Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

REMOTE WORKING AND WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

Year 2022, Volume: 10 Issue: 3, 315 - 336, 31.12.2022
https://doi.org/10.22139/jobs.1120712

Abstract

Aim: The COVID-19 outbreak started a new era as it changed the balance between work and family by necessitating remote working. However, only a few studies have investigated work-family conflict during the pandemic. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to examine work arrangement and work-family conflict relationship. It is also expected that gender will have a moderating role that affects work-family conflict in different ways depending on work arrangements. The second purpose of the study is to explore the aspects that facilitate working from home.
Method: The sample consisted of 245 employees working in finance and information sectors in Turkey. Data was collected by using questionnaires.
Findings: Results indicated that office workers had higher work-to-family conflict than remote workers and hybrid workers. No significant difference was found on family-to-work conflict regarding the work arrangement, and gender did not act as a moderator. Regarding the second purpose of the study, the aspects that facilitate working from home were classified into three categories. In the content analysis, the most repeated codes were related to working conditions, followed by physical and psycho-social needs.
Results: This research is one of the first investigations in Turkey to explore the relationship between work arrangement and work-family conflict during the COVID-19 outbreak providing important results regarding the remote working arrangements adopted by many organizations worldwide. 

References

  • Allen, T. D., Johnson, R. C., Saboe, K. N., Cho, E., Dumani, S. & Evans, S. (2012). Dispositional variables and work–family conflict: a meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(1), 17-26.
  • Allen, T.D., Golden, T.D. & Shockley, K.M. (2015). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40-68.
  • Ammons, S. K., & Markham, W. T. (2004). Working at home: experiences of skilled white collar workers. Sociological Spectrum, 24, 191-238.
  • Anderson A. J., Kaplan S. A., & Vega R. P. (2015). The impact of telework on emotional experience: when, and for whom, does telework improve daily affective well-being?, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(6), 882-897.
  • Anderson, D. & Kelliher, C. (2020). Enforced remote working and the work-life interface during lockdown, Gender in Management, 35(7/8), 677-683.
  • Ararat, M., Bayazıt, M., Başbay, P., & Alkan, S. (2021), Salgın sürecinde çalışma hayatı ve ev içi şiddet. Sabancı Üniversitesi.
  • Bailey D. E., & Kurland N. B. (2002). A review of telework research: findings, new directions, and lessons for the study of modern work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(4), 383–400.
  • Barnett, R. C. (2014), Role Theory. In: Michalos A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht.
  • Bellmann, L., & Hübler, O. (2020). Working from home, job satisfaction and work–life balance – robust or heterogeneous links?. International Journal of Manpower, 42(3), 424-441.
  • Bhumika. (2020). Challenges for work-life balance during COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown: exploring gender difference in emotional exhaustion in the Indian setting. Gender In Management, 35(7-8, 705-718.
  • Blanch, A., & Aluja, A. (2012). “Social support (family and supervisor), work–family conflict, and burnout: sex differences. Human relations, 65(7), 811-833.
  • Carlson, D. S., Kacmar, K. M., & Williams, L. J. (2000). Construction and initial validation of a multidimensional measure of work–family conflict. Journal of Vocational behavior, 56(2), 249-276.
  • Crabtree, B. F. & Miller, W. L. (1999). Doing qualitative research. Sage publications.
  • Delina, G., & Raya, R. P. (2016). Dilemma of work-life balance in dual-career couples-a study from the Indian perspective. International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 12(1), 1-27.
  • Demirbilek, S. (2007). Sanal Çalışma Ekseninde Sanal İşgören. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 7(13), 69-90.
  • Duncan, S. (1994). Theorising Differences in Patriarchy. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 26(8), 1177–1194.
  • Eby, L. T., Casper, W. J., Lockwood, A., Bordeaux, C., & Brinley, A. (2005). Work and family research in IO/OB: content analysis and review of the literature (1980–2002). Journal of vocational behavior, 66(1), 124-197.
  • Felstead, A., & Henseke, G. (2017). Assessing the growth of remote working and its consequences for effort, well‐being and work‐life balance. New Technology, Work and Employment, 32(3), 195-212.
  • Gajendran, R. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1524–1541.
  • Golden, L. (2006). The role of relationships in understanding telecommuter satisfaction. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(3), 319–340.

