The effects of work and nonwork boundary fit on role satisfaction and subjective well-being.

Abstract

Employees manage work and nonwork boundaries, or socially constructed lines of demarcation, in different ways due to their preferences and ability to do so. When an individual's integration-segmentation boundary enactment matches their boundary preference, they possess greater boundary fit. We examined the impact of work and nonwork boundary fit on subjective well-being, mediated by work and nonwork satisfaction. Results from a three-wave study confirmed positive direct effects for work/nonwork boundary fit on role satisfaction and role satisfaction on subjective well-being. We also found significant mediation effects for role satisfaction between work/nonwork boundary fit and subjective well-being. Overall, work boundary fit had stronger direct and indirect effects than nonwork boundary fit. This research helps clarify theoretical distinctions among work-nonwork fit constructs and extends the boundary fit literature through an atomistic fit perspective. Future research could consider examining boundary fit through cross-lagged panel designs and response surface modelling, as well as extending our model to examine nuanced aspects of boundary fit (e.g., physical, temporal, cognitive) and its relationship with additional outcomes (e.g., performance, burnout) and contextual factors (e.g., part-time vs. full-time employment, frontline vs. office-based employment).