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The changing nature of work – how has changing nature of work increased the salience of the concept of work-life balance?
At the beginning of the 20th century, innovations such as electricity, the typewriter and the telegraph gave rise to what we might think of as a typical ‘office’ -a designated space for people to work, at set times, often in a well-defined role for an organization with a clear hierarchical structure.
By the end of the century the picture was rapidly changing, and over the last 20 years there has been a dramatic shift in how, when and where work is done. The internet and the rise of remote work mean that for many employees work can be carried out anytime, and anywhere. In many contemporary organizations there is less hierarchy and little differentiation between jobs, while among employees there is much more movement between jobs, organizations, and even industries. Work has become more fluid than ever.
Changes in how, when, and where we work have brought advantages. Employees enjoy far greater flexibility, independence, and autonomy. It is easier for family responsibilities and commitments to be shared, meaning there is a more equal division in terms of who works. ‘Digital nomads’ work from anywhere in the world, limited only by whether there is reliable internet. Organizations can think globally, rather than locally, when it comes to making new hires.
However, these advantages have not come without a cost. For many people – particularly since the increase in working from home during the Covid19 pandemic - there is no longer a clear division between work and non-work domains. Work is accessible from anywhere. Emails can be checked from a phone at any time of the day and night. The dining table might double as the work desk. The constant reminders of work can make it difficult to mentally ‘switch off,’ hindering recovery from work demands.
The call for ‘work-life balance’ is greater than ever before – individuals are told to put strategies in place to achieve it, and organizations are expected to facilitate it. Before we can think about how either of these things can be done, we should think about what work-life balance is.
Work-life balance has been defined as a psychological state, where at any point in time someone feels they can allocate their limited personal resources (e.g., time; physical, mental, and emotional energy) in a way that allows them to make necessary progress toward meaningful goals or expectations, across different life domains (I.e., work and non-work) (Barber et al., 2016). To put it slightly differently, individuals who experience work-life balance feel they are effective, and experience satisfaction, across their work and non-work roles (Greenhaus & Allen, 2011). These definitions make it clear that exactly what work-life balance means will always be unique to different people and will depend on their goals and priorities at a given time.
If work-life balance is seen as something we should aspire to, work-life conflict is often viewed as the barrier that gets in the way. Multiple roles perspective (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985) explains work-life conflict. In our lives, we all take on various roles that are important to us. Work is one role that is central to most people's lives. The most obvious non-work, or ‘life’ role is family, but there are plenty of others, such as the roles we take on when pursuing leisure activities, friendships, and community commitments. Conflict can occur when fulfilling the requirements of one role means it is not possible to properly fulfill another role – for example, when work is brought home and cuts into family time, or when work stress has a negative impact on health and energy outside of work. Spillover can also occur in the other direction when issues to do with life outside of work affect on-the-job concentration and performance. The more roles that are juggled, the more likely it is that conflict will occur.
Importantly, however, there are also upsides to holding multiple roles. Work to non-work enrichment occurs when events and experiences at work have a positive impact on our lives outside of work. For example, success and achievement at work, or simply having a good day and enjoying time spent with colleagues, can make us feel happier outside of work. Again, this operates in both directions. Time away from work, be it leisure activities, time with family and friends, or pursuing goals that are unrelated to work, can increase energy and help us to build resources that support performance at work.
We might say that work-life balance is more likely when we experience enrichment, and lack of conflict, between the work and non-work roles that we hold.
References
Barber, L. K., Grawitch, M. J., & Maloney, P. W. (2016). Work-life balance: Contemporary perspectives.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Allen, T. D. (2011). Work–family balance: A review and extension of the literature.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of management review, 10(1), 76-88.
Managing multiple roles – Boundary theory
One strategy that people use to manage their various commitments, and maintain balance between their work and non-work roles, is to construct borders or boundaries which serve to separate the two. Typically, boundaries are defined by time and space. For example, a commute to and from work may act as a natural boundary. But for many people the ability to work remotely, as well as circumstances such as COVID-19 lockdowns, have resulted in blurred boundaries. It is often no longer clear where work-life ends, and home life starts. At a practical level, one way to regain a sense of control in this situation is to actively create workable boundaries. These might include having a designated space in the house that is used only for work, or deciding on a time when work – even if just checking emails on a phone - will stop for the day.
