Work-life Conflict Research Articles

Does social support and work-life conflict moderate the influence of job stress on job performance? (A study at Syiah Kuala University)

The performance of employees within an organization is intricately linked to various psychological factors they encounter. Job stress, social support, and work-life conflict emerge as pivotal elements in enhancing job performance. This study endeavors to examine the impact of job stress on job performance, taking into account social support and work-life conflict as moderating factors. Data were gathered through questionnaires distributed to a sample of 275 administrative employees at Syiah Kuala University, Indonesia. Analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via Partial Least Squares (PLS) statistical software. The findings indicate that job stress did not significantly affect job performance (p = 0.382 > α = 0.05), whereas social support emerged as a significant moderator (p = 0.001 < α = 0.05). However, work-life conflict did not demonstrate significance as a moderator in the relationship between job stress and job performance (p = 0.866 > α = 0.05). In conclusion, the study suggests that job stress indeed influences job performance, whereas the moderating effect of work-life conflict on the relationship between job stress and job performance remains unproven. Conversely, social support is confirmed as a significant moderating factor in the influence of job stress on job performance.

The Role of Socio-Demographics Profile and Work-Life Conflict on Life Satisfaction Among Working-Class Women in Sabah, Malaysia

The Role of Socio-Demographics Profile and Work-Life Conflict on Life Satisfaction Among Working-Class Women in Sabah, Malaysia

Job Insecurity And Job Disengagement Among Private Security Personnel: Moderated-Moderation Model

Mental health problems are on the rise in contemporary organizations largely due to frequent job insecurity among employees. Drawing from traditional stress theories, the study assesses work-family conflict as a mediator in the correlation between job insecurity and job disengagement. Additionally, it hypothesized that the influence of job insecurity on job disengagement, mediated by work-family conflict, would be contingent upon perceived procedural justice. Consequently, the study employed a moderated mediation model to test these hypotheses. Data were collected from a sample of 263 private security personnel in Accra, Ghana. Utilizing questionnaires administered at a single time point over an eight-week duration, the study gathered information from the participants on job insecurity, job disengagement, work-family conflict, and procedural justice. Subsequently, JASP software and the PROCESS model were utilized to analyze the data. The study revealed that procedural justice played a dual role: it not only moderated the impact of job insecurity and work-family conflict but also moderated the positive effect of job insecurity on job disengagement through work-life conflict. This study pioneers an examination of the moderated mediated mechanism involving procedural justice as a moderator in the relationship between job insecurity and job disengagement via work-family conflict. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for organizations by highlighting the mitigating influence of procedural justice in reducing employee job disengagement through the mediated pathway of work-family.

Gender differences in remote work: a study on the boundary management tactics of women and men

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify potential differences in experiences and their causes from a gender-based perspective.Design/methodology/approachWe use secondary data, and we conduct a thematic analysis, to identify whether and how women and men negotiate differently.FindingsDespite remote work being considered as creating a level-playing field for both genders, women are still vulnerable to work and life demands, and pre-existing stereotypes become exacerbated. In addition, we show how technology might be used to manage physical and temporal boundaries, through integration or segmentation tactics.Originality/valueThere is a growing body of literature that focuses on work-life conflict among teleworkers. Yet, there is limited research that explores such conflicts from a gender perspective, specifically whether and how different genders manage boundaries between work and life differently.

The Conflict and Balance of Work-Family during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Everyday activities have become very limited during the COVID-19 outbreaks in most countries. Many companies have established work-from-home (WFH) policies to reduce transmission risk. Balancing work and private life sometimes becomes challenging, which has worsened during the pandemic. This research aimed to observe the influence of work-life conflict (WFC) consisting of work impeding family (WIF ) and family impeding work (FIW ) on Work and Life Balance (WLB ) and ascertain gender differences in WLB. Data were collected from 100 respondents (50 men and 50 women) through questionnaires. The inclusion criteria were married couples with occupations, had children and were then doing WFH during an outbreak. This research adopted quantitative methods. Data were analyzed using a multiple-regression test and an independent t-test. The outcomes indicated that the WIF conflict had no statistically remarkable influence on the WLB of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The FIW conflict has had a positive and statistically remarkable influence on the WLB of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Female workers experience a more significant imbalance in the middle of family and work than that experienced by male workers because of their WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parental Exposure to Work Schedule Instability and Child Sleep Quality

