Relationships and resilience at work and at home

Abstract

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has been an unusually comprehensive crisis that has taken a toll on people in their roles both at work and at home, giving rise to a new normal.PurposeRelational coordination theory shows how communicating and relating for the purpose of task integration drives positive outcomes for workers, their clients, and their employers. The ecological theory of work–family spillover shows how relational dynamics from work spillover into family life, and vice versa. We build upon these two theories to understand how relationships at work impact work–life balance and worker well-being, especially in times of crisis.MethodologyThis study was based on surveys of clinicians affiliated with a large California health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mediation and multilevel logistic regression models were used to assess how relational coordination among colleagues impacts well-being (job satisfaction and lack of burnout) through its effects on work–life balance (schedule control and personal time).ResultsA 1-point increase in relational coordination tripled clinician odds of having schedule control (OR = 3.33, p < .001) and nearly doubled the odds of having adequate personal time (OR = 1.83, p < .001). A 1-point increase in relational coordination nearly quadrupled odds of being satisfied with their job (OR = 3.92, p < .001) and decreased odds of burnout by 64% (OR = 0.36, p < .001). The impact of relational coordination on worker well-being was mediated by greater schedule control and personal time.ConclusionRelational coordination among colleagues impacts worker well-being by enabling greater control over one’s schedule and more personal time, thus creating a positive spillover from work to home in times of crisis.Practice ImplicationsIn times of crisis, leaders should prioritize relational coordination among colleagues in order to support their resilience both at work and at home.

Relational Coordination at the Primary–Secondary Care Interface: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Survey in the South Tyrolean Healthcare System

“…Weak RC has significant implications for workforce stability and efficiency, impacting job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover rates [31]. Poor RC can lead to increased stress and decreased intention to stay among healthcare professionals, contributing to a destabilized workforce.…”

Work-Life Balance – Employee Perspective

“…Professional burnout is a major factor influencing workforce productivity, and its prevalence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to reduced psychological security among employees. Moreover, remote work can have an adverse effect on WLB, as it contributes to job burnout (Ali, Gittell, Deng, Weger, and Dillon, (2023). Whiteoak, Abell, and Becker, (2023) indicated that the risk of job burnout is reduced when WLB is higher.…”

Psychological work climates and health care worker well-being

“…It also contradicts the public’s belief that health care organizations are benevolent, caring places. As such, we need to build on the emerging body of evidence that compassion can be systematically designed into health care delivery (McClelland & Vogus, 2021), as can high-quality caring (e.g., Rathert et al, 2022) and task relationships (e.g., relational coordination; Ali et al, 2023) to the benefit of health care workers and their organizations. However, we need more evidence of how these practices and relationships (re)shape climate (especially toxic climates like instrumental climate) and outcomes.…”