Unpaid Professional Work at Home and Work-Life Interference among Employees with Care Responsibilities

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Psychology
• Workplace Studies

Background:

• Caregiving responsibilities often lead to work-life interference (WLI) among employees.
• This is particularly prevalent for individuals caring for disabled persons and/or children.
• Understanding factors influencing WLI is crucial for supporting the workforce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between unpaid work at home and WLI in Australian employees.
• To examine the moderating role of the number of children on this relationship.
• To explore the impact of perceived reasons for unpaid work on WLI.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 288 working Australians in the Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) national survey.
• Utilizing a model that included indirect associations via inferred causes for unpaid work hours.
• Investigating a conditional direct relationship based on the number of children.

Main Results:

• Unpaid work at home was positively associated with WLI.
• The effect of unpaid work on WLI was moderated by the number of children.
• Employees with more children experienced a stronger relationship between unpaid hours and WLI.
• Perceived excessively demanding work as a reason for unpaid work strengthened the WLI association.

Conclusions:

• Unpaid work at home significantly contributes to WLI for caregivers.
• The number of children acts as a moderator, intensifying WLI for those with multiple caregiving roles.
• Workplace support strategies should consider the interplay of caregiving, unpaid work, and family structure.