1502: Do Flexible Work Arrangements Really Work? Individual Role Boundary Management Matters (17838)

By integrating the Work-Home Resources Model (W-HR Model) and boundary theory, we investigated the relationship between flexible work arrangements (abbreviated as FWAs, including flextime and flexplace policy) and family engagement. With a paired sample of 253 Chinese employees and their spouses, our analyses showed that both of the main effects of flextime and flexplace policy on family engagement were positive. However, we also found that the indirect effects of these two policies on family engagement via family boundary segmentation enactment were negative. Furthermore, family boundary segmentation preference moderated both of the main effects and the indirect effects. Specifically, on the one hand, it reinforced the positive main effect of flextime policy on family engagement; on the other hand, it also reinforced the negative indirect effect of flextime policy on family engagement. Overall, our findings enlighten us to pay more attention to the potential negative influences of FWAs on employees’ family-related consequences, and suggest that individual role boundary management may be a crucial theoretical perspective to understand the mechanisms and boundary conditions for the effectiveness of FWAs. These findings also have important managerial implications for organizations and employees seeking to balance the benefits and drawbacks of FWAs in managing work and family demands.

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