Work-life Conflict Research Articles

Testing the Expectation Confirmation Theory on the Training Satisfaction Context: The Mediation Role of Mind Wandering

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to shed light on training satisfaction in Jordan, which is an indicator for training program efficiency and reflects the trainees’ reactions towards the training offered by the respective organizations. The benefits organizations gain from the training could improve their employees’ skills, abilities and knowledge. Moreover, they contribute to the high performance that has achieved the organization’s objectives. Globally, organizations spend $200 billion annually on training programs. However, employees are not always satisfied with the training they receive, and this often has consequences for the quality of their work performance. The current research framework is based on expectation confirmation theory (ECT) and other training satisfaction literature. It applies the convenient sampling method. Data were gathered via an online questionnaire; of these, 354 completed questionnaires were retrieved from the government sector. By using the statistical software Smart PLS, the data were analysed. Findings indicate that expectation (EXP) has no effects on training satisfaction (TS), while it has a negative relationship to disconfirmation of beliefs (DOB). Perceived performance (PP) has a positive impact on DOB and an unexpected negative impact on TS. DOB has a positive impact on TS. Work-life conflict (WLC) has a negative impact on mind wandering (MW). Additionally, MW has a negative impact on TS, and it mediates the relationship between (WLC) and TS.

U.S. Women Faculty in the Social Sciences Also Face Gender Inequalities.

There is a national interest in United States women’s underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); however, gender inequality in the social sciences has not received similar attention. Although women increasingly earn postgraduate degrees in the social sciences, women faculty still experience gender inequities. Consistent gender inequities include slower career advancement, blunted salaries, unequal workloads, work-life conflict, systemic gender biases, underrepresentation in positions of power, and hostile work environments. Cultural biases suggest that once women have achieved parity, gender bias no longer exists. This review challenges that notion by providing evidence from social science domains in which women are well-represented but continue to face systemic gender biases. We examine cultural influences on gender representation and career advancement in psychology, economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology. We make interdisciplinary comparisons of career trajectories and salaries using national data, documenting patterns across the social sciences. For example, women economists face gendered standards in publishing, and women political scientists are less likely to have their work cited than men. Furthermore, data show that salaries become stagnant as the representation of women in these fields increases. These disparities reflect cultural biases in perceptions of women’s competence stemming from social role theory. We discuss best practices to address these problems, focusing on the ADVANCE organizational change programs funded by the National Science Foundation that target (a) improving academic climate, (b) providing professional development, and (c) fostering social networking. Federally supported interventions can reveal systemic gender biases in academia and reduce gender disparities for women academics in the social sciences.

EFFECT OF WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN NEPALESE COMMERCIAL BANKS

This study investigates the effect of workplace environment on the employees’ performance in the Nepalese commercial banks. The study is based on descriptive and causal comparative research design. It estimated the relationship between physical environment, supervisor support, job aid and work life conflict and employees’ performance and employees’ commitment. Regarding workplace environment and employee performance 176 structured questionnaires were administered to collect the data from respondents that consisted of employees of the commercial banks within Kathmandu valley. The study has brought positive finding regarding relationship between the workplace environment and employee performance in case of the Nepalese Commercial Banks, though certain practices are yet to be improved as indicated from poor performance of the bank in solving the work life conflict and their employee performance in Nepalese Commercial Banks.

