Research in the work-life area has typically concerned individuals' assessments of their own conflict. The current study went beyond this by examining supervisor assessments of employee conflict and how they relate to the support given to employees. This support, traditionally measured using a unidimensional measure of support, was measured with a multidimensional measure that differentiates eight separate forms of support, including listening, emotional, emotional challenge, reality confirmation, task appreciation, task challenge, tangible assistance, and personal assistance support. Additionally, the amount of personal contact between the supervisor and the employee and the extent to which the supervisor likes the employee were examined as potential moderators of the relationship between supervisor assessments and the support given. Further, employee satisfaction with supervisor support, as well as the potential moderating role of the need for support on the relationship between the provided support and the employee's satisfaction with the support, were explored. Finally, employee satisfaction with the eight forms of support and subsequent outcomes (i.e., subsequent work-life conflict, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, organizational commitment, and job performance) as they relate to the provided support were examined. Data were collected from 114 pairs of employees and supervisors. Employees were assessed at two time periods two weeks apart whereas supervisors were assessed at one time period, within five days of the employee's first time period. Results showed that supervisor assessments of employee work-life conflict were either unrelated or negatively related to the eight forms of support. Additionally, it appears that when supervisors perceived employees as having a high degree of work-to-life conflict, they provided relatively high and relatively equal amounts of emotional challenge and reality confirmation support to employees regardless of how much they liked them. When supervisors perceived employee work-to-life conflict as being low, however, they provided significantly more emotional challenge and reality confirmation support when they liked the employee as opposed to when they did not like the employee. Furthermore, the relationship between emotional challenge support and job satisfaction was mediated by satisfaction with emotional challenge support, the relationship between task appreciation support and affective commitment was mediated by satisfaction with task appreciation support, and the relationship between task appreciation support and job satisfaction was mediated by satisfaction with task appreciation support. Finally, when emotional challenge support was provided, greater levels of support led to greater employee satisfaction, especially if there was a need for the support. However, when reality confirmation support was provided, employees were less satisfied with the support when a large amount of support was provided and the employees' need for support was low.

Determining not only what makes people, but also how many people are, satisfied personally and with work has become an ongoing stream of research for both academics and practitioners. The idea of satisfaction is of such concern today that Gallup-Healthways conducts a survey, and reports, on the daily well-being of Americans (http://www.gallup.com/poll/106915/ gallup-daily-us-mood.aspx). Given the importance of satisfaction to individuals, organizations and society at large, it is imperative to understand the predictors and mediators of satisfaction. Research has been conducted on the negative (i.e., inverse) relationship between satisfaction and work/life conflict, as well as the positive relationship between coping and satisfaction. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the interactions between work/life conflict (originating from both the work and family domains), problem-focused coping styles (i.e., problem-solving and communication skills) and life satisfaction. Additionally, mediational effects of coping on the well-documented relationship between work/life conflict and satisfaction were explored. The data used in this study was archival in nature, coming from 491working professionals enrolled in an Executive MBA program at a Southeastern university. Using the transactional model of stress, this study established the single, second-order construct of work/life conflict, consisting of six (6) first-order constructs (i.e., WF Time, WF Strain, WF Behavior, FW Time, FW Strain, and FW Behavior). This new construct maintains the bi-directionality (i.e., WF and FW) supported by a litany of researchers (e.g., Anderson, et al., 2002; Boyar, et al., 2003; Carlson, et al., 2000; Kopelman, et al., 2003), while reflecting Frone, et al.’s (1992a, 1992b) contention that WFC and FWC conflict have an interactive, additive effect. Additionally, in answer to multiple calls in the literature (e.g., Allen, et al., 2000; Eby, et al., 2005; MacDermid, 2005; MacDermid & Harvey, 2006) to incorporate coping into work/life conflict research. This study found that problem-solving coping partially mediates the relationship between work/life conflict and life satisfaction. Communication coping was not found to mediate the relationship between work/life conflict and life satisfaction.

