Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test for correlation of after-hours work communication on work-life balance and job satisfaction. The correlation results did not conform to the expectations derived from the literature. Thus, we used follow-up qualitative interviews to understand why the study-participants did not experience a reduction in work-life balance or job satisfaction. Results of the correlations showed a weak positive correlation between after-hours communication via computer and cellphone with work-life balance and job satisfaction. Follow-up interviews showed that participants enjoyed the flexibility afforded by after-hours work communication that contributed to positive work satisfaction and greater balance of work and family. Work after-hours was not viewed as added work, but as an opportunity for flexibility, with a greater focus on family. Recent research confirms this development. Findings imply an organizational need for flexibility to further ensure work-life balance and job satisfaction in light of technological advancements.

Key Words: After-Hours Communication, Facebook, Computer-Assisted Communication, Working From Home, Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, Flexibility.

Authors’ Bio

*      Arian T. Moore, Ph.D., serves as an adjunct professor for a number of universities teaching leadership and communication courses. She currently teaches the Leadership and Communication course at Ottawa University and Organizational Communication at Indiana Wesleyan University. She is Editor-in-Chief of Bibs & Business Magazine, a magazine providing resources for working mothers on work life balance. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University.

**    Kathleen Patterson, Ph.D. is a Professor and the Director of the Doctor of Strategic Leadership program in the School of Business & Leadership at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A. She is noted as an expert on servant leadership, and coordinates an annual Servant Leadership Research Roundtable in Virginia Beach, and has co-coordinated three Global Servant Leadership Research Roundtables, in the Netherlands, Australia, and Iceland.

***  Bruce Winston Ph.D. is a Professor of Business and Leadership with the School of Business and Leadership at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A. He is the Director of Regent’s PhD in Organizational Leadership Program.

****James A. (Andy) Wood, Jr., Ph.D. is an adjunct professor of Organizational Leadership at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A., as well as a professional leadership coach and consultant. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University.

^JCMR    Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 11, No. 2, October 2019, pp. 1 - 14