Re‐drawing the line: Work‐home boundary management profiles and their dynamics during the pandemic

Abstract

The present study investigates teleworker's work‐home boundary dynamics during the COVID‐19 lockdown and relates them to work‐related well‐being outcomes such as work engagement and exhaustion. Latent profile analyses were conducted in a sample of 375 employees using six boundary characteristics (i.e. work‐ and home‐directed flexibility‐ability, flexibility‐willingness, and boundary permeability) as profile indicators. Four profiles, interpreted as boundary management styles, were identified: home‐protective, work‐protective, segregative, and integrative. They were shaped by a set of demographic and work characteristics and were also subject to adjustments over time. Subsequent latent transition analyses revealed relatively high within‐person profile stability among employees with the integrative and segregative profiles, whereas those with the home‐ or work‐protective profile were likely to switch into the segregative profile four months later. In terms of employee outcomes, the identified boundary management profiles differentiated well between the initial levels of work engagement but not exhaustion. The integrators demonstrated the highest initial well‐being, but this profile was also associated with a significant loss of engagement. In addition, profile transition scenarios were associated with the dynamics of well‐being over time. Theoretical and practical implications for managing the work‐home interface during the pandemic and beyond are discussed based on these findings.

Are there differences in the perceived advantages and disadvantages of teleworking? The identification of distinct classes of teleworkers

“…, 2022), the quality of teleworking experiences (Miglioretti et al. , 2023), work-home boundary management (Urbanavičiūtė et al. , 2023) and pre-pandemic commuting behaviors (Tao et al.…”

“…Recently, research on the differences between teleworkers has led to the identification of distinct profiles related to the management of work-home boundaries, the quality of teleworking experiences and individual preferences among teleworkers (e.g. Miglioretti et al, 2023;Urbanavi ci ut_ e et al, 2023). Previous studies have focused on the outcomes of telework, investigating the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking for employees (e.g.…”

The effect of family boundary flexibility on employees’ work engagement: a study based on person-environment fit theory perspective

“…Based on boundary theory, individuals create distinct boundaries between their work and family domains ( Liu et al, 2013 ). Most current research has focused on work boundary flexibility ( Ferguson et al, 2015 ; Lott, 2020 ; Urbanavičiūtė et al, 2022 ; Seeber and Erhardt, 2023 ), and family boundary flexibility is also a significant part of the family-work interaction and can facilitate employees’ productivity ( Babalola et al, 2021 ; Ren et al, 2022 ), stimulate their work vitality, which is the key to effectively improve the work involvement of employees ( Ammons, 2013 ). Therefore, the primary focus will be on examining the direct effect of family boundary flexibility on work engagement in this study.…”