Exploring Employee Well-Being during the COVID-19 Remote Work: Evidence from South Africa

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated a shift to remote working for previously office-based employees in South Africa, impacting employee outcomes such as well-being. The remote work trend is expected to continue even post the pandemic, necessitating for organizational understanding of the factors impacting employee well-being. Using the Job Demands-Resources model as the theoretical framework, this study aims to understand the role of job demands and resources as predictors of employee well-being in the pandemic context. Design/methodology/approach: A self-administered online survey questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data about remote workers' (n = 204) perceptions of specifically identified demands, resources and employee well-being. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation and moderated hierarchical regression were used to analyse the data. Findings: This study found that job demands in the form of work-home conflict were associated with reduced employee well-being. Resources, namely, job autonomy, effective communication and social support were associated with increased employee well-being. Job autonomy was positively correlated to remote work frequency, and gender had a significant positive association to work-home conflict. Social support was found to moderate the relationship between work-home conflict and employee well-being. Findings suggest that organizations looking to enhance the well-being of their remote workforce should implement policies and practices that reduce the demands and increase the resources of their employees. The significant association of gender to work-home conflict suggests that greater interventions are required particularly for women. This study advances knowledge on the role of demands and resources as predictors of employee well-being of remote workforces during COVID-19 and beyond. Originality/value: This paper provides insight on employee well-being during COVID-19 remote work. Further, the findings suggest that organizations looking to enhance the well-being of their remote workforce should implement policies and practices that reduce the demands and increase the resources of their employees. The significant association of gender to work-home conflict suggests that greater interventions are required particularly for women. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study carried out to explore the employee well-being during COVID-19 pandemic and will be beneficial to stakeholders for understanding the factors impacting employee well-being.

Policy, Practice, and Parenthood: A Study of Teacher Mothers

This phenomenological study extends the current research on working mothers to teacher mothers. Themes highlighted include work/life enrichment, support for motherhood role, challenge to find balance, challenging cultural norms, financial challenges, and strategies for managing multiple roles. Findings reveal and highlight challenges and opportunities that exist at the intersection of the field of education and motherhood. Also provided are suggestions for advocacy efforts for norms and policies that support teacher mothers. Implications of this work are particularly relevant in the contemporary era, wherein the roles of motherhood and teacher are intensified by "the shift to online learning" as a result of the pandemic.

Hybrid and virtual work settings, the interaction between technostress, perceived organisational support, work-family conflict and the impact on work engagement

PurposeThe study assessed the impact of technostress creators, work–family conflict and perceived organisational support (POS) on work engagement for employees operating within the virtual and hybrid work settings. The idea is to redefine the antecedents of work engagement in work settings that are characterised by excessive technology and work–family conflict.Design/methodology/approachData gathered from 302 academics and support staff employees at a selected university in South Africa were utilised to assess the abovementioned relationships via variance-based structural equation modelling.FindingsThe combined effect of technostress, work–family conflict and POS on work engagement indicates that work–family conflict is a critical component in the relationship between technostress and work engagement. Although POS is seen as a job resource that lessens stress, the study found that the influence of work–family conflict is stronger than that of POS;hence, a negative influence is reported on work engagement. Despite the presence of support, overwhelming technostress creators and work–family conflict issues increase demands and influence work engagement negatively.Research limitations/implicationsThe results noted that, in hybrid and virtual work settings, managers can drive employee engagement by focussing on designing more favourable work–life balance (WLB) policies, providing adequate information communication technology (ICT) support, fostering aspects of positive technology and defining the boundaries between work life and family time.Practical implicationsThe managers need to realise the detrimental effects of both technostress and work–family conflict on work engagement in virtual and hybrid work settings. Expanding the personal and job resources of individuals in hybrid and virtual settings is critical to enable them to meet the additional work demands and to manage the strain imposed by technostress. Instituting relevant organisation support has proved to be inadequate to address the challenges relating to technostress and work–family conflict. Therefore, introducing WLB policies that assist employees to set clear boundaries between work and family time to avoid burn out and spillover is critical. This is especially important when dealing with technostress creators in the remote work setting. Additionally, providing adequate ICT support as well as training related to use of different devices and software should be part of the organisational culture.Social implicationsA manageable and reasonable workload should be maintained bearing in mind the complexity and ambiguity associated with the hybrid work setting. Managers should make allowances for employees to adjust managers' schedules to accommodate personal obligations, as well as adjust employees' workloads to accommodate family responsibilities. As for the coping strategy of technostress and work–family conflict, considering the positive effects of the supportive work environment is important.Originality/valueThis study provides a model on the interaction of the redefined antecedents (technostress and work–family conflict) of work engagement in high-tech environments such as virtual and hybrid work settings.

