The role of resilience in the work-life interface: A systematic review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In an increasingly competitive marketplace, workers struggle to find a good balance between work and personal life. Difficulties in fulfilling the demands arising from these different domains may undermine employees’ well-being and job-related outcomes, thereby, impairing organizational productivity. OBJECTIVE: Does resilience play a relevant role in relation to work-life interface? And, if so, how is resilience related to its three facets (i.e., work-life conflict, enrichment, and balance)? To answer these questions, the current paper systematically reviews studies analysing the role of resilience in the work-life interface. METHODS: A key terms literature search was performed using multiple electronic databases (i.e., Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed) without setting any publication date limitation. The review process followed the international PRISMA statement guidelines. A quality assessment was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: A total of 26 eligible papers published between 2009 and 2020 were included. Among these, 6 employed a qualitative design, while 20 studies adopted a quantitative design mostly examining resilience as antecedent. Data were predominantly collected in the healthcare sector. Resilience was mainly analysed in relation to work-life conflict. The most commonly used theoretical framework was Conservation of Resources theory. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, resilience was negatively associated with work-life conflict and positively related to both work-life balance and enrichment. A positive work-life balance can promote resilience, but resilience can also help workers to balance work and life. Additionally, resilience can protect from the negative effects of both work-life imbalance and work-life conflict on workers’ health and job-related outcomes.

How and When May Technostress Impact Workers’ Psycho-Physical Health and Work-Family Interface? A Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

“…On the one hand, this suggests that techno-stressors may represent work-related factors that may trigger workaholic behaviors probably due to the absence of clearly defined boundaries between the domains, as well as the lack of recreation opportunities due to COVID-19-related restrictions [98]. On the other hand, this provides further support for the protective role of resilience against work-family conflict [66]. Indeed, resilient workers are well-equipped to sustain their efforts to work excessively, while, in meantime, fulfilling their family obligations.…”

“…An alternative explanation might be related to the lower levels of resilience reported by women in our sample compared with men. Less resilient women may be more likely to experience psycho-physical distress and work-family conflict, as they are less equipped against resource loss [66]. Moreover, women reported higher levels of fear of COVID-19 than men.…”

“…Finally, the results of group comparisons based on COVID-19 variables showed that workers who were positive for COVID-19 reported higher levels of work-family conflict than those who were not. A possible explanation may be that the presence of concerns about the risk of infecting family members and the need to respect social-distancing restrictions depleted the energy of these workers, interfering with their ability to fulfill family requests [66]. Moreover, workers who lost a loved one reported higher levels of fear of COVID-19 and work-family conflict than those who did not.…”

“…Grounded in role stress and inter-role conflict theories [64], work-family conflict is described as a form of inter-role conflict that occurs when the role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible [65]. Indeed, the boundaries between work and non-work are blurred so that people's behavior and emotional states from one domain may spill over into another [66]. The construct of work-family conflict is composed of three components: the behavior-based conflict (i.e., the behaviors required by the work role are incompatible with those required for the family role), the strain-based conflict (i.e., the workrelated strain negatively affects an individual's performance in the family domain), and the time-based conflict (i.e., the amount of time needed by the work role prevents the fulfillment of the family role's expectations; [67]).…”

An Investigation into Work-Family Balance and Employee Resilience among Female Bankers

“…In Uganda and the rest of Africa certainly, societal demands on women affect their ability to balance family and work. From the synthesized literature, (Bernuzzi, Sommovigo, & Setti, 2022) it can be argued that employees' own pleasure of positive engagement in organizational life smoothens their resilience.…”