Work-Life Balance: Effects of a Participative Workplace Intervention among Office-based Employees with Flexible Work Arrangements

• Organizing work to promote work-life balance (WLB) in employees with flexible work arrangement (FWA) is an important issue, but intervention studies are sparse. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which WLB, work-home interference (WHI), and home-work interference (HWI) changed among office-based employees with FWA after a participative workplace intervention. The researchers co-created an intervention together with a large governmental agency in Sweden. The intervention consisted of two activities; 1) education to change individual work strategies, and 2) workshops to develop common rules and routines within the workgroup. Two similar departments with notable levels of perceived stress participated as an intervention group (n=97) and as a control group (n=70). The control group was aware of the intervention but did not receive any intervention activities. Data were collected using questionnaires on three occasions: prior to the intervention (baseline), after the education (six-month follow-up), and after the workshops (12-month follow-up). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models, with adjustments for candidate confounders. Results indicated marginal and statistically non-significant effects of the intervention on WLB or interference between work and private life. Estimates at the second follow-up pointed to slightly reduced WLB but increased HWI in the intervention group compared with the control group. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether other strategies could be more effective in promoting WLB in FWA. 

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Health and Environmental Health (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

intervention

digitalization

autonomy

work-life balance

Flexibelt arbete

Flexibelt arbete

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)