Work-life balance: the use of coworking spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Coworking Spaces ◽  
Work Family

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the expectations of parents working on a flexible basis using coworking facilities to overcome work-family conflict and to maintain work-life balance. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach is employed to analyze data collected between 2014 and 2017 as part of an ongoing longitudinal study through participant observation in five small to medium coworking spaces from four European countries. In addition, unstructured face- to- face interviews are conducted with seven females and five males using coworking spaces and their responses analyzed using thematic content analysis. Findings The results suggest that flexible workers who have to combine the demands of family life with meeting work goals look for working conditions that will help them resolve conflict, bolster their social lives, and help with career progression. In addition, mediation mechanisms are used in coworking spaces to deal with work-family conflict building a community that offers support. Practical implications Therefore, managers of coworking spaces should consider feedback from uses as to their needs and preferences, spatial planning to increase social and professional interaction and initiate mediation mechanisms to increase trust and collaboration. Originality/value This paper has an original approach by providing an insight into an under researched topic and providing a knowledge base for future researchers.

Supporting work–life balance with the use of coworking spaces

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 549-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko Orel
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
User Interactions ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Coworking Spaces

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the topic of parents who work on a flexible basis and use coworking facilities to find a work–life balance and overcome work–family conflicts. Design/methodology/approach The author uses a qualitative approach to explore the research questions. The first part of the empirical research undertakes an ethnographical approach in carrying out the unobstructed participant observation within five European coworking spaces targeted at improving comprehension of the spaces’ mediation mechanisms and development of supportive interactions. The second part traverses into conducting unstructured interviews with parents who work on a flexible basis and use a coworking space as their daily workplace. Findings This research paper reveals that flexible workers who found themselves juggling work tasks and family obligations tend to seek better conditions that assist them in tackling conflictual situations and, in addition, enhance their social lives to create further career opportunities. Coworking spaces are thus perceived as optimal workplaces by working parents in that they can find stability and scale their social networks within. Moreover, the continually evolving user interactions resulting from effective mediation mechanisms let these individuals find emotional support, increase productivity and exchange knowledge. Originality/value While the coworking industry is rapidly evolving and the academia is keener on investigating the field, the subcategory of work–life and family care within these collaborative environments is virtually unresearched. This paper provides valuable insight into the topic and serves as a knowledge base for the future exploration of this field.

scholarly journals The costs of networking in nonwork domains: a resource-based perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 501-516
Author(s):  
Hans-Georg Wolff ◽  
Sowon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Domain

PurposeWhile studies have established that networking is an investment in an individual's career that pays off, recent research has begun to examine the potential costs of networking. This study suggests that prior research is limited in scope, as it remains focused on the work domain. Drawing upon the work home resources model (Ten Brummelhuis and Bakker, 2012), the authors broaden this perspective and develop a framework of negative consequences in nonwork domains. The paper proposes that networking generates costs in nonwork domains, because it requires the investment of finite energy resources in the work domain, and people lack these resources in other domains.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses structural equation modeling of multisource data from N = 306 individuals and their partners to examine how networking affects two distinct nonwork outcomes: work–family conflict and work–life balance.FindingsAnalyses support the general framework: networking is related to time- and strain-based work–family conflict, and work time mediates the relationship between networking and these forms of conflict. Moreover, networking exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with work–life balance, indicating that excessive networking as well as a lack of networking decrease work–life balance.Originality/valueThis study adds to the emergent literature on the negative consequences of networking. The findings suggest that employees and organizations should adopt a broader and more balanced perspective on networking: one that takes the well-known benefits – but also potential costs in work and nonwork domains – into account.

