Is WFH Blurring Work-Home Boundary? Know What Experts From IIT-Madras & IIM-Amritsar Say

The work-from-home setup gained popularity during the COVID-19-induced lockdown throughout the world. However, working from the comfort zone led to several questions, such as violating employees' boundaries, maintaining work-life balance, and the role of gender in remote work being productive. To answer these questions, a team from two reputed institutes, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Amritsar, have conducted research.

Experts from IIT-Madras and IIM-Amritsar investigated the scenario to determine whether the line between work and home is blurred with remote work and whether work negatively impacts family life and vice versa. The research has also been published in the noted journal "Employee relations".

Significant Findings

According to the investigation, the emergence of COVID-19 compelled several organisations to assign WFH to their employees. Although the trend has been continued by big employers and the alternative pleased several organisations as they saved on risks and maintenance costs, not all employees are satisfied.

Rupashree Baral from the Department of Management Studies at IIT Madras stated that WFH caused tremendous stress on both female and male employees, primarily those who were married. She added that new intricacies had emerged that had never been dealt with, such as a dread of the pandemic, COVID-19-related job insecurity, and so on.

Baral stated that the boundary between work and home was blurred, resulting in 'work-family conflict', which means work affected family life negatively and vice versa. The situation became 'unbearable' for the employees, and they also felt like failing professionals and parents. She added that the persistence of conventional gender ideology in a nation like India heightened stress during the peak pandemic, particularly for women, who were expected to care for the family, children, and their work all at once and in one location.

Problem-Focused Coping Strategy

According to the study, a "problem-focused coping technique" was required to cope with the boundary breach between work and home and prevent one from negatively impacting the other.

Individuals may use this method by focusing on information-seeking, planning, and problem-solving tasks to address the situation at hand. It was discovered that it was necessary to reach out to one's support system (spouse, family, and friends). The researchers also urged organisations and companies to recommend such tactics to their staff and guarantee that they were implemented.

Gender Role Ideology

Rupashree Baral stated, "Gender role ideology was another factor determining the relationship between boundary control and work-family conflict. The impact of poor boundary control on work-family conflict was found to be more damaging to women. It was more harmful to those with traditional gender role ideology (traditional notions about the division of labour) than the progressive ones," reported NDTV.

According to the researchers, women should struggle against and quit accepting old gender ideology in favour of embracing, practising, and demanding a progressive one, which has been shown to benefit both partners.

Further, Dr Swathy Asokan Ajitha, the Assistant Professor at IIM Amritsar, stated, "During the additional and pressing challenges created by situations such as COVID-19, mere spouse support is insufficient. Men were found to experience more work-family conflict and poor subjective well-being than women due to job insecurity. The traditional thought of associating the breadwinning role with men could be the reason."

He added that during a natural disaster, such as a pandemic, organisations and politicians could intervene and limit the extent of employment losses to assist their working professionals and their families.

Also Read: New Initiative By US Launched To Cut Visa Wait Time For Indians; All You Need To Know