Is There a Downside to Schedule Control for the Work-Family Interface?

Using data from a 2007 U.S. survey of workers, this article examines the implications of schedule control for work-family role blurring and work-family conflict. Four main findings indicate that (a) schedule control is associated with more frequent working at home and work-family multitasking activities; (b) the positive association between schedule control and multitasking suppresses the negative association between schedule control and work-family conflict; (c) the positive association between working at home and multitasking is weaker among individuals with greater schedule control; and (d) the positive association between work-family multitasking and work-family conflict is weaker among individuals with greater schedule control. Our findings reveal previously undocumented mediating, suppression, and moderating patterns in the ways that schedule control contributes to work-family role blurring and work-family conflict. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for views of schedule control as a "resource" and theories about the borders in the work-family interface.