Defining and Exploring Work-Life Conflict
The perspective of WLC, typically attributed to Greenhaus and Beutell (1985), is “a form of inter-role conflict in which the role pressures from the work and family[life] domains are mutually incompatible in some respect” (p.
77), including the extent to which experiences in the work(life) role result in diminished performance in the life(work) role (Greenhaus et al., 2006). Contemporary models take a bidirectional approach (see also Michel, Kotrba, Mitchelson, Clark, & Baltes, 2011), where “life” interference with work (L → WC) occurs when life role responsibilities hinder performance at work (e.g., child’s illness prevents attendance at work) and work interference with “life” (W → LC) occurs when work activities impede performance of life responsibilities (e.g., long hours in paid work prevent performing duties at home). Four different forms of conflict can arise from the conflicting role demands (see Table 14.1 and Greenhaus et al., 2006).Several recent quantitative meta-analytic studies and qualitative thematic literature reviews examine work-family conflict and/or WLC (i.e., Bianchi & Milkie, 2010; Ford, Heinen, & Langkamer, 2007; Golden, Kirby, & Jorgenson, 2006; Greenhaus et al., 2006; Medved, 2010; Michel et al., 2011). These sources outline many specific articles feeding into our knowledge of the construct of WLC. In explicating predictors of WLC, we strongly draw from Michel et al.’s (2011) meta-analysis of 142 studies as it was “developed from multiple work-family linkages, incorporates core work, family, and personality antecedents, and examines demographic
Table 14.1 Types of Work-Life Conflict
| Type | Related to... | Example |
| Time-based conflict | Competition for time from multiple role demands | Picking kids up late from child care because of work meeting running late |
| Energy-based conflict | Amount of physical vigor to devote to work and life | Coming home from work too tired to play with kids |
| Strain-based conflict | Role stressors in one domain inducing physical/psychological strain that hampers fulfilling role expectations in other domains | Coming home from work cranky and losing temper |
| Behavior-based conflict | When behavior patterns appropriate to each domain are incompatible, yet individuals do not make adjustments across domains | Coming home and acting like “the boss” to one’s partner |
variables as moderators.... [It] integrates and applies many [foundational] works...
into a coherent framework” (p. 712). After outlining the predictors of L → WC and W → LC, we summarize some consequences of WLC and conclude with “work-life synergy” as an alternate conception.