SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Organizational Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicEmployee Resilience - Volume IIView all articles
Always Available? A Systematic Review on Extended Work-Related Availability, Health Outcomes and Work-Family Conflict
Provisionally accepted
- German Police University, Münster, Germany
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This study critically explores the link between extended work availability, work-family conflict, and health outcomes through a systematic literature review, incorporating various theoretical frameworks, including the Work-Life Border Theory, the Job Demands-Resources Model, and the Conservation of Resources Theory. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 17 studies were selected for the final analysis. The review shows that higher levels of extended work availability are associated with increased work-family conflict and poorer health outcomes, notably higher stress, burnout, and reduced mental well-being. The research identifies key moderating factors such as organizational conditions (like structural autonomy and workload control) and boundary management style, which can lessen or intensify the negative impacts of extended work availability. These results deepen the understanding of the complex, conditional relationship between extended work availability and work-family conflict, highlighting the need for nuanced, context-aware strategies that address individual differences and organizational set-tings. This work provides valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance for managing the chal-lenges of extended working hours in modern organizations. For future studies, examining additional moderation effects is recommended, employing longitudinal designs, and broadening the research scope to include high-risk professions.
Keywords: Job Demands-Resources model, Work-Life Border theory, Conservation of resources theory, work-related information and communication technology use, Well-being
Received: 16 Oct 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Renk and Sutter. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Simon Renk
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