Boundary control and controlled boundaries: Organizational expectations for technology use at the work-family interface

Abstract

Some studies have argued that information and communication technologies such as smartphones can pressure employees to work more from home, while others argue that they help employees manage transitions between work and family role domains. Leveraging boundary theory and the job demands-resources model, the present study examines the conditions under which work-family technology use is associated with greater boundary control. Findings show that technology use is associated with higher boundary control for those who prefer role integration and lower boundary control for those who prefer role segmentation. Findings also show that boundary control is linked to emotional exhaustion and that organizational after-hours electronic communication expectations can compel work-family technology use despite individual preferences.

Voluntary Work‐related Technology Use during Non‐work Time: A Narrative Synthesis of Empirical Research and Research Agenda

“…Feeling in control over how work tasks are performed and perceiving that ICT use is at one's own discretion has been reported as a buffer between voluntary ICT use and negative outcomes such as reduced well-being (Ohly and Latour 2014;Schieman and Young 2013), inhibited recovery processes (Schieman and Young 2013) and work-life conflict (Schieman and Glavin 2008). This is in line with organizational research emphasizing the importance of perceiving to have control over when and where to work (Costa et al 2004;Nixon and Spector 2014;Tausig and Fenwick 2001) and over one's work-life boundaries (Mellner 2016;Piszczek 2017) in relation to recovery from work and well-being. Feeling externally controlled in one's work behaviour has, however, been reported to inhibit benefits and exacerbate negative consequences (Gagné et al 2015;Gillet et al 2013;Ohly and Latour 2014;Trépanier et al 2015).…”

“…Feeling externally controlled in one's work behaviour has, however, been reported to inhibit benefits and exacerbate negative consequences (Gagné et al 2015;Gillet et al 2013;Ohly and Latour 2014;Trépanier et al 2015). Accordingly, perceived expectations to be available during non-work time have been negatively associated with psychological detachment (Dettmers 2017;Mellner 2016) and well-being (Dettmers 2017;Piszczek 2017), and positively with work-life conflict (Derks et al 2015). If flexibility is not at one's discretion, voluntary ICT use appears to resemble on-call work, which is a work arrangement in which work-related contacts are unpredictable and associated with increased perceived stress, reduced recovery from work, sleep problems and fatigue (Nicol and Botterill 2004).…”

How do flexibility i-deals relate to work performance? Exploring the roles of family performance and organizational context

“…One interesting approach might be to integrate employees' work–family boundary management preferences, in terms of “integrators” and “segmenters” (Kreiner, ). Recent research has shown that employees who prefer role integration are better able to deal with work expectations and technology use after work than those who prefer role segmentation between the two domains (Piszczek, ). Future studies might adopt a boundary management perspective to disentangle the effects of flexibility i‐deals on employees' non‐work domains (e.g., family, personal hobbies).…”

The Information and Communication Technology User Role: Implications for the Work Role and Inter-Role Spillover

“…ICTU role salience can affect primary appraisals of ICT stressors (e.g., new ICT may be more stressful for employees with low ICTU role salience) as well as secondary appraisals relating to one’s ability to cope with the stressors (e.g., the perceived ability may be lower for employees with low ICTU role salience). Recent research also finds that ICTs can be a job resource and thus help reduce stress when it grants employees control over their role boundaries (Piszczek, 2016). This research also suggests that the ability of employees to draw boundary control from ICTs depends on individual characteristics such as ICTU role salience.…”

“…In order to fully understand the effects of the increased prevalence of ICTs on the management of roles, we must explore how individuals identify with and experience ICTs themselves. Recent research focused on the use of ICTs in and out of the work domain shows that the effects of ICT use on individual outcomes such as emotional exhaustion and role conflict vary across individuals (e.g., Derks et al, 2016; Piszczek, 2016). Employees can become stressed when they are threatened by new ICT, when the ICT they have does not meet their needs and desires, and when they cannot access their desired IT (Tarafdar et al, 2015).…”