Navigating role conflict: How time management shapes workplace connections

Highlights

• Role conflict, defined as the tension resulting from competing demands between work and family responsibilities, is an increasingly prevalent challenge for professionals.
• This study found that workers facing daily role conflict view workplace interactions as threats to balancing work and family. To protect both roles, they control these interactions, but in turn, experience less workplace belonging and fewer opportunities to share support and advice. In contrast, workers without daily role conflict encourage interactions, which often extends work into non-work hours, but fosters a stronger sense of belonging and increased opportunities.
• The study suggests expanding our perspectives on workplace devotion: a worker may show commitment through focused, efficient work rather than constant availability.

A colleague knocks on your office door to start a conversation, you bump into someone in the hallway who wants to chat, or after a meeting ends, the discussion shifts to unrelated topics. In these moments, do you stay engaged or excuse yourself, citing the need to focus on pressing tasks? What if you have to stick to a 9-to-5 schedule, given your family responsibilities?

These situations are familiar to many professionals who experience role conflict: the tension that arises from competing work and family demands. In recent years, this challenge has become increasingly common across professions. While much research has explored how role conflict impacts family commitments and relationships, its influence on workplace interactions remains underexamined. In response to this gap, Professors Vanessa Conzon and Ruthanne Huising investigated how professionals facing role conflict navigate unpredictable and time-intensive workplace interactions.

The researchers drew on ethnographic data from 72 STEM professionals across three organizations. Their study involved shadowing participants throughout their workday, followed by end-of-day interviews. Additionally, some participants completed time diaries for two separate days. Notably, 60% of the participants had children of high school age or younger.

Managing role conflict

Through analyzing field notes and interview transcripts, the researchers found that interactions with colleagues often posed significant time management challenges. These interactions were typically initiated by others, varied unpredictably in frequency and duration, and were often socially awkward to cut short. As a result, workers with more versus less role conflict employed different strategies to navigate these engagements:

1. Workers who experience more daily role conflict (e.g., parents with extensive childcare responsibilities)

These individuals regulated their workplace interactions to protect both family commitments and their limited time. Their approach involved controlling workplace interactions by minimizing encounters perceived as social or peripheral in order to efficiently manage tasks. By doing so, they were able to complete most of their work within standard work hours and make time for family.

However, this approach inadvertently weakened their workplace relationships, limiting their sense of belonging (e.g., closeness, trust, attachment) and access to informal exchanges (e.g., information, advice, resources). Although these workers excelled at completing tasks efficiently, they often missed out on informal support, such as advice, invitations to collaborate, or word-of-mouth opportunities to join new projects.

Although these workers excelled at completing tasks efficiently, they often missed out on informal support…

2. Workers who experience less daily role conflict

Workers who experience less daily role conflict often adopt encouraging practices when managing workplace interactions. They actively engage in interactions, fostering connections with colleagues. While this engagement frequently extends their work hours into evenings and weekends, it strengthens their sense of belonging and enriches exchanges.

Their workplace relationships are marked by greater closeness, trust, and attachment, which, in turn, facilitate the flow of advice, information, and resources. This positive reinforcement creates a cyclical effect, where the value placed on collegial relationships motivates continued engagement, further strengthening their professional networks and expanding access to new opportunities.

This research highlights how, while limiting workplace interactions can help manage role conflict, it can also hinder the development of workplace relationships. Traditionally, the “ideal worker” is constantly accessible and ready to engage at any time. This study challenges that assumption, emphasizing that time-conscious work can also signal dedication. By introducing the “occupied worker”—someone who demonstrates commitment through focused, efficient work and streamlined interactions rather than constant availability—this research broadens our understanding of workplace devotion.

Traditionally, the “ideal worker” is constantly accessible and ready to engage at any time. This study challenges that assumption, emphasizing that time-conscious work can also signal dedication.

Cultivating more inclusive work cultures

Building on these findings, Professors Conzon and Huising suggest that organizations can cultivate a more inclusive work culture by acknowledging diverse ways of demonstrating commitment. Key implications for organizations include:

1. Structured relationship-building:
   Implementing mentorship programs can help employees build meaningful connections without requiring time-consuming small talk, supporting those with limited time to engage in professional relationships.
2. Support for flexible work:
   Remote and flexible work arrangements offer critical support for employees with caregiving responsibilities, particularly women, who often shoulder a disproportionate share of childcare. Flexible policies can help create a more equitable and balanced work environment.
3. Shift focus from “facetime” to results:
   By prioritizing outcomes over physical presence, organizations can challenge outdated assumptions about dedication and support alternative workstyles that prioritize efficiency and focus.

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Research brief prepared by:

Kuan Su