A Moderated-Mediation Model of Work-Family Conflict in the COVID-19 Crisis: JMI

The COVID-19 pandemic and societal mitigation efforts (e.g., mandated quarantine and social distancing) inflicted mental and emotional strain on working parents navigating conflicting demands between the work and non-work interface. This research examines how organizational leaders can help employees cope with the additional stress of the crisis and reduce detrimental outcomes to their careers, families, and organizations. Utilizing stressor-strain theory, this study investigates the relationship between stressors (i.e., work-family conflict and role overload) and strain (i.e., turnover intentions) as a function of a relationally-influenced psychological state (i.e., trust in management) in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. Data analyzed from 393 working adults indicated that trust in management moderated (attenuated) the relationship between role overload and turnover intentions, and the interaction between role overload and trust in management mediated the relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intentions. This moderated-mediation model empirically validates how organizational leaders can help mitigate employee stress induced during crisis situations.

Social support, work-family conflict and job satisfaction of teachers during COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic made drastic changes in the lives of many Filipino teachers. Teachers are now situated in distance learning where they are at risk of having heavy workloads, increased job demands, and work stress which can result in work-family conflict and decreased job satisfaction. This study utilized Pearson's r for testing the correlation of work-family conflict, family-work conflict, social support and job satisfaction. Social support was positively related to job satisfaction, but the two kinds of conflict were either unrelated or very weakly related to social support and job satisfaction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A phenomenological examination of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Approximately two years after Coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared in 2020, virtually all aspects of how individuals live and work has changed. In particular, the COVID-19 Pandemic has intensified the responsibilities of healthcare professionals at home and work. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study aims to understand the role of work engagement and work-family enrichment in helping healthcare professionals who are mothers handle the COVID- 19 Pandemic. The main research question was: What are the lived experiences of work engagement and work-family enrichment in healthcare professionals who are mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic? This study examines how healthcare professionals who are mothers reflect on their in-hospital experiences regarding their work engagement and work-family enrichment. This study examines the relationship between work engagement, work-family enrichment, and work-family conflict. The study was conducted using social constructivism as the theoretical framework. The current study was conducted in light of the COVID-19Pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Being stressed in the family or married with work? A literature review and clustering of work-family conflict

PurposeWork-family conflict is an important topic which had an evolution, starting from a static definition, where work and family domains were divided, to a more dynamic and complex balance. COVID-19 has influenced society and created a significant distress among families and working activity, and this topic has been characterised by a major interest, considering some old definitions where this balance was considered problematic but not as an enriching opportunity.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used SCOPUS to find all records mentioning work-family conflict, by considering book, article and review, excluding conference paper and considering only records written in English language. After a duplicated and not pertinent record removal, the authors obtained a number of 675 records. The authors considered 437 records from SCOPUS to create a cluster map.FindingsUsing SCOPUS and VOSviewer the authors have clustered 5 different areas, which are regrouped in next clusters considering keywords with most co-occurrence and significancy: Work-life balance and burnout gender cluster job stress and performance social and family support job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsCluster map is origined only by SCOPUS database.Originality/valueThis work aims to find a state of art about this topic, creating hypothesis where this problem has been exacerbated by 2020 due to important society modifications created by COVID-19, where recent evolution of work-family balance has been complicated by papers which come back to consider this balance as problematic.