  • Grant-Vallone, E. J., & Donaldson, S. I. (2001). Consequences of work-family conflict on employee well-being over time. Work and stress, 15(3), 214-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370110066544
  • Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of management review, 10(1), 76-88.
  • Gutek, B. A., Searle, S., & Klepa, L. (1991). Rational versus gender role explanations for work-family conflict. Journal of applied psychology, 76(4), 560-568.
  • Hadden, J., Casado, L. Sonnemaker, T., & Borden, T. (2020). 17 Major Companies That Have Announced Employees Can Work Remotely Long Term. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/354872 (April 15, 2021).
  • Hjálmsdóttir, A., & Bjarnadóttir, V. S. (2020). I have turned into a foreman here at home: families and work–life balance in times of COVID‐19 in a gender equality paradise. Gender, Work and Organization, 28(1, 268-283.
  • Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of Resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513-524.
  • ILO, (2020). Teleworking During The COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond A Practical Guide. Genevera, 1-47.
  • Ipsen, C., van Veldhoven, M., Kirchner, K., & Hansen, J. P. (2021). Six Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Working from Home in Europe during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1826. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041826
  • Johnson, P., Heimann, V., & O'Neill, K. (2001). The “Wonderland” of virtual teams. Journal of Workplace Learning, 13(1), 24-29.
  • Karaca, S. & Esen, E. (2019). İş Yeri İnovasyonunun Bir Örneği Olarak Uzaktan Çalışmanın İş-Yaşam Dengesine Etkisi Çalışan Anneler Üzerine Bir Araştırma, International Social Innovation Congress􏰷, 16-17 October 2019, 11-22.
  • Khwela-Mdluli, N., & Beharry-Ramraj, A. (2020). The Effect of COVID-19 on Working Women in South Africa. Gender and Behaviour, 18(4), 16501-16512.
  • Kıcır, B. (2015). Evden Çalışmanın İş-Yaşam Dengesine Etkisi: çevirmenler Üzerinde Bir Araştırma. Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Doktora Tezi, Kocaeli.
  • Lapierre, L. M., & Allen, T. D. (2006). Work-supportive family, family-supportive supervision, use of organizational benefits, and problem-focused coping: implications for work-family conflict and employee well-being. Journal of occupational health psychology, 11(2), 169-181.
  • Marks, S. R. (1977). Multiple roles and role strain: some notes on human energy, time and commitment. American sociological review, 42(6), 921-936.
  • Michel, J. S., Kotrba, L. M., Mitchelson, J. K., Clark, M. A. & Baltes, B. B. (2011). Antecedents of work- family conflict: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(5), 689–725.
  • Mitchell, D. (2017), 50 Top Tools for Employee Engagement: A Complete Toolkit for Improving Motivation and Productivity; Kogan Page: London, 
UK, 1–256. 

  • Molino, M., Ingusci, E., Signore, F., Manuti, A., Giancaspro, M. L., Russo, V., ... & Cortese, C. G. (2020). Wellbeing costs of technology use during Covid-19 remote working: an investigation using the Italian translation of the technostress creators scale. Sustainability, 12(15), 5911.
  • Moore, J. (2006). Homeworking and work-life balance: does it add to quality of life? Revue Ruropeene de. European Review of Applied Psychology, 56(1), 5-13.
  • Nohe, C., Meier, L. L., Sonntag, K., & Michel, A. (2015). The chicken or the egg? A meta-analysis of panel studies of the relationship between work–family conflict and strain. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(2), 522-536.
  • Palumbo, R. (2020). Let me go to the office! An investigation into the side effects of working from home on work-life balance. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 33, 771-790.
  • Perrons, D. (2003). The new economy and the work-life balance: conceptual explorations and a case study of new media. Gender, Work and Organization, 10(1), 65–93.
  • Pleck, J. H. (1977). The work-family role system. Social problems, 24(4), 417-427.
  • Schieman, S., & Young, M. (2011). Economic hardship and family-to-work conflict: the importance of gender and work conditions. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32(1), 46-61.
  • Schutt, R. K. (2018), Investigating the social world: the process and practice of research. Sage Publications.
  • Serinikli, N. (2021). Covid 19 Salgın Sürecinde Örgütsel Değişim: uzaktan/Evden Çalışma Modeli. Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 31(1), 277-288.
  • Stich, J.-F. (2020). A review of workplace stress in the virtual office. Intell. Build. Int., 12, 208–220.
  • Sullivan, C. (2003). What’s in a name? Definitions and conceptualisations of teleworking and homeworking. New Technology. Work and Employment, 18(3), 158-165.
  • 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 and Organization, 8(2), 123-145.
  • Sullivan, C., & Lewis, S. (2006). Work at home and the work-family interface. In F. Jones, R.J. Burke and M. Westman (Eds.) Managing the work-home interface: a psychological perspective (pp. 143-162). London: Psychology Press.
  • Şener, İ., & Abunasser, N. (2020). Bireysel Öncüllerinin İş-Aile Çatışmasına Etkisi: Covid-19 Pandemisi Nedeniyle Evden Çalışanlar Üzerine Bir Araştırma. İş ve İnsan Dergisi, 7(2), 189-201.
  • The World Economic Forum. (2021), The global gender gap report. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2021/in-full
  • Tuna, A. & Türkmendağ, Z. (2020). Covid-19 Pandemi Döneminde Uzaktan Çalışma Uygulamaları ve Çalışma Motivasyonunu Etkileyen Faktörler. İşletme Araştırmaları Dergisi, 12(3), 3246-3260.
  • Van der Lippe, T., & Lippényi, Z. (2020). Beyond formal access: Organizational context, working from home, and work–family conflict of men and women in European workplaces. Social Indicators Research, 151(2), 383-402.

