Sustainable Work–Life Balance, Social Support, and Workload: Exploring the Potential Dual Role of Flexible Work in a Moderated Mediation Model
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Literature Background, Conceptual Framework, and Hypotheses
2.1. Cognitive Demands of Flexible Work: Dual Role as Job Resource (Challenge Demand) or a Job Demand?
2.2. Job Demand-Resource (JD-R) Model
2.3. Aim of the Study and Hypothesis Development
- (1)
- Are the cognitive demands of flexible work (i.e., structuring of work tasks, planning of working times, planning of working places, coordinating with others) positively or negatively related to WLC?
- (2)
- Are these same cognitive demands of flexible work positively or negatively related to workload?
2.4. The Mediating Relationship of Mental Workload Between Cognitive Demands of Flexible Work and Work–Life Conflict (WLC)
2.5. Perceived Organization Support as a Protective Factor in Flexible Work Settings in the Mediated Relationship Between Cognitive Demands of Flexible Work and Work–Life Conflict
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Data Collection and Participants
3.2. Measures
3.3. Control Variables
3.4. Data Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Measurement Model Evaluation and Statistical Assumptions
4.2. Descriptive Statistics and Bivariate Correlation
4.3. Open Research Questions and Hypothesis Testing
4.3.1. Direct Effects
4.3.2. Mediating Effects
4.3.3. Moderated Mediation Effects
5. Discussion
5.1. Theoretical Contribution and Conclusions
5.2. Practical and Social Implications
5.3. Limitations and Future Research
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
CDFW | Cognitive Demands of Flexible Work |
WLC | Work–Life Conflict |
WLB | Work–Life Balance |
POS | Perceived Organizational Support |
WO | Workload |
References
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AVE | CR | ALPHA | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Structuring of work tasks | 0.627 | 0.834 | 0.927 |
2 | Planning of working time | 0.689 | 0.869 | 0.968 |
3 | Planning of working place | 0.733 | 0.891 | 0.891 |
4 | Coordinating with others | 0.609 | 0.822 | 0.810 |
5 | Workload | 0.639 | 0.876 | 0.875 |
6 | Perceived organizational support | 0.630 | 0.910 | 0.909 |
7 | Work–life balance interference | 0.530 | 0.691 | 0.681 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Structuring of work tasks | 0.792 | ||||||
2. Planning of working time | 0.359 | 0.830 | |||||
3. Planning of working place | 0.336 | 0.640 | 0.856 | ||||
4. Coordinating with others | 0.575 | 0.307 | 0.403 | 0.905 | |||
5. Workload | 0.278 | −0.024 | 0.194 | 0.269 | 0.799 | ||
6. Perceived Organizational Support | 0.205 | 0.290 | 0.182 | 0.119 | −0.007 | 0.793 | |
7. Work–life balance | 0.272 | 0.362 | 0.563 | 0.297 | 0.188 | 0.058 | 0.728 |
M | SD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Age | 47.6 | 7.86 | 1 | ||||||||||
2. Gender | 1.41 | 0.49 | −0.080 | 1 | |||||||||
3. Duration of employment in PA | 17.7 | 9.40 | 0.651 ** | −0.150 ** | 1 | ||||||||
4. Working hours | 35.0 | 8.17 | 0.050 | −0.171 ** | 0.169 ** | 1 | |||||||
5. Structuring of WTs | 3.49 | 0.89 | 0.044 | 0.014 | 0.010 | 0.101 * | 1 | ||||||
6. Planning of WTs | 2.81 | 1.17 | −0.088 | −0.042 | −0.045 | 0.081 | 0.315 ** | 1 | |||||