In healthy organisations, employee well-being is coexistent with efficient and effective work organisations. Improving employee wellbeing is therefore of significant importance for organisational performance. This study draws on the Job Demands-Resources model which suggests that the balance between job demands and resources impacts on individual well-being. Using an on-line survey (N=162) this study investigated the direct and indirect relationships between job demands, engagement and drive on work-life conflict and well-being. In general, the findings of this study are consistent with the JD-R model; job demands predicted work-life conflict, while the strongest predictor of well-being was the job resource of work engagement. Further, once indirect relationships were considered, it was found that engagement, a construct generally associated with positive outcomes, and overtime hours lead to psychological detachment issues for employees; consequently contributing to their work-life conflict. In addition, work-life conflict was found to mediate the relationships between the job demands of external work pressures and drive and wellbeing, suggesting that being pressured to put one’s work before their other interests and having an excessive work-drive contribute to reduced employee well-being. The unique contribution of this study lies in the assertion that while engagement has positive influence on employee and organisational outcomes, it is important that organisations and individuals ensure that work does not cause a negative spillover into employees’ private life, enabling them to recover after work and be ready for the next day’s challenges. The findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Strukturomvandlingen till dagens tjänsteekonomi och den ökade spridningen av informations- och kommunikationsteknologi, har möjliggjort ett arbetsliv med flexibla arbetstider och arbetsplatser. Flexibelt arbete kan vara en frihet som skapar möjligheter att uppnå en bättre balans mellan arbete och övrigt liv, men det kan också vara en risk som leder till ökad stress då förhållandet mellan arbete och övrigt liv upplevs som gränslöst. Syftet med studien var att undersöka till vilken grad tjänstemän i den privata sektorn upplever att de har möjlighet att arbeta flexibelt tids- och rumsmässigt, samt om möjligheten att själv bestämma när och var man utför sitt arbete kan bidra till mindre stress och en bättre balans mellan arbete och övrigt liv. Resultatet bygger på data från en arbetsmiljöenkät inom ramen för ett treårigt forskningsprojekt vid Stockholms universitet, där gränsdragning, flexibilitet och balans i livet i förhållande till stress och hälsa var i fokus (AFA Försäkring 2015). Enkäten besvarades av 1918 tjänstemän. Variablerna som användes i studien var grad av kontroll över flexibilitet i relation till upplevd stress, upplevd balans mellan arbete och övrigt liv samt andra arbets- och familjerelaterade faktorer. Data analyserades med multipel linjär regressionsanalys. I regressionmodell 1 kontrollerades vilken effekt upplevd flexibilitet och andra arbets- och familjerelaterade faktorer hade på upplevd stress. Modellen var signifikant och kunde förklara 37,8 procent av variansen avseende upplevd stress. I regressionmodell 2 kontrollerades effekten av upplevd flexibilitet och andra arbets- och familjerelaterade faktorer på upplevd konflikt mellan arbete och övrigt liv. Modellen var signifikant och kunde förklara 39,4 procent av variansen avseende upplevd konflikt mellan arbete och övrigt liv. Resultatet visade att upplevd flexibilitet har signifikant effekt på upplevd stress (b=-,026*). Det betyder att ju högre flexibilitet tjänstemännen upplever, desto mindre stressade känner de sig. Resultatet visade även att upplevd flexibilitet inte har betydelse för upplevd balans mellan arbete och övrigt liv. Att tjänstemännen själva kan välja när och var de utför ditt arbete, leder således inte till en bättre balans mellan arbete och övrigt liv.

Abstract Objectives The relationship between work-life conflict and self-rated health is widely researched but whether the association differs according to educational level has received less attention. This study investigated the association of work-life conflict with self-rated health taking gender, education, working conditions and socio-demographic characteristics into account. Methods The cross-sectional data came from the ELSA-Brasil (2008-2010), a cohort study of civil servants 35-74 years old from six states of Brazil. Complete information was available for 12121 individuals (48% men). Work-life conflict was measured by four indicators representing different aspects, i.e. work-to-family time-based, work-to-family strain-based, family-to-work and lack of leisure time. Multiple logistic regression analyses stratified by gender and educational level were performed. Results More frequent work-life conflict was associated with poor self-rated health in all the indicators. The magnitude of association was greater for women and the same occurred with the higher educated respondents. An exception is in the family-to-work indicators where it affected lower educated women more than higher educated. Conclusions There is an association between work-life conflict and self-rated health and it differs according to work-life conflict indicator. Stratifying by gender and educational level presents an important addition to research in the field of work-life conflict.

