Managing Conflict by Managing Boundaries

Professional homework, that is, performing paid labor out of one's home, provides an opportunity to examine the spatial, temporal, behavioral, and social boundaries individuals create to manage role conflict and role overlap. Interviews were conducted with 104 homeworkers, and inventories of their homes were completed. Although there is considerable reported role overlap between work and domestic/leisure activities, this overlap does not necessarily lead to role conflict. Rescheduling work activities, maintaining a separate workspace, restricting access to the workspace, relocating activities outside the home, and eliminating and starting new activities are particular adjustments homeworkers make to minimize or avoid role conflict. An agenda for future work based on this exploratory study is suggested.