HUBUNGAN ANTARA ASPEK PSIKOSOSIAL DENGAN KELELAHAN MULTIDIMENSI AKIBAT KERJA PADA PEKERJA MIGAS PT.X SELAMA PENDEMI COVID-19

The relationship between fatigue and psychosocial aspects in the upstream oil and gas industry is still relatively not widely studied. Since end of 2019, there have been several policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which impact to the psychological aspects of the workers in response to those unexpected changing situations. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between psychosocial aspects and the multidimensional work-related fatigue both onshore and offshore upstream oil and gas during the 2020-2021 Covid-19 pandemic. This study is a quantitative analytic study with a cross sectional study design. This study was conducted at one of the upstream oil and gas in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Psychosocial aspects were measured by using the 3rd Version of Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III) questionnaire, whilst work-related fatigue was measured by using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 (MFI-20). Multivariable Linear Regression analysis was used to examine the associations and interactions. The result of study revealed all satisfaction subscales of psychosocial aspects were perceived as good (high level) by workers. Meanwhile dissatisfaction subscales were at medium level during the COVID-19 pandemic. The work-related fatigue tended to be at low level. After the confounding variables were controlled, the Recognition, Job Satisfaction and Work Life Conflict aspects were found to have association with total fatigue in Onshore, whereas the job satisfaction is the only psychosocial aspect that is related to the total fatigue in offshore area. Company is encouraged to concentrate the future fatigue prevention programs particularly on reducing the Work Life Conflicts and developing proactive measures which may improve the meaning of satisfaction at work.  Keywords        : COPSOQ, MFI-20, Fatigue, Psychosocial, COVID-19, Upstream Oil and Gas

Understanding Special Operations Forces Spouses Challenges and Resilience: A Mixed-Method Study

Special Operations Forces (SOF) are high readiness units that frequently deploy on short notice, leaving their families to cope at home. The objective of this study was to better understand the unique challenges of SOF spouses and the risk and protective factors that contribute to their resilience. The study employed a mixed-methods design, including an online survey (n = 159 spouses) and in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 29 spouses). Results indicate that while the majority of surveyed SOF spouses had good mental health, they seem to have a higher prevalence of poor mental health than conventional force spouses. Combined survey and interview results indicate that SOF spouses report high levels of work-life conflict and experience challenges related to the demands of the SOF lifestyle. Living in a rural area was inversely related to good mental health, and qualitative findings suggest that this association may be due to career limitations. Social support, especially from the SOF community and their SOF partner, was identified as critical for spouses’ well-being. Participants also discussed having a military background, being independent, engaging in self-care, and using military family services and counseling as key to maintaining their well-being. Recommendations for support needs are discussed.

The Effect of Work Life Balance and Conflict on Work Satisfaction Toward Female Employees

Women's roles currently have moved from a traditional role to a dual role, in which they previously only played a part in the home, but now also play the role of students and working women. Employees are affected or influenced by role conflict, particularly in terms of job satisfaction. This study aims to determine how much influence work life balance (X1) and Conflict (X2) on job satisfaction of employees (Y) who are working. The sampling technique used in this study was a simple random sample, while the main data collection was through a list of statements that were tested through validity and reliability tests. While the analysis technique used is the path analysis technique (Path analysis). The results of hypothesis testing show that simultaneously work life balance (X1) and burnout (X2) affect employee job satisfaction that is equal to 0.635 or 63.5%. The results of partial hypothesis testing work life balance (X1) has an effect on employee job satisfaction (Y) of 0.310, while conflict (X2) has a partial effect on employee job satisfaction (Y) which is - 0.142. And there are other variables that are not included in this model, which is 36.5%.

The Future of UK Work-family Rights: The Case for More Flexible Working

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted both the significant impacts that the UK lockdown rules have had for working women with caring responsibilities, and the potential of flexible working practices to redefine the ways in which people work. This paper will first examine the current UK right to request flexible working and its limitations particularly: the requirement for 26 weeks continuity of employment; the wide discretion that employers have to refuse such requests; the lack of ability to challenge employer’s decisions; and the limited ability to make subsequent requests and/or to make temporary changes. The paper will then critically examine the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s consultation ‘Making Flexible Work the Default’, which addresses the some of these concerns, namely, to change it to a day-one right to request. This examination will consider whether a greater shift to flexible working as the default position, and a redefining of working practices and the work-life paradigm, can have a positive impact for working persons, especially those with caring responsibilities and/or other work-life conflicts. In particular, the paper will critically analyse whether a societal shift to more flexible working can redress the impact of the pandemic for working women with caring responsibilities. In doing so, the paper will reflect on whether this shift represents a challenge to the traditional unburdened worker norm or whether it will continue to reinforce traditional gender roles. Further areas for reform and development will also be identified, including enhanced rights for working fathers and a recognition of new and emerging areas of work-life conflict, such as Menopause in the Workplace, as highlighted by the Women and Equalities Commission’s inquiry on this topic.