Titel: “Jag hinner aldrig igenom min ‘to do’-lista” Undertitel: En dagboksstudie om hur heltidsanställda med flexibelt arbete använder sin tid Författare: Cecilia Bergqvist och Larglinda Sopaj Handledare: Jean-Charles Languilaire Nivå: Kandidatuppsats inom företagsekonomi, vårterminen 2019 (15 hp) Nyckelord: flextid, flexibelt arbete, övertid, work-life conflict, gränslöst arbete, time, time management Forskningsfråga: Hur använder heltidsanställda med flexibelt arbete sin tid? Syfte: Att beskriva hur heltidsanställda med flexibelt arbete använder sin tid. Metod: Studien bygger på ett praktiskt problem med begränsad tidigare forskning om ämnet. Därför tillämpades ett induktivt tillvägagångssätt för att svara på studiens syfte. Forskarnas vetenskapliga förhållningssätt är hermeneutiskt. Empiriska data samlades in genom kvalitativa och kvantitativa frågor och analyserades därefter på ett kvalitativt sätt som en tematisk analys. Empirisk insamling: Empiriska data samlades in genom en dagbok på 5-arbetsdagar, rapporterad av 15 deltagare. För att delta i dagbokstudien krävdes att individen uppfyllde två kriterier, att: 1) vara heltidsanställda och 2) ha flexibla arbetstider. Dagboken innehöll både kvalitativa och kvantitativa frågor. Resultat och slutsats: Eftersom resultatet visar på att 73,3% av deltagarna arbetade övertid, är det då rimligt att dra slutsatsen att flexibelt arbete kan leda till att individer arbetar övertid. På grund av att deltagarna arbetade övertid påverkades deltagarnas fritid ofta negativt. Många av deltagarna hade konflikter mellan arbetsrollen och privatrollen, vilket resulterade i att dessa roller var inkompatibla. Konflikterna visades ofta genom att deltagarna avbokade eller bortprioriterade fysiska aktiviteter på grund av övertid. Resultatet visade på att anställda hade god time management och använde sin tid effektivt, men obalans mellan inflöde och utflöde av arbetsuppgifter resulterade i att anställda ofta kände att de inte hann klart med sina arbetsuppgifter. Resultaten visade även ett svagt positivt samband mellan nöjdhet över dagens arbetsinsats och påverkat välmående. Deltagarna som hade barn som bodde hemma brukade ofta ha ett mer strukturerade arbetsrutiner, medan individer som inte var föräldrar eller barnen hade flyttat hemifrån, brukade ofta ha mindre strukturerade arbetsrutiner. / Title: “I never have enough time to finish my to-do list” Subtitle: A diary study showing how full-time employees with flexible working hours use their time. Authors: Cecilia Bergqvist and Larglinda Sopaj Advisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, Spring 2019 (15 credits) Keywords: flextime, flexible work, overtime, work-life conflict, boundaryless work, time, time management Question: How do full-time employees with flexible working hours use their time? Purpose: Describe how full-time employees with flexible working hours use their time. Method: The study is based on a practical problem with limited previous studies on the matter. Therefore, an inductive approach was implemented to answer the purpose of the study and the researchers’ scientific approach to data is hermeneutic. Empirical data was collected through qualitative and quantitative questions, and thereafter analyzed in a qualitative manner as a thematic analysis. Empirical framework: Empirical data was collected by a 5-workday diary reported by 15 participants. To participate in the diary study, an individual had to meet two criteria: (1) they must be full-time employee and (2) must have flexible working hours. The diary included both qualitative and quantitative-based questions. Results and conclusion: Since the results show that 73.3% of participants were working overtime, it is reasonable to conclude that flexible working hours can lead to individuals working overtime. Furthermore, due to the overtime, participants’ spare time was often affected negatively. Indeed, many participants had work-life conflicts, where the work-life and the private life were incompatible. This phenomenon is evident through reported cancelled or rebooked physical training due to extended working hours. Additionally, participants who had minor children usually had a more coherent and predictable working schedule. On the other hand, individuals who were not parents of minor children had less coherent and less predictable working schedule. The results from the study also showed that the participants had good time management and used their time effectively, but the consistent imbalance between ingoing work tasks and outgoing work tasks resulted in participants often felt like they never finished their task assignments. The results also showed a slight positive correlation between satisfaction over the work effort of the day and the impact on well-being

