Search

BACKGROUND: New forms of digital work such as crowdwork promise to increase potentials for flexible working. As crowdworkers can work highly autonomous and from anywhere at any time via the internet, they may be able to make work and private demands more compatible and avoid role conflicts between the life spheres, and in turn, experience enhanced well-being. OBJECTIVE: This research asked whether crowdworkers benefit from flexible working potentials. It investigated the association of the use of different dimensions of flexible working (flex-time, flex-place, and task autonomy) in crowdwork with work-life conflict and well-being. Moreover, it explored whether the relationship between flexible working and well-being was mediated by work-life conflict. METHODS: The study drew upon a sample of 470 crowdworkers from a cross-sectional self-assessment survey on four different German crowdwork platforms. Structural equation modeling was conducted to estimate the effects of flexible working on work-life conflict, somatic health symptoms, and life satisfaction. Indirect effects were estimated to test the mediation hypothesis. RESULTS: The findings suggest that if crowdworkers use temporal and task flexibility, they experience fewer work-life conflict, fewer somatic health symptoms, and greater life satisfaction. This does not apply to flex-place. The relationship between flexible working and well-being is partly mediated by work-life conflict experiences. CONCLUSION: This study supports that crowdwork offers a high potential for working highly autonomous and flexibly in time and place. It is associated with lower levels of work-life conflict and enhanced well-being, but the benefits of this flexibility are not universally included in crowdwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atypical working times have become an increasingly common reality for much of the workforce. While most of the research has focused on the negative impacts of shift work on employee health and family life, the possibility of enrichment between work and life roles has rather been neglected. Yet, it appears that shift workers may have some leeway in determining their own schedule through the use of "flex shifts", indicating a possibility to achieve a satisfying work-life balance. Through the lens of work-family boundary dynamics, our paper analyzes the choices and experiences of shift workers who can, to a certain degree, request shifts suiting their personal preferences. We conducted a qualitative research and led 59 semi-directive interviews with flight attendants and service directors from Canadian and German airlines. Our findings indicate the presence of work-life enrichment between shift work and other life roles, including but not limited to the family domain. Our results allow for a discussion on employees' right to flexible work and the construct of "work-life balance" in the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]