Apple TV's hit show Severance portrays a dystopian world in which employees undergo a procedure that separates their work and personal lives, erasing all memories of one from the other. This separation means that employees cannot recall their personal lives while at work, or their jobs when they leave.
While Severance explores an extreme version of work-life separation, many employees today struggle with the challenge of balancing work demands with personal responsibilities. When we think of work-life conflict, the first thing that often comes to mind is time—specifically, the constraint of time as the key factor in balancing work and personal life. But new research from the University of New Mexico's Anderson School of Management suggests we need to rethink how work-life conflict is viewed.
Associate Professor Andrea Hetrick led the research that sheds new light on work-family conflict, offering fresh perspectives for managers and employees alike. After filtering down from a literature search that revealed 2,989 research articles, the research team aggregated the data from 65 work-family conflict studies spanning from 1995 to 2021. They analyzed the data through three key perspectives: time, strain, and behavior. By narrowing the focus to these three dimensions, the researchers found it was crucial to consider them separately, rather than lumping them together as a single construct.
"We found that many people—researchers included—tend to treat these three factors as one. However, we discovered substantial differences between how conflict concerning time, stress, and behavior each influence work-family conflict," Hetrick explained. "Time operates very differently than stress, and stress operates very differently than behavior."
By examining the data through different lenses, the researchers pinpointed these three distinct dimensions of work-family conflict and explained how these challenges manifest in the workplace and at home.
Time conflict arises when work or family demands take up too much time, interfering with the other domain. It is important to note that the time conflict can go both ways, meaning work can interfere with family time, and family time can interfere with work.
Participants responding to surveys about their time-based work-family conflict note the extent to which they agree with statements such as, "The time I get to devote to my job keeps me from participating equally in household responsibilities," "I often bring work home to do on the evenings and weekends," and, "My personal life takes up time that I would prefer to spend on work."
Strain conflict occurs when stress from one area—whether work or home—affects the other. For instance, stress at work that carries over into personal life or vice versa can create significant strain.
Examples of statements participants made ratings of included: "Tension and anxiety from work often creep into my family life," "I am often preoccupied with work while at home," and, "I'm often too tired at work because of things going on at home."
Behavioral conflict arises when employees must switch between different types of behavior in work and home settings. For example, an individual might need to act authoritatively at work but must be nurturing at home, creating a clash of behaviors. This can be particularly challenging in high-pressure environments such as law enforcement.
The measure items in the studies included: "What works for me at home doesn't seem to be effective at work," "To succeed at home, I have to behave differently than I do at work," and, "Behaviors that are effective at home would be counterproductive at work."
"If you're thinking about one particular aspect of work-family conflict or life conflict, we show that we need to be thinking about these three things differently. What we found for those was that there was evidence that we should be separating these things. We almost always lost information if we were grouping everything together," said Hetrick.
Hetrick explains that understanding these three distinct dimensions of work-family conflict is critical for managers. If managers treat work-family conflict as a single issue, they might overlook important factors that contribute to employee stress and dissatisfaction.
For example, a manager might assume that giving an employee more time off will resolve any work-life issues. However, if the work environment is highly stressful and that stress isn't being addressed, the conflict may persist. Similarly, if employees are required to behave in a certain way at work that contradicts their behavior at home, this can lead to additional clashes.
"Managers need to recognize that each dimension—time, strain, and behavior—has its own unique impact on employees, and addressing them separately can lead to better outcomes," Hetrick said.
One major takeaway from the research is the importance of flexibility. While some employees may desire a strict separation between work and personal life, work-family conflict research suggests that a little bit of flexibility can actually benefit both work performance and overall life satisfaction.
For example, allowing employees to take an important personal call during work hours, or to handle a work-related issue at home in the evening, can often help them manage both domains more effectively.
"Some flexibility—such as allowing employees to address personal matters during work hours—can be healthy and helpful. Some intermixing of work and personal life can be beneficial, as strict boundaries are not always necessary," Hetrick said.
As a manager, it can be difficult to identify what might be causing the work-life conflict and that's where Hetrick says it's important to view it in a lens of time, strain, behavior.
"The main goal is to try and reduce turnover. When employees quit it is very expensive, and so by missing out on the ways employees might be experiencing distress, the manager could be overlooking valuable information that might be able to keep employees more satisfied, productive, and less likely to quit," she explained.
Although investing more in employees may seem costly in terms of time and resources, the long-term benefits—especially in knowledge-based jobs that require significant training—can help prevent turnover and improve overall productivity.
For employees navigating work-life conflict, Hetrick offers several practical tips. Many companies now provide resources for mental health and self-care, which can help employees manage stress. One popular technique is the Pomodoro method, where employees work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, a longer break is taken.
"On your break, do something that renews and rejuvenates you. Going for walks or practicing something mindfulness related," she said.
Hetrick also encourages employees to take advantage of non-work support, such as asking for help with childcare or other personal matters, to reduce stress and find time for self-care.
By understanding the distinct dimensions of work-family conflict and embracing more flexible approaches, both employers and employees can achieve greater satisfaction and productivity.
