Work-Family Boundary Management Dynamics
Summary
Work-family boundary management dynamics examine how individuals negotiate and regulate the borders between professional obligations and family life. Drawing on boundary theory and person–environment fit frameworks, research distinguishes between segmentation strategies, which maintain clear separation of roles, and integration strategies, which facilitate interchange between work and home. Boundaries may be physical (dedicated workspace), temporal (distinct schedules) or psychological (mental detachment), and their permeability determines the degree to which one domain intrudes on the other. Preferences for segmentation or integration, alongside contextual factors such as organisational culture, technological connectivity and family demands, shape boundary practices. Dynamic boundary management involves active boundary crafting—adapting boundaries in response to changing work demands, family needs and external events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective boundary regulation can enhance psychological detachment, reduce work-family conflict and foster well-being, whereas boundary violations and blurred interfaces may undermine recovery and relationship satisfaction. The global shift towards flexible and remote working has intensified boundary permeability, prompting novel strategies to maintain work-life balance and highlighting the importance of tailored interventions to support workers across diverse contexts.
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Work-Family Boundary Management Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in work-family boundary management dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Work-family boundary management: Strategies by which individuals create and maintain borders between professional and family roles.
Segmentation: A boundary strategy aimed at keeping work and family domains separate.
Integration: A boundary strategy that blends work and family activities across time and space.
Boundary permeability: The degree to which one domain intrudes into another, affecting role transitions.
Psychological detachment: The ability to mentally disengage from work during non-work periods.
Work-family conflict: Inter-role tension occurring when demands in one domain interfere with responsibilities in the other.
References
- Comparing Web-Based and Blended Training for Coping With Challenges of Flexible Work Designs: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research (2023).
- Predicting Work–Family Balance: A New Perspective on Person–Environment Fit. Frontiers in Psychology (2019).
- The work-family interface and the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology (2022).
- Effective employee strategies for remote working: An online self-training intervention. Journal of Vocational Behavior (2023).
- Boundary Management Permeability and Relationship Satisfaction in Dual-Earner Couples: The Asymmetrical Gender Effect. Frontiers in Psychology (2018).
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