Work–family balance – validation of a measurement instrument in a sample of Portuguese workers

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to study the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Work–family balance (WFB) scale, developed by Carlson et al. (2009), as well as demonstrating that the WFB is a different construct from the work–family conflict (WFC) and the family–work conflict (FWC). Additionally, this study intended to verify if the work–family balance construct is invariant in the different work regimes (face-to-face work, hybrid work, teleworking), and between men and women.Design/methodology/approachSnow-ball convenience sample of 224 workers; psychometric analysis of the different scales/constructs analyzed by confirmatory analysis using R/Lavaan.FindingsThe results obtained show that the WFB scale presents factor and convergent validity, and high reliability. The WFB construct is negatively correlated with the WFC and FWC constructs. The WFB is a different construct from the WFC and FWC. The WFB is invariant both in workers subjected to different work regimes, and sexes.Originality/valueThe conceptualization and measurement of the work–family relationship has been the subject of several studies. Among the different conceptual approaches to this relationship, WFB has been the least studied and, in terms of human resource management, it is the one that has the best relationship with sustainability and organizational performance. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to obtain a valid and reliable WFB measures, to be used by both academics and human resources professionals.