Workplace Flexibility, Work Hours, and Work-Life Conflict: Finding an Extra Day or Two E. Jeffrey Hill, Jenet Jacob Erickson, and Erin K. Holmes Brigham Young University Maria Ferris IBM Global Workforce Diversity | Problem/ Solution | Content/ Reference | Work-life conflict | The reciprocal influence between the microsystems of work and life compose what is called the work-life mesosystem. When the boundaries be- tween these microsystems are permeable, characteristics associated with the work and life domains influence each other. Work-life conflict is identified as the linking mecha-nism through which work and life are related to one another and to individual and work outcomes.Work-life conflict consists of a cognitive appraisal of inter-role conflict in which individuals feel that the demands of paid work and life roles are incompatible. Incompatibility is experienced as participation in either paid work or life roles is made more difficult because of the demands of the other role.A plethora of studies have found that work hours are associated with greater work-family conflict and that workplace flexibility is associated with less work-family conflict.Judge, Boudreau, and Bretz (1994) found a strong relationship betweenthe number of paid work hours and work/family conflict, especially for those with preschool children.In an interesting twist, Jacob et al. (2008) found that the frequency of missed evening family meals because of work mediated the negative relationship between long work hours and work-family conflict as well as a variety of and work and family outcomes. | Workplace Flexibility - Definition | This study defines workplace flexibility as “the ability of workers to make choices influencing when, where, and for how long they engage in work-related tasks” (Hill et al., 2008, p. 152). We use the term work-life conflict to capture conflict representing incompatibility between work, per- sonal life, and family life.Flexibility in where (work-at-home) and when (perceived schedule flexibility) workers engage in work-related roles and responsibilities are explored as resources that may be used to facilitate performance, reduce demands, or generate resources in the work and life domains. | Workplace Flexibility – Benefits (best time management) | Work-at-home may increase time resources by reducing commute time, and enable greater ability to meet life roles because of more face-to-face avail- ability. Perceived schedule flexibility may enable more effective utilization of the temporal resources to be available to life roles at times of most benefit (e.g., flextime may enable a parent to participate in an afternoon school activity with a child).In an inflexible work environment, the daily commute happens in periods of maximum traffic congestion and can be very stressful and time-consuming. In an environment of workplace flexibility it is possible to schedule the commute at a time other than rush hour and, thus, reduce stress and wasted time. In times of inclement weather, work-at-home may enable the employee work-at-home may enable the employee to forgo the commute and telecommute safely from home.For example, the individual may arise early and work from home for a few hours at the beginning of the day. Then he or she could be available to prepare a family breakfast, take children to school, or get children to other care arrangements. In the evening, the flexible worker could be at home with thefamily during the dinner hour, and then continue work forseveral hours from home after the children are in bed.Putting one’s time to its best use, regardless of the hour of the day, may lead to greater work-life harmony and less conflict.With schedule flexibility it is more likely that the parent can leave work to pick up the ill child. With work-at-home, the parent can continue to work, albeit at a reduced pace, while caring for the ill child. Knowing that one has the flexibility to care for a sick child may reduce perceptions of work-life conflictand enhance psychological well-being.Work-at-home may give employees the choice to live in a small town or rural area, with a lower cost of living, a more relaxed lifestyle, and a lower crime rate (Urbanska & Levering, 1996). These findings also have clinical implications for mental health professionals dealing with clients struggling with stress-related psychological problems. | Workplace Flexibility – Culture/ Region Difference | Hofstede (1980) noted that in the collectivist cultures of the East individuals are intrinsically connected through strong personal ties based on loyalty to the group and on family ties. In such cultural orientations, workplace flexibility may not be valued as highly because it may hinder the group ethic. For example, work-at-home might be eschewed because it would reduce the amount of face-to-face group interaction.When the sample was divided into four groups this relationship was true of those in the East, in the West- Developing, and in the United States. However, job flexibility was related to greater work-family conflict in the West Affluent (basically Western Europe and Australia).This study reveals that workplace flexibility (work-athomeand perceived schedule flexibility) is generally beneficial to both individuals and businesses around the world, though cultural differences exist.For example, the group with the lowest use of work-at-home was the group of employees from Asia (_ 2%). This may reflect cultural expectations that employees with professional jobs work for long hours away from home each day to maintain solidarity with the group. Simply stated, it may be culturally unac- ceptable to stay at home to work. This cultural expectation may also help explain why those from the East reported the most work-family conflict | Brief Conclusion of Investigation Stat | Work hours were significantly and positively corre- lated with work-life conflict. Workplace flexibility (bothschedule flexibility and work-at-home) was significantlyand negatively correlated with work-life conflict. Work hours had the strongest relationship to work-life conflict of all the variablesPrevious studies have indicated a relationship between reduced work-life conflict and reduced psychological distress, lower levels of depression and anxiety (Frone, Barnes, & Farrell, 1994; Major, Klein, & Ehrhart, 2002) and increased life satisfaction (Adams, King, & King,1996; Aryee, Fields, & Luk, 1999). | Conclusion | Our results indicate that when coupled with scheduleflexibility, work-at-home reduces an individual’s work-lifeconflict, and increases his or her capacity to work, creatinga win-win situation for employees and employers alike.Workplace flexibility appears to be an essential strategy fordealing with workload stress in today’s uncertain globaleconomy. If visionary policy makers and empowered individuals throughout the world adopt greater flexibility, weforesee a cycle in which workplace flexibility will promoteindividual well-being, family solidarity, and organizationalsuccess internationally. |