2025/06/24 by Richard J. Petts, Daniel L. Carlson, Wen Fan · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics #Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving #Work-Family Balance Challenges
paper · doi:10.1177/21568693251344326
openalex publication_date 2025/06/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/23
Remote and hybrid work have received much attention since the expansion of off-site work following the COVID-19 pandemic. Research on the effects of these arrangements on workers’ well-being, however, is mixed, likely because studies rarely account for workers’ workplace preferences. Using data from the 2023 wave of the Study on U.S. Parents’ Divisions of Labor During COVID-19 (SPDLC), we assess the association between work-place mismatch (misalignment between preferred and actual work locations) and both work-family conflict and psychological well-being (stress and depressive symptoms) among partnered working parents. Results suggest that most parents report some degree of work-place mismatch, with on-site workers reporting the highest work-place mismatch. We also find that work-place mismatch is positively associated with work-family conflict and negatively associated with parents’ psychological well-being. After accounting for work-place mismatch, parents who work on-site report lower work-family conflict and higher psychological well-being than remote and hybrid workers. Overall, results highlight the need to account for workers’ preferences in understanding the association between work conditions, work-family conflict, and psychological well-being.