An Overview of Work-Life Wellness for Teleworking Couples

Rebecca Como; José Domene

doi:10.53379/cjcd.2023.360

Authors

Rebecca Como University of Calgary
José Domene University of Calgary

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53379/cjcd.2023.360

Keywords:

work-life wellness, work-life balance, telework, couples, remote work

Abstract

A sizeable number of employees throughout Canada are continuing to telework following the COVID-19 pandemic. Couples who telework may experience tension between their work and personal life. Telework may have both positive and negative impacts on work-life wellness depending on employee circumstances. For example, teleworking women with children may be expected to prioritize their home and family over their work. Even though COVID-related restrictions have eased in Canada, allowing for more freedom around home and work arrangements, it is plausible to expect a long-term shift towards an increased number of employees working from home more often, with associated changes in family dynamics as both partners adjust to this "new normal." In response to the complex relationship between teleworking and work-life wellness in the context of couples, the first author has proposed a study to research work-life wellness for teleworking couples, addressing the research question, "how do teleworking couples construct and cultivate work-life wellness together?". It is anticipated that this study will foster understanding of work-life wellness in teleworking couples, and inform policies, counselling techniques, and future research.

References

Amstad, F. T., Meier, L. L., Fasel, U., Elfering, A., & Semmer, N. K. (2011). A meta-analysis of work-family conflict and various outcomes with a special emphasis on cross-domain versus matching-domain relations. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 16(2), 151–169. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022170

Andrade, C., & Petiz Lousã, E. (2021). Telework and work–family conflict during covid-19 lockdown in Portugal: The influence of job-related factors. Administrative Sciences, 11(3), 103–117. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11030103

Campbell, A. M. (2020). An increasing risk of family violence during the Covid-19 pandemic: Strengthening community collaborations to save lives. Forensic science international: reports, 2.. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fsir.2020.100089

Chung, H., & Van der Lippe, T. (2020). Flexible working, work–life balance, and gender equality: Introduction. Social Indicators Research, 151(2), 365–381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-2025-x

Çoban, S. (2021). Gender and telework: Work and family experiences of teleworking professional, middle-class, married women with children during the Covid-19 pandemic in Turkey. Gender, Work, and Organization. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12684

Como, R., Hambley, L., & Domene, J. (2021). An exploration of work-life wellness and remote work during and beyond COVID-19. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 20(1), 46-56. https://cjcd-rcdc.ceric.ca/index.php/cjcd/article/view/92

Conference Board of Canada. (2021). Working through COVID-19: The next normal. Conference Board of Canada. https://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=11211

Cook, L. H., & Shinew, K. J. (2014). Leisure, work, and disability coping: “I mean, you always need that ‘in’group.” Leisure Sciences, 36(5), 420-438. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2014.912167

Environics Institute for Survey Research, Future Skills Centre, & The Diversity Institute. (2021, April 12). Work at home or live at work: The complexities of new working arrangements. Future Skills Centre. https://fsc-ccf.ca/research/work-at-home-or-live-at-work-the-complexities-of-new-working-arrangements/

Fortin, N. M., Bell, B., & Böhm, M. (2017). Top earnings inequality and the gender pay gap: Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Labour Economics, 47, 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2017.05.010

Gherardi, S. (2015). Authoring the female entrepreneur while talking the discourse of work–family life balance. International Small Business Journal, 33(6), 649-666. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0266242614549780

Goldberg, A. E., McCormick, N., & Virginia, H. (2021). Parenting in a pandemic: Work–family arrangements, well‐being, and intimate relationships among adoptive parents. Family Relations, 70(1), 7-25. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12528

Hambley, L. (Host). (2020, October 14). Why does it take a catastrophe to evolve the way we work and live? [Audio podcast episode]. In Where Work Meets Life™ with Dr. Laura. https://drlaura.live/podcast/

Holloway, D. (2007). Gender, telework and the reconfiguration of the Australian family home. Continuum, 21(1), 33-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304310601103919

Marowits, R. (2022, June 5). Remote, hybrid work creating schism as popular option unavailable to many workers. CP24. https://www.cp24.com/news/remote-hybrid-work-creating-schism-as-popular-option-unavailable-to-many-workers-1.5933649

Marshall, S. K., Zaidman-Zait, A., Domene, J. F., & Young, R. A. (2012). Qualitative action-project method in family research. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 4, 160-173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-2589.2012.00117.x

Mehdi, T., & Morissette, R. (2021, October 27). Working from home in Canada: What have we learned so far? Statistics Canada. https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202101000001-eng

Nguyen, M.H., & Armoogum, J. (2021). Perception and preference for home-based telework in the COVID-19 era: a gender-based analysis in Hanoi, Vietnam. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 13(6), 3179. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063179

Oakman, J., Kinsman, N., Graham, M., Stuckey, R., & Weale, V. (2022). Strategies to manage working from home during the pandemic: the employee experience. Industrial Health. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.2022-0042

Obioma, I. F., Jaga, A., Raina, M., Asekun, W. A., & Hernandez Bark, A. S. (2022). Gendered share of housework and the COVID‐19 pandemic: Examining self‐ratings and speculation of others in Germany, India, Nigeria, and South Africa. Journal of Social Issues, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12507

Ojala, S., Nätti, J., & Anttila, T. (2014). Informal overtime at home instead of telework: increase in negative work-family interface. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 34(1/2), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-03-2013-0037

Pelletier, R., Patterson, M., Centre for Labour Market Information, Statistics Canada & Moyser, M. (2019). The gender wage gap in Canada: 1998 to 2018. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-004-m/75-004-m2019004-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. (2021). Study: Working from home: productivity and preferences. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210401/dq210401b-eng.htm

Sullivan, C., & Lewis, S. (2001). Home‐based telework, gender, and the synchronization of work and family: perspectives of teleworkers and their co‐residents. Gender, Work & Organization, 8(2), 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0432.00125

Usher, K., Bhullar, N., Durkin, J., Gyamfi, N., & Jackson, D. (2020). Family violence and COVID‐19: Increased vulnerability and reduced options for support. International journal of mental health nursing, 29(4): 549–552. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12735

Valach, L., Michel, K., Young, R. A., & Dey, P. (2002). Stories of attempted suicide: Suicide career, suicide project, and suicide action. In L. Valach, R. A. Young & M.J. Lynam (Eds.), Action theory: A primer for applied research in the social sciences (pp 173-198). Praeger.

Vanderstukken, A., Nikolova, I., de Jong, J. P., & Ramioul, M. (2021). Exploring types of telecommuters: A latent class analysis approach. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2021.1952989

Vittersø, J., Akselsen, S., Evjemo, B., Julsrud, T. E., Yttri, B., & Bergvik, S. (2003). Impacts of home based telework on quality of life for employees and their partners. Quantitative and Qualitative Results From a European Survey. Journal of Happiness Studies, 4(2), 201-233. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024490621548

Yao L., Minya, X., & Pellegrini E.K. (2021). The Boss’s Long Arm: The Differential Impact of Authoritarian and Benevolent Leadership on Spousal Family Satisfaction. Fronters in Psychology, 12(1) 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780030

Young, R. A., & Domene, J. F. (2018). Contextual action theory: Concepts, processes, and examples. In N. Arthur & M. McMahon (Eds.), Contemporary theories of career development: International perspectives (pp. 98-110). Routledge.

Zhang, S., Moeckel, R., Moreno, A. T., Shuai, B., & Gao, J. (2020). A work-life conflict perspective on telework. Transportation Research. Part A, Policy and Practice, 141, 51-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2020.09.007