Recent scholarship has documented the effects of unstable scheduling practices on worker health and well-being, but there has been less research examining the intergenerational consequences of work schedule instability. This study investigates the relationship between parental exposure to unstable and unpredictable work schedules and child sleep quality. We find evidence of significant and large associations between parental exposure to each of five different types of unstable and unpredictable work scheduling practices and child sleep quality, including sleep duration, variability and daytime sleepiness. We are also able to mediate 35–50% of this relationship with measures of work–life conflict, parental stress and well-being, material hardship, and child behaviour. These findings suggest that the effects of the temporal dimensions of job quality extend beyond workers to their children, with implications for the mechanisms by which social inequality is reproduced and for social policies intended to regulate precarious and unequal employment conditions.

From Dual Roles to Dynamic Equilibrium: An Overview of Theoretical Perspectives Used in Studies Addressing Work-Life Struggles of Working Mothers

There has been much scholarly attention given to the role of women in the labor market throughout the years. While there are plenty of evaluations of ideas and perspectives regarding work-life concepts, there is limited understanding regarding the theoretical foundation of work-life concerns specifically about mothers. This study aims to provide an overview of theories used to investigate the work-life issues of working mothers. The data were collected from the Web of Science database. A total of 63 research studies examining the work-life challenges faced by employed women were evaluated based on theoretical frameworks. It was seen that identity theory and gender perspective are dominant perspectives in the current literature. In addition, the prevailing work-life perspectives adopted in the studies are work-life balance and work-life conflict. The study offers a detailed examination of the various theoretical perspectives employed in understanding the work-life difficulties encountered by employed mothers.

Mindfulness, resilience and the happiness of service employees working from home

PurposeThe work-from-home scheme (WFH) is increasingly being adopted in service firms. However, the blurred border between employees’ work and life can create work–life conflict (WLC) that negatively affects their well-being. Therefore, identifying factors that help employees overcome WLC and nurture their well-being is imperative. From a transformative service research (TSR) and personal psychology perspective, this study aims to explore the roles of service employee state of mindfulness and resilience in reducing WLC, alleviating its negative effects and ultimately nurturing their happiness.Design/methodology/approachA structural model was proposed. Data were collected from 339 WFH employees in various knowledge-based services such as professional services, information, education and training, financial consulting and marketing. Direct, indirect, mediating and moderating effects were estimated using the CB-SEM method.FindingsMindfulness is the overarching capability that helps reduce WLC and raise resilience. It nurtures WFH employee happiness not only directly but also via the mediation of resilience and WLC. Resilience, on the other hand, mediates the effect of mindfulness on happiness and moderates the negative impact of WLC on happiness.Practical implicationsFirms are recommended to organize mindfulness and resilience training programs, and encourage organizational- and job-related facilitators. WFH employees should actively participate in such programs and add them to their to-do-list practices.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first empirical studies of employee mindfulness and resilience in the WFH context. It contributes to the TSR research stream and enriches the concepts of mindfulness and resilience by elucidating different mechanisms in which each of these personal qualities operates to help employees nurture happiness in this specific working condition.

Assessing Psychosocial Factors on Maintenance Employees with Safety Perspective: A Case Study of an Electrical Service Company

The increasing number of employees continuously exposed to psychosocial hazards can result in high absenteeism, employee turnover, low productivity, and increased work accidents. Efforts to improve occupational safety have typically focused on developing policies, equipment, and training to minimize physical risks; however, in recent years, attention has also shifted to psychosocial factors. This research was conducted to comprehensively analyze the psychosocial conditions of maintenance workers from electrical service companies in Indonesia. An online survey with 93 questions from COPSOQ III was conducted on 314 respondents who had worked for at least one year and were permanent employees at company X. The collected data will be tested for validity and reliability before being analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS V25 software. It will then be classified by level using the gap analysis method. It was found that there were six psychosocial factors included in the mid-gap category, namely Cognitive Demands (X9), Work Pace (X12), Illegimate Task (X25), Role Conflict (X26), Work-Life Conflict (X31), and Insecurity over Working Condition (X32). Meanwhile, two psychosocial factors fall into the high-gap category, namely Control over Working Time (X17) and Job Insecurity (X33). Psychosocial factors in the high-gap category need to be a priority for improvement or intervention, considering that these factors can have a negative impact on work safety behavior, which can increase the number of work accidents.

