Antecedents and Outcomes of Work-Life Balance While Working from Home: A Review of the Research Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We present a systematic review of 48 studies conducted between March 2020 and March 2022 that examined work-life balance (WLB) among those who worked from home. We propose a conceptual framework that organizes the antecedents and outcomes of WLB based on resource loss and gain. Resource loss occurre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human Resource Development Review 2022-12, Vol.21 (4), p.473-516
Main Authors: Shirmohammadi, Melika, Chan Au, Wee, Beigi, Mina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
COVID-19
Human resource management
Integrative Literature Review
Pandemics
Work at home
Work life balance
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Summary:We present a systematic review of 48 studies conducted between March 2020 and March 2022 that examined work-life balance (WLB) among those who worked from home. We propose a conceptual framework that organizes the antecedents and outcomes of WLB based on resource loss and gain. Resource loss occurred when employees faced stressors such as perceived work intensity, workspace limitations, technostress, professional isolation, work interdependence, housework intensity, care work intensity, and emotional demands. Resource gain was likely when employees were supported by resources such as work supervisors and family members, received job autonomy, and were personally adaptable. Our findings have resonance for remote work contexts beyond the pandemic by seeking patterns across the literature that examined WLB while working from home. We contextualize antecedents and outcomes of WLB and suggest stressors and resources that impact WLB are dynamically related. Our review informs HRD practitioners as they manage the post-pandemic remote work.
ISSN:1534-4843
1552-6712
DOI:10.1177/15344843221125834