ABSTRACT
The paper explores whether work-life balance (WLB) is affected by the unbounded work context and how organisational support, work flexibility and gender affect this relationship. It is a quantitative study, involving a survey of academics based in three UK institutions, using OLS regressions. There is a significant negative relationship between the perception of the unbounded nature of work and WLB among academics, irrespective of their gender. While flexible work and organisational support are positively associated with WLB, they have limited effect in an unbounded work context. This study makes original contributions for practitioners and academics. First, it provides empirical evidence of the relationship between the unboundedness of work and WLB, and finds no significant gender differences in WLB within an unbounded work context. Second, it helps to understand how flexible work and an organisational support culture are insufficient to eliminate the negative effect of unbounded work. Although the research involves a relatively small sample of UK academics provides insights into WLB in an unbounded work context. As became evident during the coronavirus pandemic, the boundaries between work and non-work domains in contemporary work settings are more and more blurred. Work will therefore become increasingly unbounded, potentially undermining WLB and causing tension between growing work demands and the necessities of family and personal lives.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the successes and barriers to the implementation of Public Health England (PHE) infection prevention and control guidance in English maternity units during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews with obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists who worked in a maternity unit in England, UK, between March 2020 and July 2021. A thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS: Successes to the implementation of PHE guidance were related to existing infrastructure, training satisfaction, and organisational culture where subthemes considered the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, COVID-19 dedicated roles and hospital-wide communication. Barriers to implementation related to the applicability of the guidance with subthemes highlighting contradictions between updates, specialties and hospitals, undesirable timings and frequency of guidance updates, reductions in staff compliance and delayed implementation. Finally, the layout of some units made it difficult to implement various aspects of the guidance (e.g., social distancing), and many detailed issues related to information technology compatibility, a lack of availability and accessibility to appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and variations in testing arrangements between units. CONCLUSIONS: This research provides information on the experiences of healthcare professionals working on maternity units during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings illustrate the importance of effective hospital-wide communication and the need for consistent, easily understood guidance. These results will be used to inform the content of an expert panel consensus meeting.