Work-Life Conflict Experienced By Turkish Women Managers During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Research

The changes in business life during the Covid 19 Pandemic had a significant effect on work-life balance of individuals, especially women as their roles at home and work have increased and the conflict between these roles has become more pronounced. Considering this fact, this research aimed to determine the conflicts and changes in the work-life balance of female managers during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, the research was carried out within the framework of workplace responsibilities, private life responsibilities, work-private life conflict, and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. This research was carried out in educational institutions of Turkey, through interviews with 16 married women employees who have children. The obtained data were classified following the main purpose of the research and content analysis, then coded and analyzed using the MAXQDA. The findings showed that the dominant factor in the pandemic period was Work-Life conflict and job responsibilities restricted private life responsibilities more. The fact that working at home decreases productivity, low productivity extends working hours, and the negative effects of technology increasing the workload have caused female managers, who are aware of their job responsibilities, to work more.

Identifying energy and emotion-based conflict: Development of a refined work-life conflict scale.

While work-family conflict, and more broadly work-life conflict, has traditionally been conceptualized through the dimensions of time, strain, and behaviour, an expansion of these dimensions should prove advantageous for measurement and comprehension. Specifically, energy and emotion-based conflict have been cited as possible factors that would be beneficial to the measurement of work-life conflict. While these forms of conflict have been discussed as viable areas of expansion in the work-life conflict literature, there has yet to be a systematic empirical attempt to include both energy and emotion as their own distinct dimensions. In the present research, items were identified and/or created to represent energy and emotion-based forms of conflict to explore their feasibility in work-life conflict measurement. Energy and emotion were identified as distinct dimensions of work-life conflict through four studies of construct validation. Collectively, a four-factor solution of time, behaviour, energy, and emotion was supported. Multi-wave data indicated that energy and emotion-based conflicts were incrementally predictive of outcomes, including job satisfaction and job-related burnout, above and beyond other measures. By combining and expanding existing literature to include energy and emotion as independent dimensions, this research creates a more encompassing scale that more comprehensively represents the construct of work-life conflict.

Parent work-life conflict and adolescent adjustment during COVID-19: Mental health and parenting as mediators.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented challenging time for parents and adolescents. The present study examines the role of parent work-life conflict on adolescent adjustment (i.e., academic engagement and mental health) and family processes (i.e., parental mental health and parenting) as potential mediators for this association. A total of 692 middle school students (53.2% boys; Mage = 13.54 years, SDage = 0.58) and their parents (29.6% fathers and 70.4% mothers; Mage = 44.75 years, SDage = 4.14 years) completed an online survey in May 2020 in Beijing, China. Results indicated that many parents (24.6%) experienced work-life conflicts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings also showed that parent work-life conflict was negatively associated with youth academic engagement and mental health indirectly through parental mental health difficulties and parenting behavior (parental control, autonomy granting, and parental involvement). In addition, parental mental health difficulties had direct and indirect effects on youth adjustment via parenting behaviors, such that parental involvement and autonomy granting predicted greater academic engagement and covitality (co-occurrence of positive traits and positive mental health), whereas the parental control predicted youth mental health difficulties. Our findings extend prior research by examining the pathways linking parental work-life conflict to youth adjustment during COVID-19. Findings are discussed in terms of how to better support families and promote better youth academic engagement and well-being during COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Smartphone Use for Work during Personal Activities: An Investigation into Work-Life Conflict

