When working from home might come at a cost: the relationship between family boundary permeability, overwork climate and exhaustion

PurposeDrawing on boundary theory, this study aims to analyse whether the intensity of working from home will be related to higher exhaustion through family boundary permeability, with this relationship being more robust when overwork climate is high.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper eight hundred eighty-three white-collar employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania were surveyed online.FindingsThe results confirmed the hypotheses, demonstrating that family boundary permeability may explain the relationship between telework intensity and exhaustion. Furthermore, the mediating relationship between the intensity of working from home, family boundary permeability and exhaustion were moderated by overwork climate. Employees who felt the pressure to overwork were more likely to have a more permeable family boundary when working from home and appeared to experience a much higher psychological cost in terms of emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThe study provides an insight into the relationships between the intensity of working from home, boundary permeability and exhaustion and their boundary conditions when working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.