Assessment of Employee Well-Being on Organisational Effectiveness & Productivity: A Literature Review

This paper examines the various and complex aspects of employee well-being, including global and individual perspectives. The study examines the pivotal role of leadership, organizational culture, job satisfaction, job quality, age and gender dynamics, and family-friendly practices in shaping employee well-being. Through a synthesis of existing research, key findings emerge, highlighting the significance of engaged leadership in promoting employee performance and well-being. Additionally, the impact of organizational justice and supportive work environments on employee perceptions of fairness and well-being is discussed. Furthermore, the relationship between job satisfaction, job quality, and employee well-being is explored, emphasizing the importance of addressing diverse employee needs. The study also delves into age and gender differences in well-being, as well as the influence of family-friendly practices on reducing work-life conflict. Overall, this literature review provides valuable insights for organizations seeking to prioritize employee well-being as a strategic imperative in today's dynamic business landscape, ultimately contributing to enhanced organizational performance and success.

Women’s economic underdevelopment in Pakistan: The intersection of gender and female labour force participation

BACKGROUND: Women’s low economic participation in Pakistan and even lower in the formal sector is a perpetual phenomenon leading to their underdevelopment, which has microeconomic and macroeconomic implications. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of women’s work and the intersection of their non-market and market activities at micro, meso, and macro levels which influences women’s chances and choices of decent economic participation. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the interdependence of women’s market and non-market work to explore how gender intersects with their economic autonomy. METHODS: Using qualitative approach, in-depth interviews of 30 purposely selected respondents from the informal sector were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Results indicated that the interdependence of women’s non-market and market work is the outcome of the gendered dichotomy that creates work-life conflict to create women’s economic dependence and male hegemony. Moreover, although a common phenomenon, women from underprivileged backgrounds are more likely to bear the brunt of systemic deprivation leading to economic underdevelopment. CONCLUSIONS: Pakistan’s inherently masculinised society and economy mutually benefit from women’s unpaid and informal work. Facilitated through gender norms, the patriarchal social ideology and the capitalist economic system collaborate to exploit women and their work in both domains.

Workplace psychosocial factors are associated with veterinary employees' organizational commitment to their current veterinary hospital.

To classify a sample of veterinary professionals into distinct organizational-commitment profiles and to identify associations between psychosocial aspects of the workplace and organizational-commitment profile membership. 487 veterinary employees who worked for a corporate veterinary organization in Canada. Survey components measured for this study included the Three-Component Model (TCM) Employee Commitment Survey-Revised, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, and participant demographics. First, latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct organizational-commitment profiles based on 3 components of commitment (affective, continuance, and normative). Next, the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare participants' intention to leave their hospital on the basis of organizational-commitment profile. Finally, logistic regression was performed to assess the association between perceived psychosocial workplace characteristics and organizational-commitment profile membership. 2 organizational-commitment profiles were identified: Affective/Normative (AC/NC) Dominant (n = 388) and Mid-Low Commitment (99). Participants in the Mid-Low Commitment Profile had a significantly higher intention-to-leave score (median, 3.0) than participants in the AC/NC Dominant Profile (median, 2.0; P < .001). Psychosocial factors found to predict membership in the AC/NC Dominant Profile included the following: influence at work (OR, 2.08; P < .001), meaning of work (OR, 1.38; P = .067), rewards/recognition (OR, 1.63; P = .007), and quality of leadership (OR, 1.85; P = .0003). Members of the AC/NC Dominant Profile also experienced greater work-life conflict (OR, 1.65; P = .003) compared to the Mid-Low Commitment Profile. Findings identified potential psychosocial aspects of the workplace that can be considered to support more desirable organizational-commitment profiles that are likely to lead to favorable outcomes for veterinary practices and their employees.

