Involved at work and disinvolved out of work: unraveling the implications of involvement on accountants' work–life balance

Abstract

PurposeBeing involved at work advances accountants' contribution to organizational success. However, scholars are not consistent in discussing involvement's implications on work–life balance (WLB). The article aims to address this issue, investigating involvement's effects on the accountants' ability to manage the work–life interplay.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data on a sample of 538 accountants were collected from the sixth European Working Condition Survey (EWCS). A serial mediation analysis was designed to obtain evidence of involvement's implications on WLB through the mediating role of work engagement and work satisfaction.FindingsInvolvement negatively affected the accountants' ability to deal with the work–life interplay. Engagement and satisfaction with work mediated this relationship. More specifically, involved accountants who were engaged and satisfied with their work conditions were less likely to report struggles between work and life.Research limitations/implicationsInvolvement implies an intensification of work, heralding an overlapping between work and life. Nonetheless, accountants who are engaged and satisfied with work are less touched by involvement's drawback on WLB. A precautionary approach should be taken to avoid that involvement results in workaholism, thus undermining individual well-being.Originality/valueThe article originally discusses involvement's implications on WLB across accountants. Being involved at work impairs the individual ability to achieve a balance between work and life, endangering well-being at work. Whilst the findings cannot be generalized beyond the accounting profession, they deliver some intriguing insights that highlight avenues for further developments.

Servant Leadership in Government Institution, is it Effective?

“…Matagi et al ( 2022) revealed in their research that job involvement has a significant relationship to job satisfaction. The same results were also obtained by Palumbo (2022) and Roswandi (2021) who also concluded that work/work involvement has a direct and significant effect on job satisfaction. However, research conducted by Salinero et al ( 2020) on 420 employees in Spain showed the opposite result and wrote that there is no significant relationship between job involvement and job satisfaction.…”

“…This study indicates that most respondents agree that when they have high job involvement in a work, the level of satisfaction they get is also higher. This was also revealed in a study conducted by Matagi et al (2022), Palumbo (2022), Salinero et al (2020 and Roswandi (2021). The positive and significant relationship between job involvement and job satisfaction means that individuals who are highly involved in work generally appear to be satisfied with their jobs.…”

“…The extent to which employees are involved in the company's work operations can be seen from several indicators such as prioritizing work, participating in work, actively working, and has work initiatives (Mubin et al, 2022). Palumbo (2022) defines job satisfaction as individual employee satisfaction with salary, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, prospects for career advancement, and organizational support. A person will feel satisfied with his job if the work he does is in line with the values he believes in (Pala'langan, 2021), enjoyable work, supervisor support, cooperative co-workers, promotion opportunities, and adequate income (Roswandi, 2021).…”