This quantitative study investigates the impact of smartphone use for work and time-based work interference with leisure (WIL) on work-life conflict among 123 private-sector workers in Kuching, Sarawak. Analyses of Pearson Correlation Coefficients were carried out. The findings support previous research which suggests using smartphones for work after hours can lead to conflicts between employees' work and personal lives. Furthermore, the findings show that work-life conflict is compounded by time-based work interferences with leisure (WIL). These findings have ramifications for policies and procedures surrounding work-related smartphone use and the amount of time spent on specific tasks during off-work hours, which could negatively impact employees' work-life balance.

직무요구-자원 모델을 활용한 플랫폼 노동자의 일-여가갈등과 심리적웰빙에 관한 연구: 주문형 음식 배달원을 중심으로

The number of platform workers has increased rapidly due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the substantial growth of the platform industry. However, on-demand food couriers, who represent platform workers, particularly often experience a poor working environment. This study examined the relationships between their job demands, job resources, work-leisure conflict, and psychological well-being to improve their job environment and quality of life. Using a self-administered questionnaire, a total of 220 responses were collected among on-demand food couriers. According to the factor analysis, the sub-factors were derived for job demands(time pressure, professional isolation) and job resources(emotional support, informational support, customer value co-creation behavior) of on-demand food couriers. The results from the regression analyses indicated that job demands(time pressure, professional isolation) increased work-leisure conflict. And time pressure exacerbated psychological well-being, whereas professional isolation enhanced it. Emotional support and customer value co-creation behavior moderated the relationship between time pressure and work-leisure conflict, as well as the one between professional isolation and psychological well-being. This study offers implications to improve job and living conditions of on-demand food couriers.

The mobile technological era: insights into the consequences of constant connectivity of personal devices by knowledge workers

PurposeAs employees’ adoption of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has increased, so has research interest into the impact of BYOD on human resources outcomes. The present study aims at understanding the relationship between BYOD and human resources outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs the inductive data-driven content analysis approach to analyze the data collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews with a sample of 28 knowledge workers from different occupational sectors in Mauritius.FindingsThe results show the double-edged sword brought about by BYOD implementation. This trend is associated with perceived job performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and work motivation while also having an effect on work-life conflict and stress.Practical implicationsThis study has implications for organizations that are concerned about formulating guidelines and policies in relation to workers' adoption of BYOD in the workplace. This trend permits employees to continue to communicate and work irrespective of new working conditions and social distancing since the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way organizations operate around the globe.Originality/valueDriven by the JD-R theory, themes and sub-themes were linked by the emerging relationships to present a conceptual framework to understanding employees' well-being since this is a pertinent research area for scholars and practitioners, as well as a topic of growing prominence for modern organizations.

Work-Life Conflict Among Higher Education Institution Workers' During COVID-19: A Demands-Resources Approach.

Higher Education Institutions' (HEI) workers were highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which magnified gender differences in terms of management of work and personal life. Most studies published so far have primarily focused on a group of HEI workers' (i.e., teachers and researchers), but not on staff members, despite their crucial role for HEI functioning. Following the Job Demands-Resources theory, we aimed to: (i) characterize work-life conflict (WLC) among men and women workers from an HEI (staff and teachers/researchers) during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (ii) explore the major predictors of WLC for both staff and teachers/researchers. This study includes a sample of 262 workers from one Portuguese HEI (n = 128 staff members; n = 134 teachers/researchers) who answered an online survey. An Independent Samples T-Test showed that the reported current WLC was significantly higher for teachers/researchers compared to staff. Moreover, women teachers/researchers showed higher WLC than men. Additionally, using a Repeated Measures ANOVA, we found that the increase in the reported levels of WLC (before the pandemic and currently) was significantly more prominent among teachers/researchers than in the staff group. Regarding the predictors of WLC for both groups separately, a Multiple Hierarchical Linear Regression showed that role overload, conceptualized as a demand, was a predictor for both staff and teachers/researchers. As for potential resources, work dedication negatively predicted WLC for staff, whereas family-friendly organization perceptions predicted less WLC for teachers/researchers. These results highlight the importance of understanding HEIs holistically, by considering workers' individual characteristics such as gender, but also distinct careers inside the institutions. As most European HEIs are currently making active efforts to promote gender-equal academic workplaces, these findings may help them design tailored and effective measures to address employees' work-life balance issues, not only considering gender, but also the different types of demands associated with each group of workers within HEIs.

