Exercise and work-family conflict: a field experiment

Abstract

Purpose Recent research along with anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise may play a role in mitigating perceptions of work-family conflict (WFC). However, the temporal effects related to this relationship have been ignored. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue by testing for the effects of acute and long-term exercise on the work-family interface. Design/methodology/approach Employed females (N=46) were randomly assigned to a treatment (exercise) or control group (no exercise) and data were gathered at three points in time, over four weeks. Linear Mixed Model processes were conducted. Findings The authors found that there is a statistically significant long-term exercise effect on strain-based work interference with family and family interference with work. Research limitations/implications The sample was restricted to sedentary females, was predominantly white/Caucasian, and held white-collar jobs, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Results from the current study suggest that exercise assists individuals in managing the work-family interface. While this is not a broad-sweeping call for all employers to offer on-site exercise facilities, the authors suggest that employers consider offering accommodations to individuals seeking to utilize exercise as a way to reduce WFC and general stress. Originality/value This is the first empirical study that examines the temporal impact of exercise on the work-family interface.

Does passion for physical activity spillover into performance at work? Examining the direct and indirect effects of passion and life satisfaction on organisational performance and innovativeness

“…Secondly, although a number of studies have reported on the links between engagement in physical activity and organizational performance outcomes (Burton, Hoobler, & Scheuer, 2012;Clayton et al, 2017;McDowell-Larsen, Kearney, & Campbell, 2002), the current study offers a more insightful understanding by considering physical activity as a passion, and that the differing forms of passion for physical activity, harmonious and obsessive, result in different organizational performance outcomes. In the present sample, 89% of employees reported having at least a moderate harmonious passion for cycling (i.e.…”

Running toward my challenges: Day-level effects of physical activity before work on appraisal of the upcoming workday and employee well-being.

“…Another possible mechanism that could connect physical activity to primary appraisal is family-work conflict (Netemeyer et al, 1996). Previous studies suggest that engaging in physical activity helps employees to reduce family-work conflict (Clayton et al, 2015(Clayton et al, , 2017). An explanation for this effect is that exercising before work could help employees' transition from their family role to their work role because it might allow employees to detach from their family life (Clayton et al, 2015).…”

Evidence-Based Practices That Deal With Work-Family Conflict and Enrichment: Systematic Literature Review

“…Mainly, we looked for interventions that were examined in a real organization but not in a laboratory setting or field, e.g. Clayton et al (2017) reported a field experiment on how does exercise can reduce WFC and the study was not selected as a suitable study to analyze. Besides, studies were excluded if they didn't report quantitative data about the effectiveness of intervention (the change of WFC or WFE level after intervention).…”