Work/Non-Work Balance: Broadening the Conceptualization of Work and Life

Abstract

Extant research on work-life balance (WLB) is often conducted with gaps in the measurement of the construct, as most studies have primarily assessed "life" as it relates to family commitments. Thus, the present study aimed to reconceptualize the measurement of work-life balance as work/non-work balance with non-work being time spent on activities that are not work-related - be it family or non-family activities. To this end, the present study developed a scale to measure work/non-work balance in terms of (1) perceived personal free time, (2) perceived organizational support, (3) psychological effects of work on life, and (4) time management skills. Data for this study were collected through Amazon MTurk on a sample of 318 individuals. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation models (SEM) were utilized to ascertain the measurement structure of the new scale and examine relationships between work/non-work balance, job burnout, and turnover intentions. Overall, three of the four factors functioned properly with the final scale comprised of 9-items, 3 for each of the three remaining factors - perceived personal free time, perceived organizational support, and psychological effects of work on life. Furthermore, the study found significant relationships between the subfactors' perceived organizational support and psychological effects of work on life, on job burnout, and turnover intentions. This study presents several theoretical and practical implications to the growing field of work-life balance research.