Work-life balance: a comparative analysis of attitudes of students and working professionals

Shumeiko Elena ORCID: 0009-0001-9653-9283 Assistant Professor; Faculty of Psychology; Saint Petersburg State University 199034, Russia, Saint Petersburg, emb. Makarova, 6, room 201 alena.shum2017@yandex.ru

Rodionova Elena Anatol'evna PhD in Pedagogy Associate Professor; Faculty of Psychology; St. Petersburg State University 199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, nab. Makarova, 6, room 201 psyrea@mail.ru

Introduction

In the modern world, there is a constant acceleration of the pace of life, which leads to significant difficulties in managing human time and resources. As a result, many people are faced with the need to find ways to maintain harmony between different areas of their lives, especially in the context of achieving a balance between professional activities and personal life.

The first studies on work-life balance (WLB) were initiated in the 1970s and focused on the problems of combining women's professional and family roles ^[1], but since then the context of studying this phenomenon has expanded significantly, including aspects such as balance differences among representatives of different gender groups. professions ^[2,3], the impact of digitalization ^[4], the format of remote or remote work ^[5,6].

However, despite the growing interest in this topic, there is still no consensus in the scientific community about the nature and structure of work-life balance. In particular, there is no single definition of this concept. In the broadest sense, work-life balance can be interpreted as the level of satisfaction, engagement, or compatibility of a person with multiple roles in life ^[7]. Kalliath T. Together with colleagues ^[8], we conducted a review of existing research and identified six key areas of study and conceptualization of work-life balance.:

1) multiple roles: according to this approach, the balance between work and personal life is formed from a variety of life roles that a person performs. Demands from personal life can affect work and vice versa, which can negatively affect a person's health and productivity.

2) Equality between multiple roles: Work-life balance is studied with an emphasis on equality of time and satisfaction in various life roles. Greenhaus J. H. My colleagues and I ^[9] identified three key components of balance: time balance, engagement balance, and satisfaction balance.

3) Satisfaction between multiple roles: This approach focuses on the degree of personal satisfaction in different roles. Kirchmeyer C. ^[10] described work-life balance as achieving satisfaction in all areas of life, which requires effective allocation of personal resources (energy, time, and commitment).

4) dynamic correspondence between several roles: according to this approach, the importance of roles is not fixed and can change over time depending on different life circumstances (promotion, birth of a child, etc.). Eby L. T. My colleagues and I ^[11] noted that research on work-life balance should focus on whether a person's expectations about their roles at work and in the family correspond to reality. Greenhaus J. H. With colleagues ^[12], we defined work-life balance as the degree to which a person's effectiveness and satisfaction in working and family roles correspond to their current life priorities.

5) Conflict and facilitation: The researchers also drew attention to the psychological aspects that shape the balance between work and personal life, in particular, conflict and facilitation in these areas. As a result, the work-life balance was characterized as the absence of conflict and the presence of cooperation between these areas ^[13].

6) Perceived control between multiple roles: Work-life balance can also be seen as the degree of autonomy a person feels about their role obligations. Such a balance can be the result of individual freedom in choosing priorities, for example, when people decide for themselves when, where and how they work ^[14].

To summarize, the authors propose their definition ^[8], according to which work-life balance is considered as an individual's perception that work and non-work activities are compatible and promote growth in accordance with a person's current life priorities.

The subjectivity of the perception of work-life balance makes it difficult to operationalize and empirically study it. To partially overcome this limitation, we use computer testing aimed at identifying implicit attitudes towards work and leisure. The implicit testing technique has demonstrated its validity and reliability in previous studies ^[15], in particular, we used it for a pilot study of the interaction of implicit and explicit installations ^[16].

Research in the field of work-life balance is becoming increasingly important in the context of studying the effects of this balance on the individual and the organization. In particular, it has been found that achieving balance has a significant impact on various aspects of work and psychological well-being.