7. Planning of WPs | 2.81 | 1.17 | −0.190 ** | 0.091 | −0.144 ** | 0.060 | 0.302 ** | 0.561 ** | 1 | ||||
8. Coordinating with others | 3.44 | 0.91 | −0.093 | 0.030 | −0.069 | 0.175 ** | 0.494 ** | 0.309 ** | 0.394 ** | 1 | |||
9. Workload | 2.35 | 0.76 | −0.040 | 0.113 * | −0.050 | 0.148 ** | 0.257 ** | 0.136 ** | 0.337 ** | 0.286 ** | 1 | ||
10. Perceived Organizational Support | 3.08 | 0.92 | −0.033 | 0.056 | −0.054 | −0.032 | 0.202 ** | 0.252 ** | 0.167 ** | 0.129 ** | 0.025 | 1 | |
11. Work–life conflict | 4.54 | 0.87 | −0.183 ** | 0.049 | −0.181 ** | 0.109 * | 0.206 ** | 0.274 ** | 0.438 ** | 0.249 ** | 0.360 ** | 0.046 | 1 |
WLC | Workload | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Model 1 | β | Critical Ratio | p | β | Critical Ratio | p |
Age | −0.042 | −0.733 | 0.463 | 0.037 | 0.627 | 0.531 |
Gender | 0.011 | 0.249 | 0.803 | 0.095 | 2.078 | 0.038 |
Duration of employment in PA | −0.113 | −1.953 | 0.062 | −0.037 | −0.616 | 0.538 |
Working Hours | 0.095 | 2.114 | 0.040 | 0.127 | 2.731 | 0.006 |
Structuring of WTs | 0.064 | 1.257 | 0.232 | 0.130 | 2.491 | 0.014 |
Planning of WTs | 0.025 | 0.460 | 0.683 | −0.114 | −2.082 | 0.058 |
Planning of WPs | 0.358 | 6.465 | <0.001 | 0.302 | 5.311 | <0.001 |
Coordinating with others | 0.040 | 0.752 | 0.454 | 0.114 | 2.101 | 0.065 |
R2 | 0.226 | 0.182 |
Model | Direct E. Estimate | Direct Effect | Indirect E. Estimate | Indirect E. 95% BC Boostrap CI (5000 Samples) | Total E. Estimate | Total Effect | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LLCI | ULCI | LLCI | ULCI | LLCI | ULCI | ||||
SW → WO → WLC | 0.034 | −0.072 | 0.128 | 0.030 | 0.007 | 0.061 | 0.064 | −0.042 | 0.159 |
PT → WO → WLC | 0.050 | −0.065 | 0.158 | −0.026 | −0.064 | −0.001 | 0.025 | −0.090 | 0.139 |
PP → WO → WLC | 0.290 | 0.176 | 0.402 | 0.069 | 0.033 | 0.117 | 0.358 | 0.242 | 0.470 |
CO → WO → WLC | −0.014 | −0.080 | 0.790 | 0.026 | 0.000 | 0.059 | 0.040 | −0.062 | 0.135 |
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Bellini, D.; Barbieri, B.; Mondo, M.; De Simone, S.; Marocco, S. Sustainable Work–Life Balance, Social Support, and Workload: Exploring the Potential Dual Role of Flexible Work in a Moderated Mediation Model. Sustainability 2025, 17, 7067. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157067
Bellini D, Barbieri B, Mondo M, De Simone S, Marocco S. Sustainable Work–Life Balance, Social Support, and Workload: Exploring the Potential Dual Role of Flexible Work in a Moderated Mediation Model. Sustainability. 2025; 17(15):7067. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157067
Chicago/Turabian StyleBellini, Diego, Barbara Barbieri, Marina Mondo, Silvia De Simone, and Silvia Marocco. 2025. "Sustainable Work–Life Balance, Social Support, and Workload: Exploring the Potential Dual Role of Flexible Work in a Moderated Mediation Model" Sustainability 17, no. 15: 7067. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157067
APA StyleBellini, D., Barbieri, B., Mondo, M., De Simone, S., & Marocco, S. (2025). Sustainable Work–Life Balance, Social Support, and Workload: Exploring the Potential Dual Role of Flexible Work in a Moderated Mediation Model. Sustainability, 17(15), 7067. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157067