Workaholism: Personality factors and conditions of professional work

Question: The need for excessive work, also known as "workaholism", is a serious health problem in our society. In this study, we examined the impact of work characteristics (low boundaries between work and home) and personality traits (Big Five) on workaholism. Method: Data were collected from a sample of 111 employees aged 19 to 66. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-SOEP (BFI-S), a questionnaire to determine central characteristics of work (Fragebogen zur Erfassung der zentralen Merkmale der Arbeit 4.0) and a scale to measure workaholism (Skala zur Erfassung von Arbeitssucht) online. Statistical analyses (correlation analyses, moderated regression analyses) were conducted using "R" and "PSPP". Results: Workaholism scores were found to be significantly correlated with low boundaries between work and home (r = .208), with neuroticism (r = .356) and with participants' age (r = -.321). The proportion of variance explained by all three predictors was 29 %. No moderating effect of the variable 'boundaries between work and home' on the relationship between neuroticism (UV) and workaholism (AV) could be found. Conclusions: In addition to the Big Five personality factor neuroticism and the age of participants, low boundaries between work and home play a relevant role in workaholism. These results are important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as employees more often work from home, which makes the separation between work and personal time more difficult. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (German) Fragestellung: Suchtartiges Arbeiten stellt ein ernst zu nehmendes Problem in unserer Gesellschaft dar. In dieser Studie wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche Rolle berufliche Rahmenbedingungen (Entgrenzung der Arbeit) und Personlichkeitsfaktoren (Big Five) bei suchtartigem Arbeiten spielen. Methode: 111 Erwerbstatige im Alter von 19 bis 66 Jahren beantworteten online den Personlichkeitstest Big Five Inventory-SOEP, den Fragebogen zur Erfassung zentraler Merkmale der Arbeit 4.0 und die Skala zur Erfassung von Arbeitssucht. Die statistischen Auswertungen (Korrelationsanalysen, moderierte Regressionsanalyse) erfolgten mittels R" und PSPP". Ergebnisse: Suchtartiges Arbeiten korreliert signifikant mit Entgrenzung (r = .208), Neurotizismus (r = .356) und dem Alter der Probanden (r = -.321). Alle drei Pradiktoren zusammen erklaren insgesamt 29 Prozent der Varianz von suchtartigem Arbeiten. Es konnte kein moderierender Effekt der Variablen Entgrenzung der Arbeit auf den Zusammenhang zwischen Neurotizismus und suchtartigem Arbeiten gefunden werden. Schlussfolgerungen: Neben dem Personlichkeitsfaktor Neurotizismus und dem Alter spielen bei der Vorhersage suchtartigen Arbeitens auch das Ausmas der Entgrenzung der Arbeit eine relevante Rolle. Die Ergebnisse sind vor dem Hintergrund der Covid-19-Pandemie relevant, da bei Mitarbeitern im Homeoffice die Grenzen von Arbeit und Privatleben besonders stark verwischen. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Effects of Remote Work on Family Relationships

This chapter analyses the effects of remote work on family relationships during confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is centered on faculty and staff members from a private business school in Puebla, Mexico. The research was conducted almost five months after the university closed its doors and moved all its activities online, having participants time to adapt to the new normal. A scale was developed and validated, and later on, it was applied in a country where family values, cultures, and traditions are strong. The scale included five distinct areas of study: remote working conditions, time and task management, work performance, stress, and family relations. All the business school faculty and administrative staff were invited to participate in the study. Results show employees' perceptions about how working remotely positively or negatively affected their relationships at home and their productivity at work, leading to the design of best practices and useful guidelines that will minimize the adverse effects of remote work while enhancing the positive ones. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Work-family conciliation with and without children, during confinement by COVID-19 in Mexico

