Predicting Work-Life Conflict: Types and Levels of Enacted and Preferred Work-Nonwork Boundary (In)Congruence and...

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Work-Life Balance Studies
• Human Resource Management

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic shifted millions to remote work, fundamentally altering work-nonwork boundaries.
• Understanding the impact of boundary (in)congruence on work-life conflict is crucial in the new work landscape.
• Previous research has not fully explored how different types of boundary (in)congruence and control influence work-life conflict.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between work-nonwork boundary (in)congruence and work-life conflict.
• To examine the moderating role of perceived boundary control in this relationship.
• To differentiate the effects of various types of boundary (in)congruence (segmentation congruence, integration congruence, intrusion, distance).

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 1,229 managers in Swedish organizations.
• Analysis employed polynomial regression with response surface modeling and moderation analysis.
• Focused on the interplay between enacted boundaries, preferred boundaries, and perceived boundary control.

Main Results:

• Integration congruence was associated with higher work-life conflict than segmentation congruence.
• A U-shaped relationship was observed between the level of incongruence and work-life conflict.
• Intrusion (enacting integration, preferring segmentation) led to more conflict than distance (enacting segmentation, preferring integration).
• Perceived boundary control significantly mitigated the negative effects of incongruence, particularly intrusion.

Conclusions:

• The type and degree of boundary (in)congruence significantly impact work-life conflict.
• Enacted or preferred integration can be particularly problematic for work-life balance.
• Perceived boundary control is a critical factor in managing work-life conflict, especially for those experiencing boundary intrusion.