Work–Family Backlash: The “Dark Side” of Work–Life Balance (WLB) Policies

Abstract

Although continuing to capture the attention of scholars, the study of "work-family backlash" remains plagued by a lack of conceptual clarity. As a result, there is growing evidence to suggest that there is a dark side to work-life balance (WLB) policies, but these findings remain scattered and unorganized. We provide a synthesis of this literature, defining work-family backlash as a phenomenon characterized by negative attitudes, negative emotions, and negative behaviors-either individual or collective-associated with WLB policies [i.e., on-site provisions, leave policies, and flexible work arrangements (FWAs)] within organizations. We conceptualize and define four primary mechanisms involving multiple levels of analysis through which the phenomenon operates. More micro levels of analysis within organizations are characterized by (1) an inequity mechanism, (2) a stigma mechanism, and (3) a spillover mechanism. Although less developed in the literature to date, more macro levels of analysis-including the organization and societal levels-are characterized by (4) a strategic mechanism. We explain these four primary mechanisms-including the theories and literatures on which they are grounded-and develop an original conceptual model to catalyze future research. 600

How does the availability and use of flexible leave influence the employer–employee relationship?

“…The inclusion of the mediator of perceived flexibility stigma (Cech & Blair‐Loy, ) enabled us to embrace the potential dark side of flexible working (for a review see Perrigino et al, ). Perceived flexibility stigma is an important concept that has yet to be incorporated into scholarship on flexible working and employee outcomes, with the notable exception of Cech and Blair‐Loy () who correlated perceived flexibility stigma with employee characteristics and outcomes.…”

“…We suggest that slow uptake of flexible working practices may be due in part to their potential dark side; that is, fear of employees that use of such practices disadavantages them. To date, consideration of this dark side has been absent from studies linking flexible working to employees' organizational attachment (Perrigino et al, ). To explore how the dark side of a policy of flexible leave may shape employees' organizational attachment, we again explore the indirect effect of employees' responses (see Purcell & Hutchinson, ).…”

“…We employ POS because it is a key concept in SET, which acts as a mediator in linking HRM practices to employee outcomes (Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison & Sowa, ). Our inclusion of perceived flexibility stigma stems from the recent emergence of a literature about the potential dark side of policies promoting flexible working (see Perrigino, Dunford, & Wilson, , for a narrative review). In their review, Perrigino et al () highlight that it is important to incorporate the dark side into studies of the effects flexible working because the dark side is pervasive across different types of policies, and it enables a positioning of attitudes across a broad spectrum from positive to negative.…”

“…Our inclusion of perceived flexibility stigma stems from the recent emergence of a literature about the potential dark side of policies promoting flexible working (see Perrigino, Dunford, & Wilson, , for a narrative review). In their review, Perrigino et al () highlight that it is important to incorporate the dark side into studies of the effects flexible working because the dark side is pervasive across different types of policies, and it enables a positioning of attitudes across a broad spectrum from positive to negative. In employing two mediators, we contribute to extant scholarship by exploring how flexible leave shapes employee outcomes.…”

The effects of offering flexible work practices to employees with unpaid caregiving responsibilities for elderly or disabled family members

“…This flexibility allows employees to craft combinations of employment and life roles that minimize conflict and maximize benefits. Flexible work practices vary in their design but include those that allow employees to: reduce employment hours (either temporarily or semi‐permanently), alter start and finishing times (e.g., when the employee arrives and departs the workplace), change patterns of paid work (e.g., job sharing, allowing an employee to address caregiving matters during a workday), or change their work location (e.g., working from home) (Perrigino, Dunford, & Wilson, ).…”