Levels of Work-Life Conflict

Four types of work-life conflict are examined in this study: role overload, work-to-family interference, family-to-work interference and role overload. Role overload occurs when the total demands on time and energy associated with the prescribed activities of multiple roles are too great to perform the roles adequately or comfortably. The majority of employees in our sample (58%) are currently experiencing high levels of role overload. Another 30% report moderate levels of role overload. Only 12% of the respondents report low levels. Our research suggests that the proportion of the workforce experiencing high levels of role overload increased substantially from 1991 to 2001 (i.e. by approximately 11%). Work-to-family interference occurs when work demands and responsibilities make it more difficult for an employee to fulfill family-role responsibilities. One in four Canadians in this sample reports that work responsibilities interfere with their ability to fulfill responsibilities at home. Almost 40% of respondents report moderate levels of interference. The proportion of the Canadian workforce with high levels of work-to-family interference has not changed appreciably from 1991 to 2001. Family-to-work interference occurs when family demands and responsibilities make it difficult for an employee to fulfill work-role responsibilities. Only 10% of the Canadians in this sample report high levels of family-to-work interference. Another third report moderate levels of family-to-work interference. Our data suggest that the percentage of working Canadians who experience this form of interference has doubled over the past decade. Approximately one in four respondents experiences what can be considered to be high levels of caregiver strain: physical, financial or mental stress that comes from looking after an elderly dependent. While most respondents (74%) rarely experience this form of worklife conflict, 26% report high levels of caregiver strain. Who has more problems balancing work and family responsibilities? The evidence from this research is quite clear--employed Canadians with dependent care responsibilities. Employees who have child and/or elder care responsibilities report higher levels of role overload, work-to-family interference, family-to-work interference and caregiver strain than their counterparts without dependent care. The fact that employed parents and elder caregivers have greater difficulty balancing work and family is consistent with the research in this area and can be attributed to two factors: greater non-work demands and lower levels of control over their time. Job type is associated with all but one of the measures of work-life conflict explored in this study. Managers and professionals are more likely than those in "other" jobs to experience high levels of overload and work-to-family interference. This finding is consistent with the fact that the managers and professionals in this sample spent significantly more time in paid employment and were more likely to perform unpaid overtime than colleagues who worked in clerical, administrative, technical and production jobs. Those in "other" jobs, on the other hand, are more likely to report higher levels of caregiver strain from the financial stresses associated with elder care. Women are more likely than men to report high levels of role overload and high caregiver strain. This is consistent with the finding that the women in this sample devote more hours per week than men to non-work activities such as child care and elder care and are more likely to have primary responsibility for non-work tasks.

Methodology
A 12-page survey produced in a mark-sensitive format with a unique bar code given to each organization participating in the study was used to collect the data. This survey was divided into nine sections: your job; your manager; time management; work, family and personal life; work arrangements; work environment; family; physical and mental health; and "information about you." Virtually all of the scales used in the questionnaire are psychometrically sound measures that have been well validated in other studies. The measures used to quantify work-life conflict are summarized in Box 1. The measures used to quantify the various moderators examined are provided in Box 2 (Organizational Interventions), Box 3 (Individual Coping Strategies) and Box 4 (Family Coping).

Box One: Measurement of Work-Life Conflict

Overload was assessed in this study using five items from a scale developed by Bohen and Viveros-Long (1981). Role overload was calculated as the summed average of these five items. High scores indicate greater role overload. In this study, Cronbach's alpha for this scale was 0.88. Work interferes with family was measured by means of a 5-item Likert scale developed by Gutek, Searle and Kelpa (1991). Work-to-family interference was calculated as the summed average of these five items. High scores indicate higher levels of perceived interference. In this study, Cronbach's alpha for this scale was 0.92. Family-to-work interference was assessed by means of a 5-item Likert scale developed by Gutek, Searle and Kelpa (1991). Family-to-work interference was calculated as the summed average of these five items. High scores indicate higher levels of perceived interference. In this study, Cronbach's alpha for this scale was 0.87. Caregiver strain was quantified using a modified three-item version of Robinson's (1983) Caregiver Strain Index (CSI). This index measures objective (rather than subjective) burden in three areas. Respondents were asked to indicate (using a 5point Likert scale) how often they had difficulty in caring for an elderly relative or dependent because of physical strains, financial strains or because it left them feeling completely overwhelmed. Options given included never, monthly, weekly, several days per week or daily. Total caregiver strain was calculated as the summed average of these three items. Higher scores indicate greater strain. This measure has been used in a number of studies with good results (Robinson reports a Cronbach alpha of 0.91). In this study, the Cronbach alpha was 0.78.