Thus, a number of studies demonstrate that having a work-life balance helps reduce the likelihood of employees being fired ^[17] and increase their loyalty to the organization, especially among millennials ^[18,19]. Moreover, the ability of employees to find a balance between work responsibilities and personal life positively correlates with job satisfaction ^[20] and mediates the influence of emotional intelligence on this indicator ^[21]. Along with this, WLB has a direct impact on employee performance ^[21], leading to increased productivity and a reduction in absenteeism ^{[18, 21]}.

At the same time, an imbalance between these areas can lead to negative consequences, including emotional burnout, decreased productivity and overall quality of life ^{[22, 23]}. Conversely, organizations that provide their employees with opportunities to effectively manage work and personal responsibilities gain a competitive advantage by increasing staff efficiency and engagement ^[23].

Thus, ensuring an adequate balance between working hours and recovery opportunities leads to stress reduction, increased productivity, loyalty and motivation of staff ^[24].

The problem of work-life balance has received considerable attention in organizational psychology. At the same time, studies on the balance of work and leisure among students remain relatively few ^[25,26]. Our research is aimed at filling this gap.

Hypotheses

1. The assessment of the subjective work-life balance of working students varies depending on their implicit attitudes towards work and leisure.

2. The overall assessment of the subjective work and leisure balance of working students is lower than that of working professionals.

3. The level of subjective well-being of working students is lower than that of working professionals.

4. The level of involvement in the work of working students is higher than that of working professionals.

Methods

The study involved 109 working people, including 38 men and 71 women. The age of the participants ranged from 20 to 52 years, with an average age of 27 years and an average work experience of 5 years.

Of the total number of respondents, 54 were students who combined work and study, and 55 were working specialists who did not study at a higher education institution. The average age of the student part of the sample is 22 years, and the length of service is 1.5 years. The average age of the sample of specialists is 32 years, the length of service is 8 years. The study included students and specialists with at least six months of work experience.

The following techniques were used:

1. Implicit associative test ^[27].

2. The methodology of "Subjective balance of work and personal life" (A.N. Mospan, E.N. Osin et al., 2016) ^[28].

3. The scale of subjective well—being (A. Perrudet-Badoux, G. Mendelsohn, J. Chiche, in adaptation. Sokolova M.V., 1996) ^[29].

4. The UWES Engagement Questionnaire (U.Schaufeli, adapted by D.A. Kutuzova, 2006) ^[30].

To analyze the results of the study, methods of descriptive statistics and comparative analysis were used (the U—Mann—Whitney criterion for assessing the statistical significance of differences in the average values of independent groups). Quantitative data processing was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS Statistics 22 programs.

The results and their discussion

During the study, the sample was distributed depending on the passage of the implicit association test. Based on the results, it can be noted that the majority of the sample (51%) is of the "Balance" type with a positive attitude towards both work and leisure. About a third of the sample (35%) were classified as having a negative implicit attitude to work, i.e., "A holiday every day." The remaining part (14%) has a negative implicit attitude towards rest ("Life at work"). As in the previous study, none of the respondents in our sample entered the fourth group, which is characterized by a negative attitude to both work and leisure ("Another reality"). The general conjugacy table is presented in Table 1 below.:

Table 1 is a table of conjugacy by implicit type among working students and specialists.

The explicit attitudes obtained as a result of the "Subjective work-life balance" methodology are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 — Average values according to the methodology of explicit attitudes to work and personal life (among students and working professionals).

Note:

* — significance at the p level < 0,05;

** — significance at the p level < 0,01;

A comparative analysis was used to test the hypothesis of differences in the assessment of the level of subjective work-life balance between students and specialists. An analysis of the data presented in the table showed that there were no significant differences in the overall assessment of the subjective balance of work and personal life, which refutes hypothesis No. 2. However, significant differences were identified on the following scales: "Negative transfer of work to personal life", "Negative transfer of personal life to work", "Work as earnings", "Work as a source of strength for life", "Personal life as a source of strength for work", "Work as escape from personal problems" and "Personal life as an escape from work."