COVID-19 SALGININDA UZAKTAN ÇALIŞMA VE İŞ-AİLE ÇATIŞMASI

Year 2022, Volume: 10 Issue: 3, 315 - 336, 31.12.2022
https://doi.org/10.22139/jobs.1120712

Abstract

Amaç: COVID-19 salgını, uzaktan çalışmayı gerekli kılarak, iş ve aile arasındaki dengeyi değiştirdiği için yeni bir dönem başlatmıştır. Bununla birlikte, pandemi sırasında iş-aile çatışmasını araştıran oldukça az çalışma bulunmaktadır. Bu nedenle bu çalışmanın temel amacı, çalışma biçimi ve iş-aile çatışması ilişkisini incelemektir. Ayrıca, çalışma biçimine bağlı olarak cinsiyetin iş-aile çatışmasını farklı şekillerde etkileyen bir düzenleyici rolünün olacağı beklenmektedir. Çalışmanın ikinci amacı, evden çalışmayı kolaylaştıran unsurları incelemektir.
Yöntem: Araştırmanın örneklemi Türkiye'de finans ve bilişim sektörlerinde çalışan 245 kişiden oluşmaktadır. Veriler anket yöntemi kullanılarak toplanmıştır.
Bulgular: Araştırma sonuçları; ofis çalışanlarının, uzaktan çalışanlar ve hibrit çalışanlara göre daha şiddetli iş-aile çatışması yaşadığını göstermiştir. Çalışma biçimine bağlı olarak aile-iş çatışmasında anlamlı bir farklılık bulunmamıştır ve cinsiyetin düzenleyici bir rolünün olmadığı görülmüştür. Araştırmanın ikinci amacı ile ilgili olarak, evden çalışmayı kolaylaştıran unsurlar üç temel kategoride sınıflandırılmıştır. Yapılan içerik analizinde en çok tekrarlanan kodlar çalışma koşullarıyla ilgili olmuştur, çalışma koşullarını fiziksel ihtiyaçlar ve psiko-sosyal ihtiyaçlar takip etmiştir.
Sonuç: Bu araştırma, COVID-19 salgını sırasında çalışma biçimi ve iş-aile çatışması arasındaki ilişkiyi inceleyen Türkiye'deki ilk çalışmalardan biridir ve dünya çapında birçok kuruluş tarafından benimsenen uzaktan çalışma biçimlerine ilişkin önemli sonuçlar sunmaktadır.