Entwicklung und Validierung der Trierer Kurzskala zur Messung von Work-Life Balance (TKS-WLB)

Diagnostica ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Syrek ◽  
Claudia Bauer-Emmel ◽  
Conny Antoni ◽  
Jens Klusemann
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Family Conflicts ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Reliabilität Und Validität ◽  
Work Family

Zusammenfassung. In diesem Beitrag wird die Trierer Kurzskala zur Messung von Work-Life Balance vorgestellt. Sie ermöglicht eine globale, richtungsfreie und in ihrem Aufwand ökonomische Möglichkeit zur Erfassung von Work-Life Balance. Die Struktur der Skala wurde anhand zweier Stichproben sowie einem zusätzlich erhobenen Fremdbild untersucht. Die Ergebnisse der Konstruktvalidierung bestätigten die einfaktorielle Struktur der Skala. Die interne Konsistenz der Skala erwies sich in beiden Studien als gut. Zudem konnte die empirische Trennbarkeit der Trierer Work-Life Balance Skala gegenüber einem gängigen Instrument zur Messung des Work-Family Conflicts ( Carlson, Kacmar & Williams, 2000 ) belegt werden. Im Hinblick auf die Kriteriumsvalidität der Skala wurden die angenommenen Zusammenhänge zu arbeits-, nicht-arbeits- sowie stressbezogenen Outcome-Variablen nachgewiesen. Die Eignung der Trierer Work-Life Balance Kurzskala zeigt sich auch daran, dass die Korrelationen zwischen den erhobenen Outcome-Variablen und dem Work-Family Conflict und denen der Trierer Work-Life Balance Skala ähnlich waren. Überdies vermochte die Trierer Work-Life Balance Skala über die Dimensionen des Work-Family Conflicts hinaus inkrementelle Varianz in den Outcome-Variablen aufzuklären. Insgesamt sprechen damit die Ergebnisse beider Stichproben für die Reliabilität und Validität der Trierer Work-Life Balance Kurzskala.

scholarly journals A Life Satisfaction of A Dual Role Woman

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-326
Author(s):  
Yanah Ria ◽  
Palupiningdyah Palupiningdyah
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Female Nurses ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to Determine the effect of work family conflict and work engagement on life satisfaction through work life balance as a mediating variable of study in female nurses at RSI who are married. The type and design of research used in this study is quantitative research. Sampling in this study using proportional sampling sampling technique and Obtained sample size that must be used is 118 female nurses who are married, the analytical method used is the instrument test (validity and reliability), classic assumption test, and hypothesis testing with the application of SPSS 23. Data collection methods using interviews, questionnaires, and literature studies. The results of this study indicate that five hypotheses were accepted, and two hypotheses were rejected. So it can be seen that work family conflict has a negative and not significant effect on life satisfaction. Work engagement has a positive and significant effect on life satisfaction. Work family conflict has a negative and significant effect on work life balance. Work engagement has a positive and significant effect on work life balance. Whereas the work life balance is only Able to mediate the relationship between work engagement and life satisfaction.Suggestions for future research are to develop other variables that can mediate the relationship of work family conflict in the life satisfaction of female nurses, for example social support. While the advice for the hospital is to reduce the activities that make-female nurses so tired, and provide time off when it is Necessary to reduce conflicts that occur

The mediating effect of work–life balance on the relationship between work–family conflict and life satisfaction

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arzu Taşdelen-Karçkay ◽  
Orkide Bakalım
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Work Conflict ◽  
Work Family

The first purpose of this study was to develop a scale of work–life balance for Turkish working women and men. The second purpose was to investigate the mediating effect of work–life balance between work–family conflict, family–work conflict, and life satisfaction. In Study 1 ( N = 274), a work–life balance scale was developed and initial validity evidence was presented. In Study 2 ( N = 356), confirmatory factor analyses supported the scale’s unidimensionality. Cronbach’s alpha and the composite reliability for internal consistency were .92. All studies indicated that the Work–Life Balance Scale was valid and reliable for a Turkish employee sample. Structural equation modeling supported indirect effects of work–family conflict and family–work conflict on life satisfaction via work–life balance. Multi-group analysis showed that the structural paths of the full model did not differ by gender.

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