When work enters the home: Antecedents of role boundary permeability behavior

Boundary permeability is the degree to which a boundary allows elements from another role domain, such as work, to enter the focal role domain, such as the home. The more extensively work-related elements enter the home domain, the more permeable the home role boundary. Based on a person-situation interactionist perspective, this research builds on prior theoretical and empirical work to better understand how three personal characteristics (home role identity salience, work role identity salience, and polychronicity) and two situational factors (pressure for precedence from the work and home domains) influence the permeability of the home role boundary. Findings from a two-wave employee survey indicate that home role identity salience and polychronicity are indirectly related to home role boundary permeability behavior through permeability preference, and that the relationship between permeability preference and permeability behavior is attenuated by pressure from one's manager to prioritize work over home.