Understanding the Relation between Frequency of Technology Usage on Work life Balance: The Role of Age, Occupation and Education

Abstract

Background: Technology, such as computers, laptops and tablets, negatively affects work-life balance due to work and non-work conflicts an individual experiences. This directly affects an individual’s well-being and quality of life, as they experience conflicts between roles within work and non-work domains and challenges in setting boundaries. This study aims to investigate whether the frequency of technology use of computers, laptops and tablets in work is associated with work-life balance. This study explores work-life balance and technology use further by using the Ideal Worker Norm, Role Conflict Theory and Boundary Theory and investigates whether there are differences in the association between workers of different ages, occupations and educational backgrounds. Methods: A quantitative analysis of secondary cross-sectional data was conducted. The data came from the OECD 2020 Risks that Matter Survey and was collected from over 25.000 respondents across 25 countries. The study focused on working Dutch respondents (N=951) and was analyzed using Pearson’s Partial Correlation and Hierarchical Regression Analyses via IBM SPSS Statistics v28. Results: The results were threefold. First, they revealed a positive association between work-life balance and frequency of technology use r(949)=.090,p<.05. Second, they revealed a positive correlation for moderator age for workers under the age of 45 and work-life balance (b=.319,p<.001). Third, the results showed no statistically significant correlation for moderator's occupation (b=.218,p=.520) and education (b= -.008,p=.945). Conclusion: This study confirms that work-life balance is associated with frequency of technology use of computers, laptops and tablets and that this is moderated by age. Future research is recommended to deepen the understanding of this relationship and assert causality.