Background: As a health policy for COVID-19, the confinement's implementation transformed the home beyond family life into the workplace and school. By having the activities in the same space, the boundaries of the work and family spheres were blurred, generating conflicts to balance them in life. Since the sexual division of labor still prevails, women are the ones who are primarily in charge of unpaid domestic work, and those with rearing children are at greater risk of facing this kind of conflict. In this context, we analyze the work-family conciliation (WFC) based on gender and whether having children. Aims: In this context, we analyze the work-family conciliation (WFC) based on gender and whether having children. Method & procedures: The study has a mixed approach. We applied 578 online questionnaires and 50 interviews with Mexican workers. Results & discussion: Amid the accelerated shift to virtual work, the professional and the private roles have blurred. The daily dynamics changed because of how (e.g., where, when, and with what frequency) and who was involved. Manifesting itself in two dimensions: paid work and family life, which involves unpaid work. Paid work on-site ceased to be the norm;only 15.51% of workers were on-site daily. Instead, reduced hours, staggered attendance, and forced breaks without pay or dismissals were implemented, impacting the income of 40.31% of families. For women with children, the risk of unemployment increased three times. Likewise, there was an accelerated transfer to the home office and greater exposure to screens (83.53%). Online work broke into personal life. This new context resulted in the entanglement of duties, grueling work hours, unfavorable institutional policies to reconcile work-family, and hostility from coworkers to parents using the flexible or online work, all of which triggered stress and frustration in workers, mainly fathers/mothers. Unpaid work also increased for parents because institutions and support networks for the care and education of children became unavailable. Conclusion: Without planning it, the COVID-19 confinement triggered a social experiment that allows us to see the difficulty that WFC implies in the abrupt and massive implementation of neoliberal policies. With the withdrawal of a large part of the social support, the individuals and their families received the blows of dismissals or salary reductions. During this period, workers supported education and work at home, besides being responsible for maintaining families' mental and physical health. The workers absorbed the costs of online work;having the necessary devices for home-office and home-schooling, preparing spaces in their homes, paying for internet and electricity, and training themselves to use new technology. The findings show that, during confinement, the intersectionality of being a woman, a mother, and being in conditions of poverty increases the vulnerability to aspire to the WFC. Although the flexibility of working hours and the home office are considered WFC policies, this study has made it clear that neither of them is viable if: 1) Lacks support networks for child care and education;2) Implemented with high control systems, such as increasing verification reports;3) Workers are asked to be "always available" to respond to working duties;4) The sexual division of labor persists, diminishing women's professional development, rest, and health;5) Lack of transversal and gender-sensitive implementation of WFC policies, and when they exist, are authorized according to managers' subjectivity. This study finds that, during the COVID-19 lockdown, the detriment of economic, emotional, physical, and relational have been very high for individuals and their families. The increased workloads originated stress for the workers, which subverted the possibility of reaching the WFC (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

When Home Becomes the Workplace: Work–Life Balance Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the relevance of the intersections between work and personal life. Measures introduced to slow the spread of COVID-19 have included an increase of working from home and the temporary closure of schools and child-care facilities, leading to a lighter workload for some and a heavier workload for others. These consequences are likely to affect employees' work–life balance (WLB), although the impact may differ across groups of employees depending on the nature of their work, family and personal demands and resources. This mixed-method study examined how Dutch government employees perceive their WLB during the pandemic and how differences in what employees are experiencing can be explained. In May/June 2020, an online survey (N = 827) and an interview study (N = 17) were conducted at a government organization whose employees were obliged to work from home partly or exclusively. Results indicate that demands changed when working entirely from home and resources became more important to maintain WLB satisfaction. Being able to manage boundaries across life domains and find a new routine also appeared to be crucial for WLB satisfaction.