PRJAH PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH JOURNAL OF ARTS &amp; HUMANITIES www.prjah.org An International Open Access, Peer-reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact of Work life Conflict, Social Relationship and Job Performance towards Work place Stress

In the present organizational scenario, workplace stress has become a massive challenge due to its connection with psychological, physical, and emotional strain. Considering the importance of such an important aspect, this paper examines the factors that affect workplace stress in the private banking sectors of Sindh Province, Pakistan. This is a quantitative study and utilized cross-sectional data collected from the front-line managers, employing a survey questionnaire. The researchers utilized 280 valid samples to conclude the study. Using the SPSS version 27.0 for Windows, the study's results reveal a significant positive effect of work-life conflict and social relationships on the workplace stress. On the other hand, the study found a negative impact of job performance on workplace stress among the line managers of private sector banks in Sindh, Pakistan. These findings can help company leaders develop and implement quality-of-life strategies and other measures to decrease workplace stress and improve the quality of life of employees and their families, thereby creating social change. The study outcomes would help settle the organizational conflicts that push employees towards deep pressure and stress. Finally, scientific research can play an essential role in the stability of Pakistan's economy by supporting the financial sector. The study may be a robust layout of decreasing pressure and stress among the employees of different sectors.

Strategies for Preparing Future Public Health Leaders: Learning from Trailblazing Women in Health Education

Many female health education pioneers made seminal contributions to public health and social justice, yet these examples are not well documented in textbooks or integrated into public health curricula as pedagogical learning opportunities. Providing biographies and lessons learned from the past leaders within undergraduate health education curricula can help develop students’ skills as future leaders and address gender inequities in the field. Gender inequities in higher education as well as many public health practice settings result in lower salaries, slower career advancement opportunities, fewer supervisory positions, increased work-life conflicts, and heavier workloads. Developing women’s competencies in leadership and professionalism early in their careers is critical to meeting public health challenges such as COVID-19. We present four female health education trailblazers from different historical eras and various workforce sectors who exemplify leadership attributes (i.e., courage/risk taking, vision, advocacy, mentorship) and can be highlighted as a part of future health education curriculum. Innovative methods and approaches are provided for integrating these leadership lessons into undergraduate public health courses, in alignment with the HESPA II 2020 competencies. Learning from the past to inform the future is critical to inspiring and shaping the careers of emerging health educators.

Gender mainstreaming in the Japan Self‐Defense Forces

AbstractThe issue of “gender integration” within the military organization has long been a major research topic in military sociology. In the last two decades, however, specific topics such as “gender mainstreaming,” “diversity management,” and “diversity and inclusion” have pervaded sociological studies on military organizations. In this article, I examine the current state of gender integration in the Japan Self‐Defense Forces (JSDF), focusing on efforts to promote gender mainstreaming. In particular, following the National Action Plan to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was formulated in 2015, the Ministry of Defense issued the JSDF Female Personnel Empowerment Initiative in 2017, in which previous challenges for career development of female SDF personnel were to be removed by making virtually all job categories available for women including combat pilot, missile boat crew, and tank driver. While the number and ratio of female personnel have increased and their prospects of career development have substantially improved in the last few years, work–life conflict and sexual/power harassment remain to be challenging issues for the retention of female personnel. Due to the deep‐rooted male‐dominant organizational culture of the military organization, further organizational challenges remain for JSDF to shift its overarching human resource management paradigm from “Diversity 1.0” to “Diversity 2.0,” with the strong commitment of top leaders to innovate organizational culture.

Work-Life Conflict and Health Care Delivery: Perspectives of Healthcare Workers in Public Hospitals in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Healthcare workers are life savers. Their contributions to development are highly valued. However, given the nature of their job, it has become a hurdle managing paid-work and social life. Informed by the spillover and boundary theories, we examined how healthcare workers manage their paid work and their social lives leading to an influence on healthcare delivery in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. This was a quantitative study where a survey protocol was used to elicit data from 112 healthcare workers. The study found that female healthcare workers experienced work-life conflict more than their male counterparts. Both junior and senior healthcare workers experienced work-life conflict given the demands of their work. Younger healthcare workers expressed higher work-life conflict while the married juggled between these two domains because of extra responsibilities. The study concluded that paid work has interfered with the social lives of healthcare workers due to rigid work schedules, just as the lack of logistics and modern technology at the health facilities have foiled healthcare delivery. The study recommends that the Ministry of Health should resource social workers so that they can render adequate support to healthcare workers to ease work-life conflict and enhance healthcare delivery.