Thus, it can be argued that students are more susceptible to the transfer of negative events between the spheres of work and personal life, and this process is observed in both directions. However, work-related issues have a greater impact on their personal lives than the other way around. Interestingly, students also perceive work as a source of inspiration for their personal lives and vice versa, and also consider these areas as ways to avoid problems that arise in other areas. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that for students there is a more pronounced relationship between these two areas, which may be due to insufficient experience and skills to effectively separate experiences in different areas at this stage of their professional development. At the same time, they are able to find motivation and inspiration in their professional activities. It should also be noted that students perceive work to a lesser extent as a means of earning money, which can be explained by differences in the structure and amount of rewards.

To test the hypothesis of differences in estimates of the level of subjective work-life balance among students with different implicit attitudes towards work and leisure, we applied a comparative analysis. The group demonstrating balance included 28 students with positive attitudes towards both work and leisure ("Balance"). The imbalance group included 10 students with a negative attitude to rest ("Life at work") and 16 students with a negative attitude to work ("Holiday every day"). The results of the study are presented in Table 3.

Table 3 — Comparison of work-life balance indicators among students with different implicit attitudes to work and leisure ("Balance" and "Imbalance").

Note:

* — significance at the p level < 0,05;

** — significance at the p level < 0,01;

The study revealed significant differences in the overall assessment of work-life balance, which confirms our first hypothesis. Additionally, important differences were found in the following parameters: "Work interferes with personal life," "Negative transfer of work to personal life," "Independence of work and life," and "Personal life as an escape from work." Students who have an implicit imbalance are more likely to perceive work as an obstacle to satisfaction in their personal lives and transfer the negative aspects of working hours into their personal lives. Interestingly, they also tend to perceive these areas as existing separately. But a group with an implicit balance, although it feels great harmony between these areas, tends to perceive personal life as a way to escape from work problems. This may manifest itself in the fact that they switch from work conflicts to activities that promote recovery, but this assumption requires more in-depth study.

Finally, to test hypotheses 3 and 4, we conducted a comparative analysis of the level of subjective well-being and engagement between working professionals and students who combine work and study. The results are presented in Table 4.

Table 4 — Comparison of indicators of engagement and subjective well-being among students and working professionals.

Note

* — significance at the p level < 0,05;

** — significance at the p level < 0,01;

Our hypothesis about the presence of differences in the level of engagement was confirmed. Significant differences were found both in the overall assessment of engagement and in the subscales of energy and absorption. This indicates that students are more likely to be willing to make significant efforts and persevere when faced with work difficulties. They are more likely to be in a state of complete concentration, unwillingness to be distracted by extraneous things. At the same time, the hypothesis of differences in the level of subjective well-being was not confirmed, on the contrary, the level of well-being of working professionals turned out to be slightly higher.

Conclusions and conclusion

This study is a continuation of our pilot study on the interaction of implicit and explicit attitudes towards work and leisure. The hypothesis was confirmed that the assessment of the subjective work-life balance of working students differs depending on their implicit attitudes towards work and leisure. A group with an implicit balance seeks greater harmony in the management of these areas. Students with an implicit imbalance are more likely to view work as an obstacle to satisfying their personal lives, which can affect their overall well-being.

At the same time, the analysis revealed no significant differences in the assessment of the subjective work-life balance between students and specialists, which refutes our second hypothesis. However, significant differences were found in the assessment of individual subscales reflecting different types of interaction (interference, independence, positive transference, and compensation). Working students show a more pronounced relationship between work and personal life, highly perceiving work as a source of inspiration and at the same time as a potential source of problems. This may be due to their lack of experience in managing these aspects of life. Further study of this issue is necessary.

The hypothesis of differences in the level of engagement has been confirmed: students show greater willingness to make efforts and concentrate on their work compared to working professionals. At the same time, the hypothesis of a difference in the level of subjective well-being was refuted.

The results obtained can be applied by higher education institutions to develop extracurricular activities, including those aimed at increasing students' awareness. This can help them differentiate between experiences in different areas, as well as flexibly switch between work and study requirements. It is also worth paying attention to the high involvement of students: spending a lot of energy, they may not notice their own fatigue, which can lead to overwork or burnout. Therefore, it is important to teach working students to monitor their own condition and properly allocate their free time, paying attention to quality rest.