title: The benefits of bad economies: Business cycles and time-based work-life conflict.
abstract: Recent management research has indicated the importance of family, sleep, and recreation as nonwork activities of employees. Drawing from entrainment theory, we develop an expanded model of work-life conflict to contend that macrolevel business cycles influence the amount of time employees spend on both work and nonwork activities. Focusing solely on working adults, we test this model in a large nationally representative dataset from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that spans an 8-year period, which includes the "Great Recession" from 2007 through 2009. We find that during economic booms, employees work more and therefore spend less time with family, sleeping, and recreating. In contrast, in recessionary economies, employees spend less time working and therefore more time with family, sleeping, and recreating. Thus, we extend the theory on time-based work-to-family conflict, showing that there are potential personal and relational benefits for employees in recessionary economies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Management and Organization, Foster School of Business, University of Washington.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Management and Human Resources, Bissett School of Business, Mount Royal University.
authors.forename: Alexandru M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lefter
authors.affiliation: Department of Organisational Behavior, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University.
authors.forename: Devasheesh P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bhave
authors.affiliation: Department of Management, Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon.
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D057172:Economic Recession; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D012890:Sleep; D013997:Time Factors; D000072358:Work-Life Balance / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data