Research on the relations among business travel, work, and family domains has been limited. To address this issue, this study examined the influence of business travel on work-family conflict and the emotional exhaustion component of burnout, using the Job Demands-Resources perspective. The study was conducted in a large Norwegian oil and gas company, and to overcome the limitations of self-reported data on business travel frequency, the company's business travel database was utilized in the study. The response rate was 68% (n = 2093). The results revealed that business travel frequency and control over travel explained a significant proportion of the variance in work-family conflict, but not in emotional exhaustion. However, work-family conflict was found to be a mediator in the business travel-emotional exhaustion relationship. Moreover, the results revealed significant differences in work-family conflict related to travel pattern among groups of travellers, but no differences in emotional exhaustion. Commuters reported the highest degree of work-family conflict. Practical implications and the consequences of these findings for future research are discussed.

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The aim of the study was to examine the associations among work-family conflict (WFC), emotional exhaustion, musculoskeletal (MS) pain, and gastrointestinal problems on a sample of business travelers (n = 2,093). An additional aim was to examine differences in the mentioned relationships among three traveler groups: commuters, national travelers, and international travelers. The study was conducted in a large Norwegian oil and gas company, and the company's business travel database was utilized to examine business travel. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed significant relations between WFC and emotional exhaustion and between emotional exhaustion and health problems. Contrary to the expectations, no direct association was found between WFC and health problems. However, we found that emotional exhaustion mediated the relation between WFC and health outcomes. The results from multi-group analysis revealed that associations among WFC, emotional exhaustion, and health-outcomes showed a similar pattern for commuters, national travelers, and international travelers. However, the association between emotional exhaustion and MS pain proved to be significantly stronger for the commuter group compared to the national and international travel groups. Practical implications and the consequences of these findings for future research are discussed.

By using a two-wave panel design, the present study aimed to study causal, reversed, and reciprocal relations among work-role conflict, work-family conflict, and emotional exhaustion. The Conservation of Resources theory was applied as a theoretical framework. The study was conducted in a large Norwegian oil and gas company (n = 1703). The results demonstrated positive cross-lagged effects of work-role conflict and work-family conflict on emotional exhaustion. In addition, emotional exhaustion predicted work-family conflict over time, and work-family conflict predicted work-role conflict over time, indicating the presence of reciprocal effects. The current study adds new knowledge to the positioning of work-family conflict in relation to perceived conflict in the workplace and emotional exhaustion.

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