Work-Life Balance Dynamics in Organizational Contexts
Summary
Work-life balance dynamics encompass the interplay between professional duties and personal domains, shaped by organisational policies, cultural norms and individual preferences. Contemporary research emphasises the dual nature of this equilibrium: maintaining performance and engagement at work while safeguarding health, family and other life aspirations. Technological advances and flexible working arrangements have broadened possibilities for schedule autonomy, yet they can blur temporal boundaries and intensify demands. Diversity and intersectionality perspectives reveal that experiences of balance vary by gender, age, socio-economic status and living arrangements, with systemic factors often amplifying disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic has further underscored the critical role of managerial support and compassionate leadership in mitigating stress and sustaining psychosocial well-being. Insights from global contexts highlight both universal challenges and culturally specific solutions, guiding policy interventions that aim for inclusive, sustainable models of work and life integration.
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Work-Life Balance Dynamics in Organizational Contexts publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in work-life balance dynamics in organizational contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Work–life balance: Equilibrium between professional responsibilities and personal life commitments that supports well-being and organisational effectiveness.
Work–family balance: The alignment of occupational roles with family responsibilities, focusing on the interplay between employment and caregiving obligations.
Work–health balance: The harmonious integration of work tasks with health-promoting behaviours and needs to sustain employee well-being.
Work–life articulation: The strategy by which individuals organise and sequence multiple job roles and personal activities across fragmented time and space.
Psychosocial well-being: The state of mental and social health encompassing life satisfaction, stress levels and quality of social interactions within and outside work.
References
- Work–Life, Diversity and Intersectionality: A Critical Review and Research Agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews (2010).
- Work–Life Balance: Weighing the Importance of Work–Family and Work–Health Balance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2020).
- ‘Working to Live, Not Living to Work’: Low-Paid Multiple Employment and Work–Life Articulation. Work Employment and Society (2020).
- Gender Differences in the Relationship between Work–Life Balance, Career Opportunities and General Health Perception. Sustainability (2021).
- Exploring compassionate managerial leadership style in reducing employee stress level during COVID-19 crisis: the case of Nigeria. Employee Relations (2021).
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