J Korean Acad Nurs Adm.  2013 Jan;19(1):17-27.

Nurses' Work-family Boundary Management

• Kim M

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was done to explore how nurses manage the boundary for work-family balance.
METHODS
Data were collected through in-depth interviews from February 1 to May 28, 2012. Participants were 13 married nurses with children. The constant comparative method was adapted for data analysis.
RESULTS
In this study, nurses' work-family boundary management had characteristics of integration, maintenance and control, but it was adjusted and modified over time as the order of priorities was rearranged according to changes in internal cognition and family support. Nurses strategically persuaded their families to understand their work and share housework in an effort to integrate work and family, while controlling them by managing working hours and time for themselves.
CONCLUSION
The results of the study indicate that nurses' work has an impact on family life due to heavy workload and insufficient time, however the work-family balance can be successfully maintained with the effective separation of the two areas.

Keyword

Boundary; Family; Management; Nurses; Qualitative research

MeSH Terms

Child
Cognition
Housekeeping
Humans
Qualitative Research

Reference

1. Allen TD, Herst DE, Bruck CS, Sutton M. Consequences associated with work-to family conflict: A review and agenda for future research. J Occup Health Psychol. 2000. 5:278–308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.2.278.

2. Ashforth BE, Kreiner GE, Fugate M. All in a day's work: Boundaries and micro role transitions. Acad Manage Rev. 2000. 25:472–491.

3. Barriball KL, Coopamah V, Roberts J, Watts S. Evaluation of return to practice: The views of nurse returnees from three NHS hospital trusts. J Nurs Manag. 2007. 15:433–441. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2007.00653.x.

4. Bond TJ, Thompson CA, Galinsky E, Prottas D. Highlights of the 2002 national study of the changing workforce. 2003. New York: Families and Work Institute.

5. Bulger CA, Mattews RA, Hoffman ME. Work and personal life boundary management: Boundary strength, work/personal life balance, and the segmentation-integration continuum. J Occup Health Psychol. 2007. 12:365–375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.4.365.

6. Chesley N. Blurring boundaries? Linking technology use, spillover, individual distress, and family satisfaction. J Marriage Fam. 2005. 67:1237–1248. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00213.x.

7. Chung KS, Kim BB. Urge the guarantee of nurses' work-family balance. 2012. 06. 14. The Nursenews;A2.

8. Clark SC. Work/family border theory: A new theory of work/family balance. Hum Relat. 2000. 53:747–770. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726700536001.

9. Eby LT, Casper WJ, Lockwood A, Bordeaux C, Brinley A. Work and family research in IO/OB: Content analysis and review of the literature. J Vocat Behav. 2005. 66:124–197. http://dx.doi.org/org/10.1016/j.jvb.2003.11.003.

10. Fereday J, Oster C. Managing a work-life balance: The experiences of midwives working in a group practice setting. Midwifery. 2010. 26:311–318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2008.06.004.

11. Friedman SD, Christensen P, DeGroot J. Work and life: The end of the zero-sum game. Harv Bus Rev. 1998. 76(6):119–129.

12. Glaser BS, Strauss A. The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. 1967. Chicago: Aldine.

13. Hill EJ, Ferris M, Martinson V. Does it matter where you work? A comparison of how three work venues (traditional office, virtual office, and home office) influence aspects of work and personal/family life. J Vocat Behav. 2003. 63:220–241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791(03)00042-3.

14. Keene JR, Reynolds JR. The job costs of family demands: Gender differences in negative family-to-work spillover. J Fam Issue. 2005. 26:275–299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0192513X04270219.

15. Kim M. Nurses' work-family balance: The gender perspectives. J Korean Acad Nurs Adm. 2012. 18:87–95.

16. Kitto SC, Chesters J, Grbich C. Quality in qualitative research. Criteria for authors and assessors in the submission and assessment of qualitative research articles for the Medical Journal of Australia. Med J Aust. 2008. 188:243–246.

17. Kossek EE, Lautsch BA, Eaton SC. Telecommuting, control, and boundary management: Correlates of policy use and practice, job control, and work-family effectiveness. J Vocat Behav. 2006. 68:347–367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.07.002.

18. Kreiner GE. Consequences of work-home segmentation or integration: A person-environment fit perspective. J Organ Behav. 2006. 27:485–507. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.386.

19. Kreiner GE, Hollensbe EC, Sheep ML. Balancing borders and bridges: Negotiating the work-home interface via boundary work tactics. Acad Manage J. 2009. 52(4):704–730.

20. Lyness KS, Judiesch MK. Can a manager have a life and a career? International and multisource perspectives on work-life balance and career advancement potential. J Appl Psychol. 2008. 93:789–805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.4.789.

21. Matthews RA, Barnes-Farrell JL, Bulger CA. Advancing measurement of work and family domain boundary characteristics. J Vocat Behav. 2010. 77:447–460. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.05.008.

22. Mennino SF, Rubin BA, Brayfield A. Home-to-job and job-to-home spillover: The impact of company policies and workplace culture. Sociol Q. 2005. 46(1):107–135.

23. Neal MB, Hammer LB, Morgan DL. Pitt-Catsouphes M, Kossek EE, Sweet S, editors. Using mixed methods in research related to work and family. The work and family handbook: Multi-disciplinary perspectives, methods, and approaches. 2006. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum;587–606.

24. Nippert-Eng CE. Home and work: Negotiating boundaries through everyday life. 1996. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

25. Park Y, Jex SM. Work-home boundary management using communication and information technology. Int J Stress Manag. 2011. 18:133–152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0022759.

26. Pryce J, Albertsen K, Nielsen K. Evaluation of an open-rota system in a Danish psychiatric hospital: A mechanism for improving job satisfaction and work–life balance. J Nurs Manag. 2006. 14:282–288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2934.2006.00617.x.

27. Rudan VT. Where have all the nursing administration students gone?: Issues and solutions. J Nurs Adm. 2002. 32:185–188.

28. Sandall J. Midwives' burnout and continuity of care. Br J Midwifery. 1997. 5:106–111.

29. Strauss A, Corbin J. Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. 1998. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

30. Takeuchi T, Yamazaki Y. Relationship between work-family conflict and a sense of coherence among Japanese registered nurses. Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2010. 7:158–168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-7924.2010.00154.x.