Med utgångspunkt i de senaste årens uppmärksamhet kring den svenska Polisen och de konflikter som uppstått mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare väcktes ett intresse att studera vad som låg bakom dessa problem. Det visade sig att merparten av de problem som uppstått grundade sig i att anställda uppträtt på sätt som inte ansågs gynnande för organisationen och dess förtroende hos allmänheten. Studien ämnar besvara frågor kring hur Polisen som organisation formar sina anställda med utgångspunkt i teorier om identitetsarbete. En kvalitativ undersökning genomfördes med studier av organisatoriska dokument och genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. De intervjuade består av personer verksamma inom den svenska Polisen. Dessutom intervjuades personer från svenska Polisförbundet, det fackförbund som organiserar närmast alla Sveriges yrkesverksamma poliser. I resultatet framkom indikationer på, utifrån de teoretiska begrepp som har valts för studien, att hur individerna formar sina identiteter är relativt individuellt. Dessutom tycks individerna påverkas mycket av sina kollegor, kanske snarare mer än av organisationens ledning.  Hur information förmedlas ut i organisationen framställdes dessutom som vag av de intervjuade. I diskussionen behandlas vidare hur identitetsstyrning tar sig uttryck inom Polisen samt på vilket sätt de anställda ser på arbetet med sina egna identiteter i relation till yrket polis. / During the last few years, there has been a growing interest in the Swedish police. This interest was triggered as the Police organization attempted to dictate what was appropriate when it came to employee behavior outside of work. This essay intends to answer questions regarding how police employees shape their own identities in order to accommodate the requirements of their profession. A qualitative method has been used, using documents and semi structured interviews. A total of eight people have been interviewed.  The results indicated that the organization, in some ways, want to regulate their employees. A few hands-on methods exist, they are however too vague to be regarded as present in the day to day work of employees. The police organization does not offer clear guidelines and it is up to the employee to determine their own individual identity. Overall, there is more impact on individuals behavior from colleagues than from Police policy. In summary, we will examine the Swedish police organization with reference to theories about identity work in organizations and in relation to the empirical data.

Syftet med vår studie är att undersöka kvinnliga nattarbetares upplevelse av balansen mellan arbetsliv och privatliv samt hur de hanterar och påverkas av work-life balance i praktiken. Syftet med studien besvaras med hjälp av frågeställningarna: Upplever kvinnliga nattarbetare balans mellan arbete och övrigt liv, och om så är fallet, på vilket sätt? Upplever kvinnliga nattarbetare konflikter mellan deras roller i arbete och övrigt liv, och i så fall, på vilka sätt? För att öka förståelsen för det område vi valt att undersöka, redogörs för begreppsdefinitioner samt tidigare forskning. Den teoretisk referensram som använts som utgångspunkt för studien utgår från work-life balance, tillgänglighet, work-life conflict, åtgärder som främjar work-life balance samt flexibilitet. Vi valde att göra en kvalitativ studie där insamling av material har skett genom åtta intervjuer. Samtliga respondenter som deltagit i studien är kvinnor som arbetar permanent natt på olika arbetsplatser hos samma arbetsgivare. Genom vårt insamlade material så har vi med stöd av teori kunnat se olika faktorer som påverkar de kvinnliga nattarbetarnas upplevelse av work-life balance: det finns för- och nackdelar med att arbeta natt, balans upplevs olika beroende på arbetsperiod kontra ledig vecka, konflikter som uppstår mellan arbete och privatliv, en oförstående omgivning, det finns individuella strategier för att nå balans, upplevelsen av tillgänglighet från arbetsgivaren, förväntan om tillgänglighet från privata relationer, det finns möjlighet till viss flexibilitet, arbetstiderna påverkar socialt deltagande och relationer.

Men and women are both faced with daily decisions that affect their families and their work. This paper will look at the overall satisfaction of employees as it relates to work &ndash life conflict. The concept has expanded as there are more responsibilities outside of the job setting that include volunteer commitments, personal development, home life and elder care. Since lifestyles have changed and there are significant pressures that all employees are facing, work &ndash life has become a significant benefit issue. Family &ndash friendly policies may help organizations to assist employees with balancing work and family. Conflict roles can spillover from the work domain to the family domain and from the family domain to the work domain. Time and technical connectivity are factors in work overload. Supporting employees could contribute to job satisfaction by offering alternative work schedules and family-friendly benefits. Organizations that offer flexible alternatives can engage employees and decrease job turnover.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att undersöka hur linjechefer hanterar ett flexibelt arbete när detta blir gränslöst och hur de gör för att detta inte ska påverka balansen mellan arbete och privatliv för mycket. Det teoretiska ramverket för studien utgjordes av Krav, kontroll- och stödmodellen (Karasek & Theorell, 1990), Rollteorin (Mead, 1934; Yang, 2013), Överflödsteorin samt Gränsteorin (Jang & Zippay, 2010). Data samlades in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer och bekvämlighetsurvalet bestod av åtta linjechefer. Data analyserades genom en tematisk analys. Resultatet av denna analys visade att alla respondenterna arbetade även utanför ordinarie arbetstid och var därmed alltid tillgängliga för att arbeta. Behovet av detta tycktes grunda sig i ett kontrollbehov. De olika linjecheferna använde strategier som prioritering, socialt stöd och återhämtning för att hantera sin gränslösa arbetssituation och kunde därmed upprätthålla en någorlunda balans mellan arbete och privatliv.