The role of worker is commonly played at places of work and during specified hours, such as from Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Role of Worker

Nonwork Roles are usually enacted while an individual is physically located outside of the workplace during the evening and weekends. 

Nonwork Roles

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

New York University

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 

Boundary Management

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

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

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