Work-Life Balance in the New Normal: A Study of Performance and Well-Being Post-Pandemic

COVID-19 and the government shelter-in-place forced millions of traditional office employees to work outside their physical location, and instead, work as remote or work-from-home (WFH) employees. Even though the pandemic is over, this novel phenomenon has changed work characteristics and perceptions of employee outcomes moving forward. In addition, the mass exodus from office workers to remote workers has left a gap in the literature. The infrequency of remote workers before the pandemic is disproportionate to the many remote workers today, leaving the generalizability of WFH employee outcomes incomplete. The primary objective of this research is to examine the challenges associated with remote work, and their impact on the ability to balance professional obligations and family responsibilities. Examining the relationship between virtual work characteristics, autonomy and monitoring, and their effects on employee performance and well-being via work-home interference, we surveyed 381 full-time employees who work remotely at least one day a week. We found support for direct relationships between autonomy and performance and autonomy and work interference with family. In addition, we found direct relationships between work-home interference and performance and well-being. This study provides valuable insights into the experiences and perspectives of WFH employees.