Work‐To‐Life Conflict and Enrichment Among International Business Travelers: The Role of International Career Orientation

Abstract

The present study examines the direct and moderating effects of an international career orientation in the relationship between frequency and duration of international business traveling and work‐to‐life conflict and enrichment. In addition, the effort‐reward imbalance that potentially features in the international business traveler's job was examined in relation to work‐to‐life conflict and enrichment. The study was conducted among 232 Finnish people in jobs requiring international business travel. A moderated hierarchical regression analysis shows that travel of considerable duration and a pronounced effort‐reward imbalance had direct links to work‐to‐life conflict. In contrast, low effort‐reward imbalance and a strong international career orientation had direct links to work‐to‐life enrichment. In addition, having a strong orientation to an international career decreases work‐to‐life conflict when a job requires very frequent traveling, but the moderation effect was not found in relation to duration of traveling. Our findings indicate that interventions aimed at reducing work‐to‐life conflict and increasing work‐to‐life enrichment among international business travelers should focus on fostering a balance between efforts and rewards at work. The extent of employees’ internationalism should also be considered when recruiting people into jobs involving international business travel. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The relationship between international business travel and sleep problems via work-family conflict

“…There are at least three earlier studies focussing on work-family or work-life interaction among IBTs ( Jensen, 2013;Mäkelä et al, 2015;Westman et al, 2008). Westman et al (2008) reported that the number of trips did not predict WFC but the level of WFC varied among women during pre-, on-and after-trip stages to an extent that was statistically significant.…”

“…However, the small number of respondents (n ¼ 66, 70 percent males) and the limited intensity of the participants' traveling (4.2 trips/year) may have affected the results of that particular study. The second cross-sectional study by Mäkelä et al (2015) showed that the duration of business trips, that is, number of traveling days during the past 12 months, in particular, was related to high work-to-life conflict (i.e. conflict in the personal life in general, including aspects other than family-related ones).…”

“…family life) more difficult (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985). Earlier studies have shown that business traveling is related to travelers' WFC ( Jensen, 2013;Mäkelä et al, 2015;Westman et al, 2008).…”

The Work and Personal Life Interface in the International Career Context: An Introduction

“…It may stimulate achieving a better work-life balance. Such positive enrichment experiences are often forgotten in the literature, where there tends to be a focus on the conflict perspective (Mäkelä et al 2015;Mäkelä and Suutari 2011). Moreover, family members can also be a source of social support and thus provide important backing for the international employee.…”

“…Similarly, the major negative characteristics of short-term assignments typically include work-life balance issues (Collings et al 2007;Suutari et al 2013). Research on international business travellers has not so far been very intensive, but nevertheless, the findings from such studies have indicated that frequent international travelling causes health and work-life balance issues among others (DeFrank et al 2000;Mäkelä et al 2012Mäkelä et al , 2014Mäkelä et al , 2015Westman and Etzion 2002). The dynamics in balancing work and family lives in the context of international work are being further affected by global trends such as the increase in the numbers of dual-career couples and the increasing number of women in roles involving international responsibilities (McNulty 2014).…”