Work–Life Balance: Definitions, Causes, and Consequences

Abstract

This chapter reviews the multiple definitions of work-life balance, including definitions focused on the equity of time spent in the work and non-work domains, satisfaction with performance/time spent in each domain, and the salience of each role for an individual. There is a general consensus that a preferred definition should focus on work-life rather than work-family, in order to include non-family responsibilities and demands, such as study or travel commitments. The chapter also discusses the common antecedents and consequences of work-life balance arising from both work and non-work domains. These include work demands and resources, family demands and resources, and personality antecedents including evidence associating psychological capital constructs with work-life balance. Finally, this chapter considers the future directions for work-life balance research, focusing on technological advancements (e.g., Fitbits) and individual levels of mindfulness and resilience. The chapter concludes by noting the increasing evidence linking employee appointments and retention with an organization's positive work-life balance culture.

Definitions of work-life balance in childfree dual-career couples: an inductive typology

“…Following Kallio et al 's (2016) framework for conducting qualitative, semi-structured interviews, we developed an interview guide to ensure that the sequence of topics covered was consistent across interviews while simultaneously allowing participants to bring up additional issues. The interview guide was driven by the research questions as well as themes in the literature, such as role salience (Erdogan et al , 2021), competing work and non-work demands (Brough et al , 2020), conflict (Kossek and Lautsch, 2018) and the relational nature of work-life balance (Ali et al , 2017). Its format was loose and flexible, which fostered free dialogue and the opportunity to alter the order of questions or move from one question to another as needed (Baumbusch, 2010).…”

“…Gatrell et al , 2013; Munn and Chaudhuri, 2015), and that working parents have more demanding family responsibilities than employees without children (e.g. Orel, 2019; Brough et al , 2020). Studies show that the most consistent family characteristic predicting work-life conflict is being a parent and the round-the-clock nature of childcaring (e.g.…”

“…Although achieving work-life balance is a challenge for most working parents, professionals and managers face particular hurdles because of the increased working hours demanded of them (Wilkinson et al , 2017). Accordingly, family support policies are particularly important for employees with children because they have both childcare responsibilities and work demands (Brough et al , 2020).…”

On the Impact of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence on Employers' Flexibility Requirements in Occupations—Empirical Evidence for Germany

“…Sociological research intensively discusses the possible effects of increasing flexibility in working-time. It can entail considerable negative aspects for workers if they face the challenge of reconciling changing working times with other areas of their life, which is not always possible without conflict and is not always cost neutral (Allen et al, 2000 ; Ford et al, 2007 ; Dettmers et al, 2013 ; Brough et al, 2020 ). Of course, other individuals benefit from more time flexibility in their jobs in terms of work-life balance, particularly when increasing flexibility goes hand in hand with a high level of individual freedom, rather than increasing control over what employees do minute by minute.…”

Changes in the Type of Sports Activity Due to COVID-19: Hypochondriasis and the Intention of Continuous Participation in Sports

“…In particular, the work-life balance, which has taken center stage recently, implies that people can control and adjust their lives by themselves and that they can reach a state of satisfaction with their lives by properly distributing psychological and physical energy between their work and leisure [2]. Such a work-life balance is a universal concept necessary to attain an enjoyable life for all classes of people (i.e., men, women, married, unmarried, the youth, and the elderly), and it occurs in various dimensions (e.g., commitment to and reward of work, as well as health and safety, human relations, and stress management) [3]. In this social climate, leisure activities or outdoor physical activities are considered as very important activities that can lead to one's physical health, as well as psychological stability [4,5].…”