Individual differences, personality, social, family and work variables on mental health during COVID-19 outbreak in Spain

Spain is one of the countries with the highest number of Covid-19 cases per habitant. On March 14, 2020, the Government declared the State of Alarm which included the mandatory confinement of all citizens. On March 30 and April 11, we surveyed 1659 adults to research the relevance of social/work status and personality variables in the prediction of psychological health (anxiety, depression and life satisfaction). Results indicated that women and young reported higher anxiety, depression, conflict between work and family relationship, conscientiousness, and extraversion. Men reported higher emotional stability. The variables considered predicted a substantial percentage of variance on anxiety (36%), depression (38%) and life satisfaction (19%), with a significant relative contribution of personality traits. People with poorer psychological health also showed more conflict between work and family relationships. Working at office was more related to anxiety while working at home was more related to depression. We noted that the influence of impact of job status and conflict between work and family relationship as mental health as performance might depend on individual differences. Depression, anxiety and life satisfaction were predicted by personality and social/work variables, which highlights the importance of consider these variables to address mental health in this situation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Workers' individual and dyadic coping with the COVID-19 health emergency: A cross cultural study

The aim of this study was to examine workers' psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic as a function of their individual coping, dyadic coping, and work-family conflict. We also tested the moderating role of gender and culture in these associations. To achieve this aim, we run HLM analyses on data from 1521 workers cohabiting with a partner, coming from six countries (Italy, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Russia) characterized by various degrees of country-level individualism/collectivism. Across all six countries, findings highlighted that work-family conflict as well as the individual coping strategy social support seeking were associated with higher psychological distress for workers, while the individual coping strategy positive attitude and common dyadic coping were found to be protective against workers' psychological distress. This latter association, moreover, was stronger in more individualistic countries.

Pandemic motherhood and the academy: A critical examination of the leisure-work dichotomy

In late 2017, a critical investigation of the impact of motherhood on perceptions of success in academia, specific to leisure scholars in the United States, was undertaken by the authors of this critical review. Results from this study indicated that leisure scholars who are also mothers experience a great deal of pressure to be productive educators and researchers. This stems from unrealistic work expectations, unsupportive colleagues, and workplace policies that are difficult to navigate. The impacts of these are exacerbated by the pandemic conditions caused by COVID-19 due to existing patriarchal structures in academia. Community mitigation efforts result in working mothers balancing multiple full-time responsibilities, including providing childcare and education for their children while struggling to complete their paid work. We asked our previous research participants to share how their work and family experiences have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic conditions, specifically as it relates to performing simultaneously as both primary childcare providers and faculty members at their institutions. While necessary to address a global health emergency, transitioning to remote work has increased employment expectations for mothers employed in higher education. Leisure scientists reported that telecommuting has led to an unideal merger of their personal and professional spaces, disrupting any harmony that these mothers were working so tirelessly to achieve. Leaders in higher education must address this misguided "hurry up model" and lack of concern for their employees as both scholars and human beings that need leisure to ensure quality of life and wellbeing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The perception and the perceived readiness of individuals while working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, some individuals were sent home to work remotely to honor social distancing measures. Individuals were challenged to create a workspace, obtain the technology needed, and create a balance between work and private life. Emotional distress may have been caused by overlapping work into personal life or psychological problems due to social distancing for some individuals. The current research aimed to understand the lived experiences of the individuals sent home to work remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. A transcendental phenomenon methodology captured the insights, adaptations, and perspectives of individuals working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown. Twelve participants took part in the study. They were asked to reflect on their lived experiences while working remotely using fifteen open-ended questions relating to preparedness, perceptions, training, and challenges. The findings showed some participants perceived themselves as ready to work from home with a strong presence for self-motivation but a lack of prior training for individuals to work remotely. Additional studies are needed to understand the transition of working remotely to implement suitable training for a smoother transition from in-office to remote work, reduce the challenges of working remotely, organize solid virtual leadership, and design a positive social change where individuals can have the opportunity to work from home when needed with the benefits of less commuting to work and establishing an exceptional work-life balance for all stakeholders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The helping professionals' subjective well-being during the first wave of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study of vital exhaustion