Mind your language! how and when victims of email incivility from colleagues experience work-life conflict and emotional exhaustion

Recent years have seen an increase in the use of email for work-related matters. Although it represents a convenient way to communicate, it can expose workers to the risk of being victims of rude email communications. This two-sample study investigates whether email incivility is related to work-life conflict and emotional exhaustion, directly and indirectly through techno-invasion. In the second study, we replicate the findings in a different country and extend our findings by additionally examining the moderating role of resilience. A total of 199 Italian (Study 1) and 330 British (Study 2) workers completed online questionnaires. In both countries, employees who reported email incivility from colleagues were more likely to experience work-life conflict and emotional exhaustion both directly and indirectly through techno-invasion. In Study 2, resilience moderated the association between email incivility and techno-invasion. When confronted with email incivility, workers who scored low and moderate on resilience were more likely to experience techno-invasion and then work-life conflict and emotional exhaustion, unlike workers high in resilience, for whom the indirect effect was nonsignificant. Our findings suggest that organizations should put in place ‘‘netiquette’’ codes to provide their employees with rules about writing emails in a civil tone. Moreover, workers could benefit from psychological resilience training in addition to training on email management.

Feeling the Strain: Understanding the Relationship between Stress and Physical Activity in Members of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Research finds that experiencing psychological stress can be associated with engaging in less physical activity, a critical contributor to operational readiness and overall health and well-being. As navy personnel tend to engage in lower levels of physical activity than other military personnel, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between stress and physical activity in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and identify moderators of this relationship. Data for this study were obtained from an electronic workplace well-being survey administered to a stratified random sample of 930 members in hard sea occupations managed by the RCN. Multivariable logistic regressions examined the associations between indicators of stress (e.g., job stress, burnout, work-life conflict, and psychological distress) and physical activity engagement; the moderating effects of demographic/military characteristics and health status (e.g., rank, gender, sailing status, general health status, and body mass index [BMI]) were examined. Navy personnel who were married or in common-law relationships and those who reported poorer overall health were less likely to be physically active. Navy personnel with lower psychological distress were more likely be active (P = .03); however, direct associations with other indicators of stress were not significant. BMI was the only significant moderator of the relationship between stress and physical activity. Specifically, for members classified as obese, higher levels of burnout and work-life conflict were associated with being more physically active. Conversely, nonobese members with elevated burnout reported less physical activity. The findings of this study support a complex relationship between experiencing stress and engaging in physical activity, which showed varying patterns based on BMI classification. Although the cross-sectional nature of the data precludes any inferences about the direction of these effects, the results suggest that some members of the RCN are more at risk of experiencing decrements in physical activity. Future research should examine the types of physical activity supports and incentives that are needed to ensure that navy personnel derive the benefits of an active lifestyle, especially in times of stress.

Predictors of work-life conflict in working women: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Work-life conflict has destructive effects on people’s lives and the well-being of societies. Considering the greater vulnerability of women to work-life conflict, the present study aimed to explore the predictors of work-life conflict in working women in Birjand, a city in the east of Iran. Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive-analytical was conducted in 2022. The research population were women working at the University of Medical Sciences and Birjand University, evaluated using a two-part questionnaire (demographic, work-family conflict, Carlson). A cluster sampling method was used to select a representative sample from the research population. Besides descriptive statistics, a logistic regression model was used to measure the odds of work-life conflict among working women based on predictive variables. Results: The data analysis showed that participants with and without conflict significantly differed in terms of employment type, income, presence of a person needing care at home, physical health, marital status, level of education, type of university, and spouse’s job (p &lt; 0.05). The odds of work-life conflicts were higher in participants who had someone needing care at home (OR: 4.08) than those who had none. The odds of conflict were also higher among the married (OR = 2.57) than the single, and among those holding a diploma (OR: 0.320) and associate degree (OR: 0.406) than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Moreover, the odds of work-life conflict were higher in participants whose spouses were self-employed (OR: 3.356). Discussion: Considering the important role of women in family and society, it is necessary to take effective steps at the individual, familial and organizational levels to minimize the conflict between work and life. Knowing the changeable and controllable factors and carrying out appropriate educational interventions can be helpful. Take-home message: Sometimes the causes of some events in life cannot be changed, but they can be managed. The issue of conflict between work and life is the same for women. Such research provides the basis for future research to teach people resilience and manage situations with effective interventions.

The Mediating Role of Gratitude in Islamic Work Ethic and Religiosity on Work Life Conflict Reduce: The Case of Women in Professional Work

The Mediating Role of Gratitude in Islamic Work Ethic and Religiosity on Work Life Conflict Reduce: The Case of Women in Professional Work