ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R
主办:中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

Advances in Psychological Science ›› 2024, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (12): 2031-2049.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2024.02031

• Meta-Analysis • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A meta-analysis of work connectivity behavior after-hours and work-life conflict: Based on the work-home resources model

HAN Zhiwei, CHENG Yanyuan(), REN Zhishuai, WANG Danyang, LI Guojing   

  1. School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
  • Received:2022-10-13 Online:2024-12-15 Published:2024-09-24
  • Contact: CHENG Yanyuan E-mail:chengyy@ruc.edu.cn

Abstract:

With the continuous evolution of information and communication technologies, working through information and communication technologies during non-work hours and in non-work locations, referred to as work connectivity behavior after-hours (WCBA), has become increasingly prevalent. Given that WCBA represent a form of work behavior occurring outside of conventional work hours and locations, its association with work-life conflict has garnered significant attention in empirical research. However, existing empirical results regarding this association has not yet reached a consensus. Importantly, the inconsistency in existing empirical results has led to an unclear and incomplete understanding of the relationship between WCBA and work-life conflict. This ambiguity creates confusion for organizations and employees in managing WCBA, such as determining which measures to adopt to mitigate potential work-life conflict arising from WCBA. Therefore, this study focuses on examining the relationship between WCBA and work-life conflict, as well as the factors that influence this relationship.

Drawing upon the work-home resources model, this study proposes a two-stage process theoretical model of how WCBA influence work-life conflict, and subsequently identifies factors contributing to the inconsistency in this relationship, including the manifestations of work-life conflict, tools utilized for WCBA, job positions, gender, marital status, parental status, and the economic conditions of the country or region. Additionally, beyond identifying the aforementioned factors from a theoretical perspective, this study also identifies several other potential factors, including the publication status of the literature, sampling methodology, research design, measurement methods of WCBA, employee age, employee organizational tenure, timing of WCBA, location of WCBA, and types of work-life conflict. The meta-analytic investigation, encompassing data from 67 independent samples comprising 30,498 participants, reveals a moderate positive correlation between WCBA and work-life conflict ($\bar{\rho}$ = 0.34). Furthermore, the strength of this correlation is contingent upon several factors, including the manifestations of work-life conflict, tools utilized for WCBA, marital status, parental status, sampling methodology, and measurement methods of WCBA. First, the correlation between WCBA and time-based work-life conflict is stronger than the correlation between WCBA and stress-based work-life conflict, as well as between WCBA and behavior-based work-life conflict. However, there is no significant difference between the correlations of WCBA with stress-based and behavior-based work-life conflict. Second, the correlation between WCBA and work-life conflict is stronger when using mixed tools compared to phone-based tools. Third, compared to married employees, the correlation between WCBA and work-life conflict is stronger among unmarried employees. Fourth, the correlation between WCBA and work-life conflict is stronger among employees without children than among those who have children. Fifth, the correlation between WCBA and work-life conflict is stronger when the sample is drawn from multiple organizations compared to when the sample is drawn from a single organization. Sixth, the correlation between WCBA and work-life conflict is stronger when WCBA was measured based on frequency rather than duration.

The research results indicate a moderate positive correlation between WCBA and work-life conflict, suggesting that WCBA generally hinders employees' ability to effectively fulfill their life role demands. Additionally, the research results also indicate that the manifestations of work-life conflict, tools utilized for WCBA, marital status, parental status, sampling methodology, and measurement methods of WCBA all affect the relationship between WCBA and work-life conflict. Specifically, the identification of these factors not only offers insights for management practices but also provides clear directions for future research. For example, employees should consider leveraging external resources (such as family and financial resources) to meet life role demands during the WCBA process, thereby alleviating work-life conflict resulting from individual resources shortage. Furthermore, incorporating reports from significant others (such as spouse) and utilizing specific applications (Apps) to record employees' WCBA levels can contribute to more robust and precise research conclusions.

Key words: work connectivity behavior after-hours (WCBA), work-life conflict, the work-home resources model, meta-analysis

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