positive psychology process may play a more prominent role than the negative process. There was a significant correlation between FSSB and work-family conflict/ enrichment; but no direct correlation between FSSB and job burnout/work engagement. This implies that the improvement of the work-family relationship plays a full mediating role in improving CPMPs' occupational psychological health. This research provides a thorough understanding of CPMPs' interwoven occupational psychological problems and gives suggestions to enhance their occupational psychological health.

Analysis of the Cognitive Load of Employees Working from Home and the Construction of the Telecommuting Experience Balance Model

Adapting to working from home caused physical and psychological difficulties, leading to work–family imbalance and lower employee performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study intends to identify the relationship between variables affecting telecommuting experience and improve employees’ perceived organizational support by constructing a balanced model of telecommuting experience. An online questionnaire survey was conducted with 142 employees from different organizations telecommuting during the epidemic in Xi’an. The NASA-TLX scale was used to quantitatively evaluate the cognitive load of employees working from home, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process method was applied to map negative experience factors with cognitive load to obtain the weight value of each factor. Finally, a balanced model of telecommuting experience was constructed through a system map. The results show that mental demand was the key factor affecting employees’ telecommuting experience. A good telecollaboration system could effectively manage work tasks and reduce the psychological load of employees. Frustration and temporal demand also significantly affected employees’ telecommuting experience, mainly due to work–family conflict. Adopting flexible work hours and organizing online sharing activities could reshape employees’ social relationships with their families and colleagues, effectively improving the telecommuting experience. The empirical study validated the effectiveness of the telecommuting experience balance model.

943 Gender Inequalities in Surgery: A Literature Review and Social Media Analysis.

Abstract Aim This study identified the current barriers to women in surgery in the UK and evaluated the hashtags that are broadcast via Twitter to expose gender bias within surgery. Method A literature review was conducted using key terms to identify the barriers to women in surgery. A Twitter search was conducted via NVivo and Ncapture using keywords to identify the hashtags categorising gender bias and sexism in the surgical profession. Tweet content was qualitatively evaluated to assess gender-based inequalities in surgery in the UK. Tweets were further evaluated to identify evidence of trolling or dismissive behaviour towards surgical sexism. Results The literature review identified work-family imbalance, lack of female surgical role models, inflexibility of working hours, the gender pay gap, and female objectification as key barriers to women in surgery. Twitter analysis demonstrated evidence of surgical gender bias throughout UK surgical training using #Surgical#Sexism #HammerItOut #CutItOut and #NHSMeToo, with minimal evidence of trolling and dismissive comments. Twitter provided a platform to support and praise users that speak out against surgical gender bias, including whistleblowers. Conclusions Twitter as a social media platform can provide an environment to support users who may be experiencing gender-based bias within their surgical workplace. Twitter may also demonstrate further purpose as a useful aid in whistleblowing within healthcare.

Work-family imbalance, social support and health: a population-based study.

Work-family imbalance is a crucial determinant of workers' health. Studies examining the impact of multiple roles in the workplace, conducted in low- and middle-income countries, are limited. To determine the association of work-family imbalance with self-perceived health (SPH) both in men and women, and to examine the interaction of social support with work-family imbalance on this association in a district in western Turkey. This population-based cross-sectional study's sample was randomly derived from working residents aged 30-64 living in Balcova District, Turkey. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted for the associations between SPH, social support at home and at work, work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC). Social support variables were considered as possible effect modifiers. Work to family variables had an independent, significant association with poor SPH [odds ratio (OR) = 2.92 (95% CI 1.47-5.78) for WFC, and 2.38 (95% CI 1.22-4.67) for FWC] in only women. In advanced analyses, both social support at work and at home were effect modifiers of the association between FWC and SPH in women (P < 0.001). In men, SPH was significantly associated only with job insecurity [OR = 2.52 (1.22-5.21)]. Further studies should be conducted to implement effective population prevention strategies to establish work-family balance and to reduce this double burden on women, specifically in low- and middle-income countries.

