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The hidden pitfalls of flexibility: how work flexibility can promote strain and work–family conflict through telepressure

Brandon W. Smit,Nabi Ebrahimi,Tamara A. Montag‐Smit,Scott L. Boyar,C. Maertz

Published 2025 in Journal of Managerial Psychology

ABSTRACT

PurposeThis study examines the potential drawbacks of work flexibility ability, defined as the ability of individuals to move between work and home domains. Drawing from job demands-resources theory, we test a model that demonstrates how flexibility can increase strain rather than mitigate it.Design/methodology/approachWe utilized a three-wave panel of 266 employees from diverse occupations.FindingsWe find that work flexibility ability can increase telepressure – defined as a sense of preoccupation with work-related messages – but only among individuals with a high future focus. Furthermore, a greater sense of telepressure was linked to both exhaustion and work interference with family (WIF). Indirect effects revealed that for individuals with a high future focus, flexibility increased exhaustion and WIF via greater telepressure.Practical implicationsEmployees utilizing flexible work policies can mitigate stress by setting clear boundaries with communication technology to avoid experiencing a chronic preoccupation with work.Originality/valueThis study highlights the paradoxical role of resources, such as flexibility in work arrangements, in facilitating both motivation and strain outcomes. It reveals that resources such as flexibility, when combined with a future temporal focus, can lead to exhaustion and WIF.

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