References

  • Allen, T. D., Johnson, R. C., Saboe, K. N., Cho, E., Dumani, S. & Evans, S. (2012). Dispositional variables and work–family conflict: a meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(1), 17-26.
  • Allen, T.D., Golden, T.D. & Shockley, K.M. (2015). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40-68.
  • Ammons, S. K., & Markham, W. T. (2004). Working at home: experiences of skilled white collar workers. Sociological Spectrum, 24, 191-238.
  • Anderson A. J., Kaplan S. A., & Vega R. P. (2015). The impact of telework on emotional experience: when, and for whom, does telework improve daily affective well-being?, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(6), 882-897.
  • Anderson, D. & Kelliher, C. (2020). Enforced remote working and the work-life interface during lockdown, Gender in Management, 35(7/8), 677-683.
  • Ararat, M., Bayazıt, M., Başbay, P., & Alkan, S. (2021), Salgın sürecinde çalışma hayatı ve ev içi şiddet. Sabancı Üniversitesi.
  • Bailey D. E., & Kurland N. B. (2002). A review of telework research: findings, new directions, and lessons for the study of modern work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(4), 383–400.
  • Barnett, R. C. (2014), Role Theory. In: Michalos A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht.
  • Bellmann, L., & Hübler, O. (2020). Working from home, job satisfaction and work–life balance – robust or heterogeneous links?. International Journal of Manpower, 42(3), 424-441.
  • Bhumika. (2020). Challenges for work-life balance during COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown: exploring gender difference in emotional exhaustion in the Indian setting. Gender In Management, 35(7-8, 705-718.
  • Blanch, A., & Aluja, A. (2012). “Social support (family and supervisor), work–family conflict, and burnout: sex differences. Human relations, 65(7), 811-833.
  • Carlson, D. S., Kacmar, K. M., & Williams, L. J. (2000). Construction and initial validation of a multidimensional measure of work–family conflict. Journal of Vocational behavior, 56(2), 249-276.
  • Crabtree, B. F. & Miller, W. L. (1999). Doing qualitative research. Sage publications.
  • Delina, G., & Raya, R. P. (2016). Dilemma of work-life balance in dual-career couples-a study from the Indian perspective. International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 12(1), 1-27.
  • Demirbilek, S. (2007). Sanal Çalışma Ekseninde Sanal İşgören. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 7(13), 69-90.
  • Duncan, S. (1994). Theorising Differences in Patriarchy. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 26(8), 1177–1194.
  • Eby, L. T., Casper, W. J., Lockwood, A., Bordeaux, C., & Brinley, A. (2005). Work and family research in IO/OB: content analysis and review of the literature (1980–2002). Journal of vocational behavior, 66(1), 124-197.
  • Felstead, A., & Henseke, G. (2017). Assessing the growth of remote working and its consequences for effort, well‐being and work‐life balance. New Technology, Work and Employment, 32(3), 195-212.
  • Gajendran, R. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1524–1541.
  • Golden, L. (2006). The role of relationships in understanding telecommuter satisfaction. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(3), 319–340.

  • Grant-Vallone, E. J., & Donaldson, S. I. (2001). Consequences of work-family conflict on employee well-being over time. Work and stress, 15(3), 214-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370110066544
  • Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of management review, 10(1), 76-88.
  • Gutek, B. A., Searle, S., & Klepa, L. (1991). Rational versus gender role explanations for work-family conflict. Journal of applied psychology, 76(4), 560-568.
  • Hadden, J., Casado, L. Sonnemaker, T., & Borden, T. (2020). 17 Major Companies That Have Announced Employees Can Work Remotely Long Term. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/354872 (April 15, 2021).
  • Hjálmsdóttir, A., & Bjarnadóttir, V. S. (2020). I have turned into a foreman here at home: families and work–life balance in times of COVID‐19 in a gender equality paradise. Gender, Work and Organization, 28(1, 268-283.
  • Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of Resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513-524.
  • ILO, (2020). Teleworking During The COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond A Practical Guide. Genevera, 1-47.
  • Ipsen, C., van Veldhoven, M., Kirchner, K., & Hansen, J. P. (2021). Six Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Working from Home in Europe during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1826. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041826
  • Johnson, P., Heimann, V., & O'Neill, K. (2001). The “Wonderland” of virtual teams. Journal of Workplace Learning, 13(1), 24-29.
  • Karaca, S. & Esen, E. (2019). İş Yeri İnovasyonunun Bir Örneği Olarak Uzaktan Çalışmanın İş-Yaşam Dengesine Etkisi Çalışan Anneler Üzerine Bir Araştırma, International Social Innovation Congress􏰷, 16-17 October 2019, 11-22.
  • Khwela-Mdluli, N., & Beharry-Ramraj, A. (2020). The Effect of COVID-19 on Working Women in South Africa. Gender and Behaviour, 18(4), 16501-16512.
  • Kıcır, B. (2015). Evden Çalışmanın İş-Yaşam Dengesine Etkisi: çevirmenler Üzerinde Bir Araştırma. Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Doktora Tezi, Kocaeli.
  • Lapierre, L. M., & Allen, T. D. (2006). Work-supportive family, family-supportive supervision, use of organizational benefits, and problem-focused coping: implications for work-family conflict and employee well-being. Journal of occupational health psychology, 11(2), 169-181.
  • Marks, S. R. (1977). Multiple roles and role strain: some notes on human energy, time and commitment. American sociological review, 42(6), 921-936.
  • Michel, J. S., Kotrba, L. M., Mitchelson, J. K., Clark, M. A. & Baltes, B. B. (2011). Antecedents of work- family conflict: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(5), 689–725.
  • Mitchell, D. (2017), 50 Top Tools for Employee Engagement: A Complete Toolkit for Improving Motivation and Productivity; Kogan Page: London, 
UK, 1–256. 

