Verschwimmen die Grenzen? Auswirkungen von Vertrauensarbeitszeit auf die Schnittstelle von Arbeit und Privatleben

Trust-based working time allows employees freely determining their working hours and occasionally working from home. But what are the consequences for private and professional lives as well as their interaction? Our study shows that in comparison to employees with other working time arrangements, the boundaries between work and non-work lives of employees under trust-based working time are more blurred. The permeability of boundaries between life domains is, however, asymmetrical: Work is integrated much more into private life than vice versa. The opposite asymmetry is found with regards to preferences for segmentation of life domains. Regardless of their working time arrangement, employees consider it more important to keep work-related issues out of their private lives than vice versa. We investigate the factors that influence the blurriness of boundaries, such as home office, number of working hours, and availability. Mediation analyses show that the relationship between trust-based working time and the segmentation of life domains is mediated by individual preferences and norms to be available for the employer even in the evenings or on weekends.