Work-life balance (WLB) is defined as "satisfaction and good functioning at work and at home, with a minimum of role conflict" (Clark, 2000, page 751) and is a topic that has garnered increasing attention in the research and popular press over the past 40 years. This dissertation seeks to more fully understand how individuals come to experience work-life balance and what factors help contribute to feelings of satisfaction with balance. These factors include contextual variables such as beliefs about team and manager support and team flexibility, individual behavior variables such as behavioral detachment, flexibility use and work hours, individual psychological variables such as psychological detachment, control or work, and autonomy, and individual demographic variables such as family status and job level. Outcomes related to feelings of work-life balance are also investigated, including performance, retention intentions and emotional exhaustion. A multi-level, multi-method approach was utilized to explore these relationships. All three studies were conducted within the same organization that granted access for the purpose of this dissertation. Study 1 utilized archival data that was gathered with intact teams so that team level relationships could be investigated. Study 2 was a qualitative interview study that sought to more fully capture nuances in individual experiences or work life balance and more deeply delve into reasons why individuals were having difficulty maintaining a satisfactory balance. Study 3 was a quantitative survey study that used findings form Study 2 to increase the number of constructs investigated from Study 1 and attempt to more accurately assess the complexity of what contributes to work-life balance formation.Among the many findings of these three studies, one of the strongest findings had to do with psychological detachment, work life balance and emotional exhaustion. These findings indicate that those who are better able to psychologically detach from work (even at higher levels of workload) are more satisfied with work-life balance and experience lower levels of emotional exhaustion as compared to their less detached peers. These results along with many others are discussed along with future areas for research and practical implications.
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