How Work–Nonwork Conflict Affects Remote Workers’ General Health in China: A Self-Regulation Theory Perspective

Abstract

Difficulty in balancing the demands of work and nonwork has been shown to be associated with lower physical and psychological health. Grounded on the self-regulation theory, we examined the effect of work–nonwork conflict on general health among employees who transitioned to remote work (remote workers), and we tested whether this association was mediated by impaired self-control capacity. The study further examined the perceived boundary control as a moderator of these associations. We collected two waves of questionnaire data with a one-month interval from 461 remote workers, and the results of regression-based analyses revealed that work–nonwork conflict was negatively related to remote workers’ general health through increased self-control capacity impairment. In addition, this indirect effect was weaker for remote workers with higher perceived boundary control than those with lower perceived boundary control. These findings expand our understanding of remote workers’ work–nonwork conflict and have practical implications for promoting the general health of remote workers who are experiencing work–nonwork conflict.