Theoretical background: In a critical situations such as COVID-19, priority should be given to the psychological support of helping professionals regarding the sustainability of services and prevention of burnout. It's exceptionally important to measure the vital exhaustion that might be a reason of burnout. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate helping professionals' vital exhaustion in relation to different groups of background variables during the first period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Helping professionals from health and social care, education, and the field of religion (n = 931) were contacted with an online questionnaire in Hungary in the spring of 2020. After calculating descriptive statistics of vital exhauson, we examined the sociodemographic, physical (related to health behavior), professional and personal background variables. Results: Health and social care workers were more exhausted than members of other helping professions (F(1, 929) = 16.801, p < 0.001). In the development of vital exhaustion, we could attribute a greater predictive effect to the following variables: change in the quality of sleep (beta = 0.292, p < 0.01), change in family-work balance (beta = -0.238, p < 0.01), and subjective health (beta = -0.201, p < 0.01). We could attribute a moderate correlation between changes in the frequency of meals and changes in sleep quality (chi2(4, n = 931) = 144.8, p < 0.001), and changes in family-work balance and changes in sleep quality (chi2(12, n = 788) = 171.4, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Proper quality and quantity of sleep, regular meals, and physical activity not only have preventive significance but they also have a stabilizing effect in acute crises. Work conditions and communication at work can have a major influence on wellbeing. Therefore beyond the individual factors employers also play an important role to maintain their employees' wellbeing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Hungarian) Elmeleti hatter: Az olyan valsaghelyzetekben, mint a COVID-19, kiemelt hangsulyt kell kapjon a segito szakmakban dolgozo szakemberek psziches tamogatasa a szolgaltatasok fenntarthatosaga es a kieges megelozese szempontjabol. Kulonosen fontos a kieges hattereben felismerheto vitalis kimerultseg merese. Cel: Keresztmetszeti vizsgalatunk celja a segito teruleten dolgozok vitalis kimerultsegenek es ennek kulonbozo hattervaltozokkal valo osszefuggeseinek vizsgalata a COVID-19 elso hullamaban. Modszerek: Online kerdoivunket az egeszsegugy, a szocialis ellatas, az oktatas es a hitelet teruleten dolgozo szakemberek (n = 931) toltottek ki. A kerdoiv a vitalis kimerultseg felmerese mellett kitert a szociodemografiai, fizikai (egeszseg-magatartassal kapcsolatos), munkahelyi es csaladi jellemzok felterkepezesere. Eredmenyek: Megallapitottuk, hogy az egeszsegugyi es szocialis dolgozok kimerultebbek, mint masok (F(1, 929) = 16,801;p < 0,001). A vitalis kimerultseg alakulasaban a kovetkezo valtozoknak tulajdonithattunk nagyobb prediktiv hatast: az alvas minosegenek valtozasa (beta = 0,292;p < 0,01), a csalad es munka egyensulyanak valtozasa (beta = -0,238;p < 0,01) es a szubjektiv egeszsegi allapot (beta = -0,201;p < 0,01). Kozepes erossegu osszefuggest lattunk az etkezesek gyakorisaganak valtozasa es az alvasminoseg valtozasa kozott (chi2(4, n = 931) = 144,8;p < 0,001), valamint a csalad-munka egyensuly valtozasa es az alvas minosegenek valtozasa kozott (chi2(12, n = 788) = 171,4;p < 0,001). Kovetkeztetesek: Az alvas megfelelo minosegenek es mennyisegenek, a rendszeres etkezesnek es a fizikai aktivitasnak nemcsak megelozo szerepe, hanem stabilizalo ereje van akut krizisekben is. Az egyeni tenyezokon tul a munkaltatoknak is fontos szerepuk van az alkalmazottak jolletenek megorzeseben, hiszen a munkahelyi kommunikacio es a munkakorulmenyek is jelentos mertekben befolyasoljak azt. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

To negotiate or not negotiate: professional boundaries surrounding mobile device usage

ABSTRACTWith the widespread ownership and usage of mobile devices combined with the subsequent challenges usage poses on relationships, this research examines how people negotiate time spent on mobile devices (smartphones and/or tablets) accomplishing professional tasks. Participants in this study were the users of the mobile device within a full-time managerial level position. Diverse organizational representation included, but not limited to health care, engineering, public relations, finance, education, and distribution management industries. Using qualitative methods and semi-structured interviews, data analysis unveiled what negotiation means when using mobile devices in any capacity for professional reasons within the domestic (familial) sphere. Management-level organizational members share how parameters (sometimes called boundaries or borders) are both in and out of their control when using mobile devices to communicate professionally. Within their control was the users' ability to engage or disengage, while also challenged with situations out of their control due to organizational directives. This research re-conceptualizes the concepts of Clark's (2000) Work/Family Border Theory. While this data was gathered prior to Covid19, understanding this balance has current and future relevancy from an academic and applied perspective.

