Couples who mostly work from home are experiencing heightened frustrations and conflicts from the blurry divide between their personal and professional lives.
New research from the University of New South Wales found partners in this situation were experiencing irritations from constant digital interruptions.
This was straining couples’ relationships and placing heavier psychological burdens, particularly on women.
The research, published in the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, was based on a 10-day diary study with 117 participants who lived with their partners while both worked from home full-time through the COVID-19 pandemic.
It examined “ICT permeability” – things like email, text messaging, mobile phones and remote meeting applications that “pierce the once-solid barrier between work and home life”.
“The study found that work-related technology used during personal time was associated with depletion of individuals’ limited cognitive and emotional resources, leading to what researchers termed ‘after-work frustration’,” UNSW said today in a statement.
“This frustration reflected the negative emotions people experienced when unable to fulfil family activities or personal responsibilities due to work-related interruptions.”
The research also revealed a “counterintuitive” finding about productivity.
“After-work frustration was positively associated with increased job productivity in the short term, as individuals redirected their limited resources towards work tasks where they perceived higher likelihood of success and recognition,” the report said.
“However, this productivity boost came at a cost to family relationships.”
The study found that women tended to bear a disproportionate psychological burden from digital interruptions.
This was because, despite evolving gender roles, women continued to shoulder greater responsibility for domestic chores, childcare and relationship maintenance.
The study, led by Manju Ahuja, Scientia Professor in the School of Information Systems and Technology Management at UNSW Business School, built on previous research that found productivity boosts from home work were associated with stress-related physiological symptoms, like headaches.
“It is important to discuss the ways in which remote work affects work productivity in a meaningful and nuanced manner,” Professor Ahuja said.
“When both partners worked from home simultaneously, neither could provide the buffering support typically available when only one partner worked remotely.
“Each partner faced their own technology intrusions while also managing their partner’s work demands, creating compound stress that intensified frustration levels.”
The research recommended developing policies that granted employees control over flexible work while establishing clear boundaries.
This could include restricting non-urgent work meetings after 6pm or during weekends and encouraging employees to communicate their availability within teams.
The full report is here.
