Occupational and Individual Determinants of Work-life Balance among Office Workers with Flexible Work Arrangements

The impacts of the work–life balance arrangement on organisational performance is a growing concern amongst researchers and practitioners. This study synthesised 202 records from 58 published papers to evaluate the relationship between the work–life balance arrangement and organisational performance by means of a meta-analysis. The organisational performance was measured based on six perspectives, including career motivation, employee attendance, employee recruitment, employee retention, organisational commitment, and productivity. The results showed a positive relationship between the work–life balance arrangement and organisational performance (OR: 1.181, 95% CI: 1.125–1.240, p < 0.001). Of the six perspectives, only career motivation, employee attendance, employee recruitment, and employee retention were significantly associated with the work–life balance arrangement. The moderators affecting the relationship between the work–life balance arrangement and organisational performance were gender, sector, and employee hierarchy. The results provide theoretical suggestions on the effectiveness of the work–life balance arrangement in terms of the six perspectives related to organisational performance.

Section: The Relationship Between Wlba and Opsupporting

confidence: 85%

How Is Work–Life Balance Arrangement Associated with Organisational Performance? A Meta-Analysis

Wong

Chan

Teh

2020

“…Notwithstanding, the blurred lines that separate work and personal life present challenges to remote working in relation to work-life balance. Research shows that overworking is a frequent behavior in those working remotely, with the subsequent extension of working hours and poorer work-life balance [15][16][17]. Similarly, highly mobile teleworking [18] as well as inexperience in working remotely [5] cause work-family conflict, which negatively affects work-life balance.…”

Section: Remote Work and Work-life Balance Work Productivity Work Satisfaction And Work Compromisementioning

confidence: 99%

Remote Work, Work Stress, and Work–Life during Pandemic Times: A Latin America Situation

Sandoval-Reyes

Carlier

Oliva

2021

106

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the relationship between work and life almost everywhere on the planet. Suddenly, remote work became the mainstream way of working for millions of workers. In this context, we explore how the relationship between remote work, work stress, and work–life developed during pandemic times in a Latin America context. In a sample of 1285 responses collected between April and May 2020, through a PLS-SEM model, we found that remote work in pandemic times increased perceived stress (β = 0.269; p < 0.01), reduced work–life balance (β = −0.225; p < 0.01) and work satisfaction (β = −0.190; p < 0.01), and increased productivity (β = 0.120; p < 0.01) and engagement (β = 0.120; p < 0.01). We also found a partial moderating effect, competitive and complementary, of perceived stress, and one significant gender difference: when working remotely, perceived stress affects men’s productivity more acutely than women’s productivity.

“…This organization is a national agency with central and local administrations. Most employees have flexible working arrangements (such as flex-time or unregulated working hours), work remotely and in projects with shorter office meetings, or work via web-based meetings and occasional visits to different office sites [ 35 ]. According to the organization’s management, working in these ways requires new approaches to utilizing office space in order to meet employees’ needs and increase flexibility around office occupancy.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relocation to Activity-Based Workplaces (ABW)—Importance of the Implementation Process

Bergsten

Wijk

Hallman

2021

Self Cite

Activity-based workplaces (ABW) have been implemented in many organizations to offer office flexibility and decrease facility costs. Evaluations of the ABW implementation process are rare. The study aimed to examine the ABW relocation process of two offices in a Swedish governmental agency and to explore factors that influence the implementation process and satisfaction with it. Qualitative or quantitative data were collected on process variables (context, recruitment, reach, dose delivered, dose received, satisfaction), barriers and facilitators to the process were explored in focus group interviews, and immediate outcomes (perceived knowledge, understanding office rules, satisfying information and support) were measured by questionnaire before and after the relocation. The evaluation showed that recruitment was unsatisfactory and reach insufficient—and participation in activities was thus low for both offices. However, intended changes improved. Unclear aims of ABW, lack of manager support and, lack of communication were some of the reported barriers to participation, while a well-planned process, work groups, and program activities were facilitators. Thus, to increase satisfaction with the relocation, our results suggest that recruitment should be thoroughly planned, taking these factors into account to increase participation. This knowledge may be useful for planning and designing successful ABW relocations and evaluations.