  • Molino, M., Ingusci, E., Signore, F., Manuti, A., Giancaspro, M. L., Russo, V., ... & Cortese, C. G. (2020). Wellbeing costs of technology use during Covid-19 remote working: an investigation using the Italian translation of the technostress creators scale. Sustainability, 12(15), 5911.
  • Moore, J. (2006). Homeworking and work-life balance: does it add to quality of life? Revue Ruropeene de. European Review of Applied Psychology, 56(1), 5-13.
  • Nohe, C., Meier, L. L., Sonntag, K., & Michel, A. (2015). The chicken or the egg? A meta-analysis of panel studies of the relationship between work–family conflict and strain. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(2), 522-536.
  • Palumbo, R. (2020). Let me go to the office! An investigation into the side effects of working from home on work-life balance. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 33, 771-790.
  • Perrons, D. (2003). The new economy and the work-life balance: conceptual explorations and a case study of new media. Gender, Work and Organization, 10(1), 65–93.
  • Pleck, J. H. (1977). The work-family role system. Social problems, 24(4), 417-427.
  • Schieman, S., & Young, M. (2011). Economic hardship and family-to-work conflict: the importance of gender and work conditions. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32(1), 46-61.
  • Schutt, R. K. (2018), Investigating the social world: the process and practice of research. Sage Publications.
  • Serinikli, N. (2021). Covid 19 Salgın Sürecinde Örgütsel Değişim: uzaktan/Evden Çalışma Modeli. Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 31(1), 277-288.
  • Stich, J.-F. (2020). A review of workplace stress in the virtual office. Intell. Build. Int., 12, 208–220.
  • Sullivan, C. (2003). What’s in a name? Definitions and conceptualisations of teleworking and homeworking. New Technology. Work and Employment, 18(3), 158-165.
  • 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 and Organization, 8(2), 123-145.
  • Sullivan, C., & Lewis, S. (2006). Work at home and the work-family interface. In F. Jones, R.J. Burke and M. Westman (Eds.) Managing the work-home interface: a psychological perspective (pp. 143-162). London: Psychology Press.
  • Şener, İ., & Abunasser, N. (2020). Bireysel Öncüllerinin İş-Aile Çatışmasına Etkisi: Covid-19 Pandemisi Nedeniyle Evden Çalışanlar Üzerine Bir Araştırma. İş ve İnsan Dergisi, 7(2), 189-201.
  • The World Economic Forum. (2021), The global gender gap report. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2021/in-full
  • Tuna, A. & Türkmendağ, Z. (2020). Covid-19 Pandemi Döneminde Uzaktan Çalışma Uygulamaları ve Çalışma Motivasyonunu Etkileyen Faktörler. İşletme Araştırmaları Dergisi, 12(3), 3246-3260.
  • Van der Lippe, T., & Lippényi, Z. (2020). Beyond formal access: Organizational context, working from home, and work–family conflict of men and women in European workplaces. Social Indicators Research, 151(2), 383-402.
There are 53 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Business Administration
Journal Section Original Articles
Authors

Asiye Yüksel Ağargün 0000-0002-4284-9198

Tülay Turgut 0000-0002-6022-1652

Publication Date December 31, 2022
Submission Date May 24, 2022
Acceptance Date December 9, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 10 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Ağargün, A. Y., & Turgut, T. (2022). REMOTE WORKING AND WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK. İşletme Bilimi Dergisi, 10(3), 315-336. https://doi.org/10.22139/jobs.1120712