School bells are ringing, but can parents attend? Responses from employed parents of children with SEND

ABSTRACTThis study's purpose is to examine the work-family conflict of employed parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those parents' engagement in the schooling of their children. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, 206 parents from the United Kingdom completed a questionnaire about their school engagement and their work-family strain. Response data were examined employing descriptive and correlation analyses, as well as hierarchical moderated regression. Findings reveal that the higher the parents' work-family conflict, the lower their school engagement. Moreover, the age of children with SEND moderates the relationship between employed parents' work-family conflict and engagement in their children's schooling. Specifically, for parents with younger children, the negative impact of work-family conflict on parental school engagement is not as prevalent as it is for those with older-aged children. Drawing on Hobfoll's conservation of resources theory, we explore parents' dilemma when they determine where to expend their limited reservoir of resources. Because children with SEND benefit in multiple ways when their parents are engaged in their schooling, we provide recommendations regarding how schools and organizations can operate to promote parental school engagement.

Future of work, work-family satisfaction, and employee well-being in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Work is done in an environment that is dynamic and in a continuousstate of change. In 2008, as the world was delightfully traversing a fiscal prosperity, it was suddenly hit with what could be described as one of the most devastating economic recessions a few monthslater. When the national governments, corporate organisations and individuals started to feel that innovative ways of comprehending and outlasting the economic slump in a flourishing manner through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) had been found, the Coronavirus disease also known as COVID-19 pandemic, struck a more deadly blow on the global economy. The pandemic has changed the way work is done, the way people live, learn, and do business. The cutting-edge and specialised management of human capital central to ensuring that organisations can achieve their strategic objectives, remain competitive, and adapt to the ever-changing world of work, is under severe threat. Unemployment rate is at an all-time high level, and the race to attract and retain the best skills and create digital systems that exploit organisational and workforce potentials is keenly competed among organisations. Furthermore, the issue of employee health and well-being is dominating discussions among governments, organisations, and individual groups. This first edition of Future of Work, Work-Family Satisfaction, and Employee Well-Being in the Fourth Industrial Revolution aims at refining and sharpening the thinking, as well as equipping human resource experts, managers, owners of businesses(both large and small),skills development experts, academics,students and governments with pertinent and updated knowledge,skills and behaviours to approach the 4IR, and the post-COVID-19 era. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Does Telework Mediate the Impact of Occupational Status on Work-to-Family Conflicts? An Investigation of Conditional Effects of Gender and the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study analyzes the effects of gender and occupational status differences on parents' work-to-family conflicts, comparing COVID-19 pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. It is examined whether this association is mediated by parents' telework. Theoretically, we use the work/family border theory and flexible resource versus greedy role perspectives to shed light on the gender- and status-related use of telework and illustrate the influence of flexible working practices on parents' work-to-family conflicts. Using moderated mediation analysis combined with bootstrapping, we analyze data from two waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam), covering pre-pandemic (2017/18, 2019/2020) and pandemic periods (2020) (N = 3,315). Our results show higher work-to-family conflicts for parents with higher occupational status as well as teleworking parents. Furthermore, we find supporting evidence for the mediation from occupational status to work-to-family conflicts via telework, with a slightly stronger relationship among mothers than fathers. Under the consideration of the pandemic, the mediating effect was only provable for mothers but not for fathers. However, the mediating effect of telework does not strengthen under the pandemic conditions. Our findings support the greedy role perspective, in particular for employees with higher-status occupations, and the assumption of a negative influence of work–family integration through telework for work-to-family conflicts.