Different roles of work are traditionally defined by the differentiation of space and time.
- role of worker
- nonwork roles 

Different Roles of Work

- The situation of bringing work home and transforming the home into home and office causes challenges for role boundary management and work-nonwork balance because remote workers face blurred work and nonwork role boundaries. 
- Sudden remote work can lead to difficulties for workers to enact their preferred boundary management strategies, especially workers who prefer segmentation. 

Challenges Caused By Intertwining Work and Nonwork Roles

- Having a working situation that reduces boundaries such as working from home would lead to misalignment with workers’ preferences.
- Remote work alters the traditional boundaries between work and nonwork domains, which may make it difficult to balance between work and nonwork. 
- Workers are more likely to experience poor work-family outcomes if their boundary management preferences and the degree of satisfaction to their preferences do not match.

Challenges of Boundary Management Caused by Remote Work

Boundary management preferences are important for helping individuals to have their needs and preferences consistent. Typically, behavioral strategies and contextual conditions can be used to manage boundaries in a way that aligns with an individual’s personal preferences.

Managing Boundaries Using Personal Preferences

Segmentors prefer to keep work and nonwork roles separate; workers who prefer integration represent the other extreme. 

Segmentation vs. Integration

- establishing a dedicated workspace within home
- paying attention to the number of other individuals in the home 

Boundary Management Advice to Remote Workers

- Behavioral tactics: involve using other people, such as getting help from others
- Temporal tactics: involve controlling work time, such as by blocking off segments of time for work and nonwork
- Physical tactics: adapting physical boundaries, such as by manipulating physical space
- Communicative tactics: setting expectations, such as by confronting people who violate boundaries

Four Categories of Boundary Management Tactics

Boundary management discusses how individuals establish, maintain, or change boundaries in order to effectively navigate the world around them, including their work and nonwork roles 

New York University

Remote work is a flexible working arrangement or environment that allows one to work outside of the on-site workplace. The versatility in remote work allows for temporary or permanent arrangements, part-time or full-time arrangements, and occasional or frequent arrangements. Remote work is often facilitated through online programs and collaborative platforms such as zoom, google meets, Microsoft teams, etc. Typically, remote work is organized into groups or teams that hold metting through their respective platform.

Remote Work

When employees are satisfied with the amount of physical and psychological input to their work and nonwork roles, they achieve a work-life balance. It should be considered from an individual perspective, in which the conflict between employees' family and work roles is minimized. 

Work-Life Balance

Individuals are likely to feel more effective in their work and nonwork roles when their boundary management preferences are aligned with their environment. 

Boundary Theory

Allen, T. D., Merlo, K., Lawrence, R. C., Slutsky, J., &amp; Gray, C. E. (2021). Boundary Management and work‐nonwork balance while working from home. Applied Psychology, 70(1), 60–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12300

Boundary Management and Work-Nonwork Balance While Working from Home

- Telecommuting
- Distance Working
- Telework
- Working From Home (WFH)
- Mobile Work
- Remote Job
- Work from Anywhere (WFA)
- Virtual Work

Remote Work (other names)

virtual teams can create psychological safety if their members are willing to invest time and effort in three specific ways: accepting virtual team challenges, discussing rules, and team connection What follows is a practical guide for managers to transfer findings to their virtual team reality.

Practical recommendations for remote work

- A full-time arrangement

- A part-time arrangement

Two Types of Arrangement

- Voluntary remote work

- Involuntary remote work

Two Types of Remote Work

- Hot desking 
- Hoteling 
- Telework centers
- Collaborative offices
- Day extenders
- Mobile remote workers

Different or Hybrid types of remote work

Desirable (the greatest benefits) vs. Undesirable (the most difficult challenges) Aspects of Remote Work: characteristics fell on a spectrum; most employees’ experiences usually fell somewhere between the extremes.

- Flextime vs. Work Intensity

- Flexplace vs. Space Limitation

- Technologically-Feasible Work Arrangement vs. Technostress and Isolation

- Family-Friendly Work Arrangement vs. Housework and Care Intensity

Four Themes Representing the Contrast between Remote Work's Desirable Expectations and Undesirable Experiences

Job autonomy, social support, workload, and monitoring

Characteristics of Remote Work

Work-home interference, ineffective communication, loneliness, procrastination, and boundary management.

Challenges Associated with Remote Work

Individual Factor Affecting Remote Work Productivity

- COVID pushed this transition heavier
- Controversial, many are divided on which medium they prefer
- Focus on communication, visibility, community, structure, wellbeing, obtaining correct tools

Transitioning from On-site to Remote work

1) Offer remote work as an option

2) Prepare to support transition and remote work

3) Provide ongoing support to sustain remote work

Practical Suggestions to Support Remote Work and Work-Life Balance

Boundary Management

Employee Engagement and Remote Working Condition

•	Metasterotypes 


•	Age Stereotypes

•	The wording in job applications 

•	How the job seekers perceive it



What requirements affect job seekers? 

- demographic characteristics (e.g., gender and marital status)

- individual work

- family demands and characteristics

- personality

Factors Influence/Predict Work-Life Balance

Antecedents: 
- Work-related
- Family-related

Categories:
- Role stressors
- Role involvement
- Social support 
- Work or family characteristics 

Four Primary Categories of Antecedents that Impact Work-Life Balance

Family-supportive supervisor behaviors are voluntary behaviors that the supervisors show which tend to be supportive in their employee’s families’ situations and conflicts

Family-supportive supervisor behaviors 

The stereotype content model explains how warmth and competence are the  two most vital aspects in social situations and how employees interpret others. 

Stereotype Content Model

Enabling the workforce to become adaptive and agile at all times and all stages of the crisis.

Role of Human Resource Development (HRD) During COVID-19

Work-Family schedule fit is creating a work schedule that fits your employee’s schedule based on their likings.

Work-Family Schedule Fit 

The Social Role Theory proposes that our ideas about people are formed because of our social experiences. 

Social Role Theory

**Fit** is defined as the congruence between an individual's attributes and the characteristics of their environment.

A lack of fit, or incongruence, develops when a person's experiences do not match their expectations of a work or nonwork role (e.g., when working remotely). This mismatch often leads to stress and conflict. Conversely, achieving a fit between work and family demands and resources is positively associated with work and life satisfaction, better work-life balance, and overall individual well-being.

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