Work–Nonwork Policies and Practices: The Strategic Opportunity to Consider Organizational Boundary Management Strategies

Abstract

Work–nonwork policies and practices provide support for employee well-being, as well as a competitive advantage that can help differentiate organizations. However, not all work–nonwork policies and practices are effective, utilized, or relevant. In this chapter, the authors introduce “organizational boundary management strategy” as a way to leverage these policies and practices, making them more widely adopted and more effective. Organizational boundary management strategy refers to how an organization as a whole tends to support workers’ work–nonwork boundaries (i.e., via segmentation, integration, or somewhere in between). Although boundary management has historically tended to focus on how individuals navigate distinctions between work and personal life, the authors extend boundary management to the organization to suggest how understanding and aligning the organization’s overall boundary management strategies can support worker well-being. To expound on this, the authors present a model suggesting how organizational boundary management can be used to support worker well-being.

Citation

Cobb, H.R. and Brummel, B.J. (2023), "Work–Nonwork Policies and Practices: The Strategic Opportunity to Consider Organizational Boundary Management Strategies", Harms, P.D. and Chang, C.-H.(D). (Ed.) Stress and Well-being at the Strategic Level (Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being, Vol. 21), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 45-64. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-355520230000021003