Virtual Work and Work-Life Balance for Managers

Abstract

The overall objective of the study is to analyze whether the possibility of working virtually generates work-family balance and well-being for managers. More specifically, we ask: Does virtual technology make the reconciliation of work and family life easier or more complicated? Does it prolong or shorten the workday? Are those who have a positive attitude toward the technology more likely to experience well-being than others? An online questionnaire was sent to CEOs and vice CEOs in the 500 largest companies and to heads of the largest governmental institutions in Iceland. The response rate was 50%. The method of analysis is Fisher's exact test, binomial test for goodness-of-fit, and logit regressions. The majority of managers say that virtual technology prolongs the workday and around half of them view the reconciliation of work and family life as becoming more complicated. However, they say the reconciliation of work and family is becoming easier. Men who say that virtual technology decreases their well-being are more likely than other men to experience stress, exhaustion, and to find their job demanding. We do not see the same connection among women. It is important that human resource managers and those who are responsible for the work environment and occupational health define a policy about virtual work in order to prevent excessively high workloads and negative effects from work to family.