Using Job Demands–Resources Theory to Predict Work–Life Balance among Academicians in Private Universities in Egypt during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Employers are divided into those who support their employees to achieve work–life balance and others who believe that employees should devote anything in their life to fulfilling work obligations. Employees in different occupations struggle to balance their work and life adequately. Especially during the pandemic, the barriers between work and life diminished. This study proposes that self-efficacy could be a potential moderator under personal resources. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources Theory (JD–R) and Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), this study empirically tested the role of emotional demands and supervisor support in predicting the academicians’ perception of work–life balance in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 504 academicians employed in the top 10 private universities in Egypt. Results reveal that emotional demands and supervisor support were related to work–life balance. Self-efficacy moderated the relationship between supervisor support and work–life balance. However, self-efficacy did not moderate the relationship between emotional demands and work–life balance. Our findings provide new insights, contribute to the literature on the work–life balance topic among academicians during the pandemic, and enhance the universities’ understanding of implementing strategies to help achieve a work–life balance.