“I’ve Never Felt So Confused”: A Mixed-Method Study of Managing Family-to-Work Conflict During the Tripledemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected those with caregiving responsibilities and its impacts continue. Through the fall of 2022, the circulation of RSV, influenza, and COVID-19 – a “tripledemic” – placed parents and caregivers in precarious situations with few COVID-19 supports available and less flexibility in work arrangements, potentially increasing family-to-work conflict (FWC). This mixed-methods study incorporates online survey data from the January 2023 Alberta Viewpoint Survey (N = 1196) and interview data collected from May-August 2023 (N = 23) to study the strategies families and caregivers used during the tripledemic to manage FWC in a time of high uncertainty. We find that parents, especially mothers, were most likely to miss work for extended periods, leading to a greater potential for FWC among these groups. Parents’ ability to manage FWC depended on the resources available to them, which were highly unequal. Those who were able to take advantage of workplace, relationship, and network resources were better able to limit FWC during these uncertain times. Findings contribute to larger understandings of family-to-work conflict by highlighting how parents attempt to manage uncertainty and the inequalities in available resources.