High involvement work practices often lead to burnout, but thanks to humble leadership

PurposeBased on the conservation of resources theory, this study aims to investigate high involvement work practices (HIWP) as an antecedent to burnout with a mediating role of perceived work–family (WF) imbalance. Moreover, this study examines whether humble leadership moderates the relationship between HIWP and WF imbalance.Design/methodology/approachUsing a time-lagged survey approach, data are collected from 200 employees working in the Indian services sector organizations.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that HIWP has a direct negative effect on burnout and an indirect effect via WF imbalance. Also, humble leadership moderates the relationship between HIWP and WF imbalance.Originality/valueBy studying the pessimistic view of HIWP in the Indian context, this study contributes to the scant studies available on its effect on burnout in collectivistic societies. Furthermore, humble leadership's moderating role in the relationship between HIWP and WF imbalance is unique to this study.

Psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceived stress, anxiety, work-family imbalance, and coping strategies among healthcare professionals in Khartoum state hospitals, Sudan, 2021.

BackgroundThe 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) is highly contagious and can spread a pandemic, so it is related to serious health issues and major public concerns, and is considered by the medical community to be the greatest concern because it is the greatest risk of infection.ObjectiveTo identify and assess the psychological effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on healthcare professionals in Khartoum state hospitals 2021.Materials and methodsGeneralized Anxiety Scale (GAD‐7), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS‐10), and Work–Family Balance Measure Scale were used to assess the psychological impact of doctors and nurses working in four big hospitals in Sudan, by an online questionnaire, analyzed by the statistical package for social science (SPSS) during February.ResultsMost of the participants had minimal to mild anxiety according to GAD‐7 score, 121 (35.2%) and 103 (29.9%), respectively. Using PSS‐10, the cutoff point was determined as 19 as the mean for total score was 19.2 ± 6.2, accordingly, more than half had high levels of stress (scored 19 and above) 189 (54.9%). For the Work–Family Balance Scale, 10 was regarded as the cutoff point. There was a significant association between specialty and stress level p‐value .032. No significant correlations were found between age and stress level, neither between age and anxiety level (r −.100, p‐value .064 and r = −.022, p‐value .683, respectively).ConclusionMore than half of healthcare professionals (54.9%) showed high levels of stress. Most of the healthcare professionals had poor work–family balance (60.2%).

A Fuzzy Delphi analytic job demands-resources model to rank factors influencing open innovation

This study aims to determine the impact of the job demands-resources model and professional identity on open innovation in the industrial sector by adopting technology as a mediating variable. The factors that influence open innovation were identified based on the Fuzzy Delphi method. Hence, the quantitative (questionnaire survey) design was used to gather 260 employees in the industrial sector. The structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data. The findings of this study reveal the positive impact of professional identity and feedback on open innovation and the negative impact of time pressure, workload, and work-family imbalance on open innovation. The results highlight vital internal and external factors in creating an organisational climate that encourages open innovation.

Freedom and flexibility: the work–family balance of single female entrepreneurs in Nigeria

PurposeWork–family research has mainly focused on nuclear families, neglecting other types of families, such as single self-employed parents. To what extent does the freedom and flexibility attached to being single and self-employed hinder or enhance single parents' work–family balance? Using role theory as a theoretical lens, this study examines single-self-employed parents' work–family balance.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the accounts of 25 single self-employed parents in Nigeria, the article uses semi-structured interviews to examine how this group achieves work–family balance.FindingsWe found that the freedom and flexibility associated with being single and self-employed form a double-edged sword that increases the spate of singlehood and intensifies commitments to work, altogether preventing the participants in the study from achieving work–family balance. The findings also indicate that singlehood and a lack of spousal support cause and exacerbate work–family imbalance for this group. The findings further indicate that the reconstruction of functions, and the recreation of the traditional masculine gender role overwhelm single self-employed women in their entrepreneurial activities, thereby causing a lack of time and the energy required to function well in a family role, thus creating imbalance between the different spheres of life.Research limitations/implicationsThe extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited sample and scope of the research.Practical implicationsWhile literature espouses freedom and flexibility as important ingredients needed to achieve work–family balance, this study shows that they enhance inter-role role conflict. The study suggests creation of private or family time, devoid of work or entrepreneurial engagements, for single female entrepreneurs. This will ensure quality time and energy for the family and for fresh relationship – all of which will impact business positively.Originality/valueRather than enhancing work–family balance, the freedom and flexibility attached to being single and self-employed remain the main source of work–family imbalance for Nigerian single self-employed parents.