Factors associated with burnout among medical laboratory professionals in Ontario, Canada: An exploratory study during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine factors associated with burnout among medical laboratory technologists (MLT) in Ontario, Canada during the second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.MethodsWe employed a cross‐sectional design and used a self‐reported questionnaire designed for MLT in Ontario, Canada.ResultsThere were 441 (47.5% response rate) MLT who were included in the analytic sample. Most of the respondents were women, with a mean age of 43.1 and a standard deviation of 11.7. The prevalence of experiencing burnout was 72.3% for MLT. In the adjusted demographic model, those ≥50 (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.22–0.59) were 0.36 or about one third as likely to experience burnout as those under 50. Similarly, those who held a university degree were less likely to experience burnout compared with high school degree (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.15–0.79). In the adjusted occupational model, high quantitative demands (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.21–3.88), high work pace (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.25–3.98), high job insecurity (OR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.39–4.82), high work life conflict (OR = 5.08, 95% CI: 2.75–9.64) and high job satisfaction (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.20–0.88), high self‐rated health (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17–0.56) were significant.ConclusionThis study provides preliminary evidence regarding the factors associated with burnout in MLT. Additional research is needed to understand their relationship with workers health and well‐being and in the delivery of health services.

Spillover-Crossover Effects of Work-Life Conflict Among Married Academicians in Private University

Work and personal life are usually perceived as mutually incompatible domains, needing to be maintained in clear segregation for the experience of stress-free living. However, with evolving occupational demands, advancements in communication technology, and the threat of career obsolescence, dictating the norms of organisational cultures, the boundary separating the work domain from the home domain is nowadays indistinct. Thus, this study has been conducted using the qualitative phenomenological study to explore the influence of organisational culture on the work-life balance of academics. Thus, five married full-time academicians at Kuala Lumpur, employed for a minimum of one academic semester, were involved in a semi-structured interview. The present study found that work demands would usually lead to reduced involvement with the family. Academicians would mostly compensate by negotiating with their family members for quality time in the future. Mostly, the experience of work-life conflict would occur in the direction of work to family, rather than the other way around. Thus, academicians also revealed occasionally externalising their stress toward family members as a result of work-related emotions impinging on their emotional state at home. The findings of this study highlight the importance of implementing work-life balance strategies and fostering an organisational culture focused on the satisfaction of employees rather than strictly organisational objectives.

Predicting Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Do Socioeconomic Factors Matter?

