Teleworking Couples Cultivating Work-Life Wellness: An Action-Project Method Study

Date
2023-08
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Abstract

In response to the growing number of workers in Canada who are hoping to work partially from home after the pandemic, this study explored teleworking couples’ pursuit of work-life wellness by addressing the question, “How do teleworking couples construct and cultivate work-life wellness together?” Participants were Canadian teleworkers and their domestic partners of longer than one year (5 dyads, 10 participants). Data were collected and analyzed using the action-project method, an exploratory qualitative research method associated with Contextual Action Theory. The study revealed that couples focused on a variety of individualized projects and managing and adapting telework to meet their individual and relationship needs. During the interview, participants (1) used humour to lighten serious conversational topics, (2) exhibited non-verbal signs of connection, (3) openly expressed perspectives, experiences, and needs, and (4) collaborated and worked as a team. Outside of the interview, participants reported (1) actions that reflected respect for boundaries, (2) telework impacting how they interact, (3) engaging in physical activity and exercise, and (4) having ongoing open conversations to resolve telework issues. Six additional themes were also noted: (1) the role of pets, (2) flexibility, (3) benefits of the traditional office, (4) impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, (5) physical space, and (6) overcoming past obstacles. The findings led to numerous important implications and applications for employers, practitioners, and policy-makers, which are discussed along with strengths and limitations of the study and directions for future research.

Description
Keywords
work-life wellness, telework, couple, romantic relationship
Citation
Como, R. (2023). Teleworking couples cultivating work-life wellness: an action-project method study (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.