Does Working from Home Improve the Temporal Alignment of Work and Private Life? Differences Between Telework and Informal Overtime at Home by Gender and Family Responsibilities

Mergener, Alexandra; Entgelmeier, Ines; Rinke, Timothy

doi:10.1108/s1530-353520230000021005

Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research

2023

DOI: 10.1108/s1530-353520230000021005

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Does Working from Home Improve the Temporal Alignment of Work and Private Life? Differences Between Telework and Informal Overtime at Home by Gender and Family Responsibilities

Alexandra Mergener¹,

Ines Entgelmeier²,

Timothy Rinke³

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Cited by 3 publications

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Ist informelle Telearbeit eine Gefahr für die Vereinbarkeit von Erwerbsarbeit und Familie? Ein Vergleich der Implikationen von formeller und informeller Telearbeit für Vereinbarkeitskonflikte

Schwarz,

Abendroth

2024

Z. Arb. Wiss.

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The study analyses the relationship between formal and informal telework and work-family conflicts using the job-demands and resources (JD-R) model. Previously, the model has more frequently been applied to understand the implications of telework without distinguishing between formal telework and informal telework outside contracted working hours. We conducted cross-sectional OLS-regressions on pilot data from the European Social Survey compiled in 2019. The results show that formal telework is associated with fewer, and informal telework with more work-family conflicts. While formal telework appears as a resource, informal telework rather functions as a demand. Additional analyses report that formal teleworkers are nevertheless at risk of work-family conflicts because formal telework often goes hand in hand with informal telework and, thus, work-family conflicts.Practical Relevance: While formal telework can facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life, employees are at risk of counteracting this dynamic when telework is conducted informally during paid or unpaid overtime. The findings suggest that it is important for managers, HR managers and employees to be aware of the potentials and risks of frequent teleworking that come with the ability to work anytime and anywhere in order to avoid unintended consequences. In this context, an organisational culture that values adherence to schedules and ‘switching off’ at the end of the workday, even under conditions of high workloads and low personnel resources, can be beneficial.

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Ist informelle Telearbeit eine Gefahr für die Vereinbarkeit von Erwerbsarbeit und Familie? Ein Vergleich der Implikationen von formeller und informeller Telearbeit für Vereinbarkeitskonflikte

Schwarz,

Abendroth

2024

Z. Arb. Wiss.

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Too tired to not reconsider the way we work: mothers’ lessons learned teleworking during COVID-19

Rosen,

Scott,

Poe

et al. 2024

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PurposeWorking mothers experienced dramatic changes to their daily routines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many began to work from home as they simultaneously tried to balance work demands with tending to their children. The purpose of the current study was to examine working mothers’ experiences during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachIn order to examine working mothers’ experiences of telework during the pandemic, we conducted a focus group study. 45 working mothers participated, and they answered questions about their experiences.FindingsThree themes emerged from the focus groups: (1) motivation shifts amongst working mothers; (2) difficulty balancing roles as mother and employee; and (3) workplace expectations and support. Many mothers reported that their overall motivation as employees had decreased and that they experienced difficulty in fully attending to their work and their child(ren)’s needs. As mothers navigated the stress of working during the pandemic, they reported varying levels of workplace support and many credited working with other parents as a primary contributor to feeling supported.Originality/valueThe findings from the current study add to the growing body of literature documenting the dark side of teleworking for mothers who struggled immensely with work–life balance. This study builds on past research by allowing mothers to share their experiences in their own words and offering suggestions for how organizations can support mothers in navigating these ongoing challenges as teleworking continues to remain prevalent. The narratives collected hold important implications for practices and policies to best support the needs of mothers as they continue to work and care for their children within the home.

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Work‐Related ICT Use and the Dissolution of Boundaries Between Work and Private Life

Entgelmeier,

Rinke

2023

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Information and communication technologies (ICTs) promote flexible forms of work. Based on analyses of data from the German BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey 2018, this article shows that ICT (computer/internet) use is associated with both overtime and better temporal alignment of work and private life. Additional analyses show that these associations differ by gender and parenthood. Especially if also working from home, men with and without children do more overtime when they use ICTs than women with and without children. Better temporal alignment is found only among men without children who use ICTs and work from home compared to women without children.

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Does Working from Home Improve the Temporal Alignment of Work and Private Life? Differences Between Telework and Informal Overtime at Home by Gender and Family Responsibilities

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Ist informelle Telearbeit eine Gefahr für die Vereinbarkeit von Erwerbsarbeit und Familie? Ein Vergleich der Implikationen von formeller und informeller Telearbeit für Vereinbarkeitskonflikte

Ist informelle Telearbeit eine Gefahr für die Vereinbarkeit von Erwerbsarbeit und Familie? Ein Vergleich der Implikationen von formeller und informeller Telearbeit für Vereinbarkeitskonflikte

Too tired to not reconsider the way we work: mothers’ lessons learned teleworking during COVID-19

Work‐Related ICT Use and the Dissolution of Boundaries Between Work and Private Life

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