Record Detail

Against the backdrop of increasingly blurred
boundaries between work and nonwork, the purpose of this
study was to investigate the implications of employees’ work-
to-life boundary enactment for well-being. Using border/
boundary theory (as reported by Ashforth, Kreiner, &
Fugate (Academy of Management Review 25(3):472–491,
2000) and Clark (Human Relations 54(6):747–770, 2000))
and the effort-recovery model (as reported by Meijman &
Mulder (Handbook of work and organizational psychology
vol. 2 55–53, 1998)), we developed a research model that
links work-to-life integration enactment to exhaustion and im-
paired work-life balance via lack of recovery activities (as
reported by Sonnentag, Journal of Applied Psychology
88(3):518–528, 2003). The model was tested using structural
equation modeling. Our sample consisted of N = 1916 em-
ployees who were recruited via an online panel service.
Results showed that employees who scored high on work-
to-life integration enactment reported less recovery activities
and in turn were more exhausted and experienced less work-
life balance. Our study contributes to the existing literature on
boundary management by investigating the well-being impli-
cations of work-to-life boundary enactment and by suggesting
and testing recovery as an underlying mechanism. In doing so,
we link boundary enactment with existing theory of the work-
life interface. Based on our review of existent research on boundary management and well-being, we disentangle previ-
ous contradictory findings. Understanding of the well-being
implications of boundary enactment and underlying mecha-
nisms can help human resource professionals and practitioners
to devise and implement organizational policies and interven-
tions that enable employees to develop boundary management
strategies that are sustainable in that they do not impair em-
ployees’ well-being.