Juggling work and family responsibilities when involuntarily working more from home: A multiwave study of financial sales professionals

Abstract

Using multiwave survey data collected among 251 financial sales professionals, we tested whether involuntarily working more from home (teleworking) was related to higher time-based and strain-based work-tofamily conflict (WFC). Employees’ boundary management strategy (integration vs. segmentation) and work–family balance self-efficacy were considered as moderators of these relationships. Data were collected one month before, three months after, and 12 months after the implementation of a new cost-saving policy that eliminated employees’ access to office space in a centralized work location. The policy resulted in employees being forced to work more from home. A voluntary telework program had been in effect before the new policy, implying that working more from home as a result of the new policy was involuntary in nature. Results revealed that involuntarily working more from home was associated with higher strain-based WFC but not higher time-based WFC. However, moderator analyses revealed that the positive association between involuntarily working more from home and both types of WFC was significantly stronger among employees with weaker self-efficacy in balancing work and family. Boundary management strategy had no detectable moderating effect.