Background and purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed considerable challenges to people’s mental health, and the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased substantially during the pandemic. Early detection of potential depression is crucial for timely preventive interventions; therefore, there is a need for depression prediction. Data and methods: This study was based on survey data collected from 5001 Norwegians (3001 in 2020 and 2000 in 2021). Machine learning models were used to predict depression risk and to select models with the best performance for each pandemic phase. Probability thresholds were chosen based on cost-sensitive analysis, and measures such as accuracy (ACC) and the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the models’ performance. Results: The study found that decision tree models and regularised regressions had the best performance in both 2020 and 2021. For the 2020 predictions, the highest accuracies were obtained using gradient boosting machines (ACC = 0.72, AUC = 0.74) and random forest algorithm (ACC = 0.71, AUC = 0.75). For the 2021 predictions, the random forest (ACC = 0.76, AUC = 0.78) and elastic net regularisation (ACC = 0.76, AUC = 0.78) exhibited the best performances. Highly ranked predictors of depression that remained stable over time were self-perceived exposure risks, income, compliance with nonpharmaceutical interventions, frequency of being outdoors, contact with family and friends and work–life conflict. While epidemiological factors (having COVID symptoms or having close contact with the infected) influenced the level of psychological distress to a larger extent in the relatively early stage of pandemic, the importance of socioeconomic factors (gender, age, household type and employment status) increased substantially in the later stage. Conclusion: Machine learning models consisting of demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural and epidemiological features can be used for fast ‘first-hand’ screening to diagnose mental health problems. The models may be helpful for stakeholders and healthcare providers to provide early diagnosis and intervention, as well as to provide insight into forecasting which social groups are more vulnerable to mental illness in which social settings.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK-LIFE CONFLICT AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT CV SAUDARA JAYA ABADI TAMA, MEDAN

Mostly, home conflict just spills over to work area and job stress spills over to home. This calls work-life conflict. As company that specializes in transportation and construction services, CV Saudara Jaya Abadi Tama – Medan is facing problem with its employees. To solve this problem, it is become a priority for company’s management and employees to know what factors that causing work life conflict and understand on how to handle it. In this research, writer uses descriptive research design in collecting, classifying, and analyzing the data. The first method refers to descriptive study which provides explanation of the variable work life conflict and employees’ performance theories. The second method refers to correlative research since the purpose is to find the correlation between independent and dependent variables..

Did perceptions of supportive work-life culture change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

ObjectiveThis article examines whether perceptions of supportive work–life culture changed during the COVID‐19 pandemic—and if that depended on (1) working from home; (2) children in the household; and (3) professional status. We test for gender differences across the analyses.BackgroundDuring normal times, the “ideal worker” is expected to prioritize the demands of their job and is penalized for attending to family/personal needs while on company time. But the organization and expectations of roles might have changed due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Organizations could have become more empathic or reinforced norms about single‐minded devotion to work.MethodIn September 2019, we collected data from a national sample of Canadian workers. Then, during a pivotal period of shocks to the economy and social life, we re‐interviewed these participants in June 2020.ResultsWe discovered that overall perceptions of work–life culture became more positive. However, subgroup differences revealed this positive change was muted among employees: (1) who worked from home; (2) with children under age 6 at home; and (3) in professional occupations. We found no subgroup differences by gender.ConclusionOur findings address speculation about whether employees perceived their employers as becoming more supportive of work–life fit early in the pandemic. Future research should determine (a) longer‐term change in work–life culture during and after the pandemic; and (b) whether the actual benefits of supportive work–life culture also changed or if it was “window dressing.” This direction suggests it should have more strongly reduced work–life conflict as the pandemic unfolded.

Impact of Job Insecurity on Work–Life Balance during COVID-19 in India

The ongoing health crisis has impacted businesses worldwide, drastically reducing production, consumption and distribution of goods and services, leading to an economic downturn. An increasing unemployment rate has led to a surge in the sense of job insecurity among employees. Lack of job security has a direct impact on an employee’s health and work–life balance. This article focusses on the relationship between and impact of job insecurity on work–life balance, that is, to understand the impact of perceived job insecurity on working hours, employee’s health and reduced family time. Using a self-completed questionnaire, data was collected from 413 employees from different sectors like construction, banks, hospitals, hotels, schools, FMCG, telecommunication, etc., in India, which assisted in testing five hypotheses. The study found a positive relationship between job insecurity and health issues and work–life conflict. Additionally, job insecurity was negatively linked with job performance. Regression analysis showed mediating effects of work demand, work time, family time and family demand on the relationship of job insecurity with health issues, job performance and work–life conflict. However, the article also discusses various effective mechanisms to reduce job insecurity and ways to curb its negative impacts on various organizational and personal outcomes.