Balancing work and family in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of work conditions and family-friendly policy

Abstract

Purpose

Work from home has become as regular as the traditional commuting system after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have discussed the influence of working at home on the work–family interface. However, there is limited understanding of how diverse workforces manage their work–family issues with various family-friendly policies. This study aims to bridge this research gap by examining the collective influence of work conditions and family-friendly policies on work–family balance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey experiment featuring two working conditions (work from home or commuting) × four family-friendly policies (household subsidy, family-friendly supervisor, financial profit, paid leave vs no policy) was approached based on 703 valid responses in China.

Findings

The results indicate that family-friendly policies are more effective under the work-from-home condition than the commuting condition, household subsidies and financial profits are considered more helpful for work–family balance under the work-from-home condition and employees’ policy preferences depend on personal identity and work conditions, which help them maintain work and family issues concurrently.

Originality/value

This study explores the joint impact of work conditions and family-friendly policies from a situational perspective. This study indicated that professional organizations need to perform delicacy management considering policy preferences. Moreover, changing working arrangements help employees facilitate their work–family balance.

Citation

Fan, Y., Tulepbayev, E., Lee, H.J. and Lyu, X. (2023), "Balancing work and family in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of work conditions and family-friendly policy", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 17 No. 6, pp. 1176-1193. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-11-2021-0505