What does the changing world of work mean for the family field? Should we be changing how we teach about family relationships and management to adapt to work that is anywhere, anytime, social, mobile, collaborative, and more results rather than place and time focused?
I think that the changing world of work, or as I have heard of it as “the New Ways of Working”, has and will change how we teach about family relationships and the management of work-family balance. The New Way of Working (NWW) consists of three components of change to the traditional meaning of work. “First, the timing of work has become more flexible… Second, NWW offers the employee various options for the place of work, including the office, home, and during the commuting time…Third, NWW are facilitated by new media technologies, such as smartphones, and videoconferencing”(Demerouti, Derks, Brummelhui, & Bakker, 2014). These aspects of the NWW make is possible for workers to have more flexibility and control over their work schedule and work environment, but can also lead to issues related to the breaking of the barrier between home and work (Demerouti, Derks, Brummelhui, & Bakker, 2014). The increased flexibility of the NWW makes it much easier for workers to complete their jobs at home and in result brings work more directly into their home and family life. “The continuing evolution of information and communication technologies (ICTs)… provides a means for increased work/home permeability and for current work/home boundaries” (Berkowsky, 2013). Current technologies allow for many workers to be, in a sense, always on call because their work, as well as their family and friends, are always able to contact them (Berkowsky, 2013).
This new definition of work-family relationship/balance should be taken into consideration by family professionals because the blending of these two sectors of life (work and home) now will change many aspects of the relationship that individuals have with their families, their work, and their friends. It is important to acknowledge that “this transformation of work/home boundaries can open the individual to increased levels of negative spillover” and can allow for work-related issues to interrupt time with family and friends and cause people to feel overworked (Demerouti, Derks, Brummelhui, & Bakker, 2014; Berkowsky, 2013). In this New Way of Working, people are better able to work where and when they want which allows for better flexibility. The strengths of the New Way of Working can be seen very prominently right now in the current time of stay at home orders due to COVID-19. The ability to be flexible on location and time and the high reliance on technologies has allowed many people to continue to work that would otherwise not be able to.
Although I believe that the New Way of Working has many benefits and is very adaptable to individuals and life changes, I think that it also allows for new challenges that people have not had to face as much in the past, and these are challenges that family professionals should be aware and responsive of. Some of these challenges include the ability to be interrupted both by friends and family while working and by work when spending time with friends and family (Berkowsky, 2013). Also, NWW has the potential to make people feel obligated to work more because they cannot simply leave work at work. In all, I believe that the New Way of Working had many positive aspects of more flexible working, as well as the potential to bring new stress and challenges home. Family Professionals now need to consider the strains that having work more closely intertwined with home life has on family dynamics.
Work Cited
Ronald W. Berkowsky. (2013). WHEN YOU JUST CANNOT GET AWAY. Information, Communication & Society. 16:4, 519-541, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2013.772650
Demerouti, E., Derks, D., Brummelhuis, L. L. T., & Bakker, A. B. (2014). New Ways of Working: Impact on Working Conditions, Work–Family Balance, and Well-Being. The Impact of ICT on Quality of Working Life.
Technology and the Family 