When does work-family conflict occur?

The present research examines diurnal patterns of work-family conflict episodes in a sample of 106 working adults collected every two hours over three days. Using boundary theory, we explore the timing of work-family conflict throughout the day and examine daily and weekly transitions as predictors of work-family conflict occurrence. We contrast two theoretical perspectives which suggest that transitions are a point for potential spillover and regulation failure (Ashforth et al., 2000), and that transitions necessarily shift resources, creating conflict attributions (Matthews et al., 2014). Results show work-family conflict occurs at all times of the day, and that family-to-work conflict has a distinct diurnal pattern. The timing of work-family conflict can be predicted by temporal and spatial transitions, the start and end of scheduled work times, and standard evening transition times. Both spillover and attributional perspectives were supported for self-reported transitions, but only spillover rationale was supported for scheduled transitions. Follow-up analyses suggest temporal transitions and rapid transitions are particularly strong correlates of work-family conflict episodes. In addition, role flexibility and permeability did not modify the relationship between transition occurrence and work-family conflict occurrence. This study yields novel theoretical and practical insight into the timing of work-family conflict episodes, and rigorously tests boundary theory. • We examine daily patterns of work-family conflict episodes. • Work-to-family conflict is equally likely to occur throughout the day, and family-to-work conflict peaks in the morning. • Work-family conflict is two to six times more likely when making moving between work and family time and locations. • Scheduled and rapid transitioning are also associated with increased likelihood of work-family conflict episodes. • Patterns suggest two mechanisms linking transitions and work-family conflict: lack of regulation and role prioritization.