It is important to note, however, that strong boundaries do not work for everyone. For one, people have very different preferences regarding the extent to which they integrate their work and non-work roles. Some people prefer integration. They find it easy to move back and forth between different roles, and don’t mind doing so. At the other end of the scale, people who prefer high segmentation would rather that their work remains separate from other areas of their lives. Personal preference determines the type of boundaries people create for themselves. Additionally, both segmentation and integration contribute differently to work-life balance. Segmentation and strong boundaries might reduce the likelihood of role conflict, but integration can make role enrichment more likely.
Boundary strength is also partly determined by the flexibility of boundaries (I.e. whether a role can be carried out in more than one setting), and permeability (the extent to which a person can be in one domain but exercise acts in another, such as taking personal phone calls while at work). Some jobs will by nature have low flexibility and permeability (e.g. medical jobs) while in other instances flexibility and permeability might be determined by the culture and norms of the organization.
What all this amounts to is that it is not simply the existence of boundaries between work and non-work roles that influences feelings of work-life balance. Research suggests that a key factor is the level of fit between a person’s integration or segmentation preferences, and what their working situation allows.
Role of organisations in work-life balance
We’ve noted that work-life balance is a psychological state, and that the ingredients required to achieve a sense of balance can vary from person to person. Nonetheless, organizations have a large influence on the extent to which employees feel able to effectively manage and balance their work and non-work roles. It is also in the interests of organizations to support and promote work-life balance, because of the positive outcomes for employees and organizations alike.
For one, workers who perceive that there is balance in their lives, and that their different roles enrich their lives, are more likely to be creative and innovative and to bring positive energy to their work (Kossek, Valcour & Lirio, 2014). Additionally, work-life balance is no longer thought of as something that is ‘nice to have,’ but as an essential ingredient of a sustainable workforce. Employees who do not feel they can achieve balance in their roles are more likely to look elsewhere, or even to quit. If organizations want to attract and retain skilled employees, it is essential that they think carefully about how to support their employees to achieve a sense of work-life balance.
There are different approaches that organizations can take to promote work-life balance. One is to provide flexible arrangements (e.g., remote working, flexible start/finish times, the option of a compressed work week, opportunities for job sharing) that increase the control employees have over when, where and how much they work. Essentially, this means providing employees with the greater ability to determine and control their own boundaries, in the way that best fits their situation and preferences. For organizations, the focus should be less on how employees manage their work-life balance, but instead on whether employees achieve the results they need to (Kossek, 2016). For employees, it is not necessarily the options themselves that make the difference to a sense of work-life balance, but the ability to use them and to adjust work arrangements as needed.
Organizations may also choose to offer tangible benefits that will help employees take care of their roles outside of work. A common example is the provision of childcare, or financial support for childcare arrangements. Other examples include family and medical leave, flexible options around maternal and paternal leave options, and provision of resource services such as work/family balance seminars or workshops. Care needs to be taken, however, when organizations offer very specific and targeted initiatives, as they run the risk of excluding some groups of employees (e.g., those who do not have family, but still have significant and valued non-work roles for which receive no specific support). With this in mind, a one size fits all approach is usually not the best path forward. It is important that organizations offer a range of initiatives, to show support for diverse employees (Kossek, 2016).
Benefits, provisions, and flexible work arrangements have the potential to influence employee perceptions of work-life balance. But if the culture of the organization undermines those work-life offerings, they will have no impact at all. In fact, employees may not feel comfortable accessing the support that is available to them. The general culture of an organization, and the norms that the organizations appear to support, are important predictors of employee perceptions of balance.
At the very least, it is essential that there are no impressions of negative consequences, such as lack of promotion or career progression, for employees who attend to their non-work roles. But an absence of negative consequences is not enough; active support is better. An organizational culture that is supportive of work-life balance, and of the importance of roles both in and out of work, sends a message to employees that they are valued for who they are (Kossek, 2016), and in doing so can increase employee commitment and boost satisfaction and performance. To build this sort of culture, leaders must set the tone. Employees are more likely to feel that balance is possible if leadership is seen to care about life outside of work, and to support behaviors (e.g. caring for family, getting exercise, engaging in creative activities) that are an important part of part of employees’ non-work roles.
Reference
Kossek, E. E. (2016). Implementing organizational work-life interventions: toward a triple bottom line. Community, Work & Family, 19(2), 242-256.
Kossek, E. E., Valcour, M., & Lirio, P. (2014). Organizational strategies for promoting work-life balance and wellbeing. Work and wellbeing, 3, 295-318.
