Exploring Remote Work Influence on Relationship Resilience
Abstract
The link between remote work and relationship resilience has become the most important aspect of social psychology, encompassing both physical and psychological well-being. This research aims to discover the impact of remote work on relationship resilience and ultimately to understand its effect on career satisfaction, particularly in an era of technological advancement and the shift of work affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the primary goal of this study is to understand boundaries in professional and personal lives that influence emotional well-being. By integrating the diary method, this study aims to capture day-to-day activities while exploring real-time data based on individual experiences. Utilizing cluster sampling of 20 adults engaged in remote work actively involved in a romantic relationship, married, or seeking marriage, this study aims to focus on work experience, the fusion of technology, relationship dynamics, personal/professional communication, and career satisfaction, through thematic analysis analyzing the complex dynamic of work and relationship. It offers a pathway for future studies to explore and examine this dynamic and support future policies, procedures, or strategies for this transformation.
Keywords: Remote Work, Relationship Resilience, Work-Life Balance, Mental Well-Being
Exploring Remote Work Influence on Relationship Resilience
The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of technology is reshaping personal professional lives continuously fostering a new work dynamic while redefining communication and connection among individuals (Prodanova & Kocarev, 2022), a new avenue for work and relationship, encouraging companies to create innovative measures to adapt and develop new structures while adjusting to the change. The continues globally shift additionally resulted in a rapid growth and expansion of technology effecting personal and professional lives. Therefore, this is study seeks to highlight the ever-growing shift while examine the impacted of this transition on relationship resilience among adults impacted by this shift while working from home, providing an avenue to understand the dynamic of work and the resulting relationship satisfaction. Seeking to explore the impact of professional career on mental health and a need to better understand its effect (Andrews & Wan, 2009).
This study focuses to understand how individuals cope with their daily work environment and responsibilities while also working towards building and maintaining a healthy relationship with their partners. Likewise, by understanding the impact of work on relationship this study also seeks to understand if this new work environment has resulted in boundaries becoming blurred making relationship challenging, resulting in an unhealthy relationship formation or if this change has triggered positive relationship formation developing a healthier connection among couples. Seeking to explore various emotional and physical factors to understanding how remote work can affect relationship. By interpreting participants day-to-day interactions and their influence on their relationship based on work environment and work dynamics, seeking to understand outcomes related to relationship resilience and ultimately their overall mental health state.
Through examining the effects of remote works dynamic on relationship resilience this study seeks to understand individual differences on coping strategies used as a mediator in personal and professional lives highlighting the connection of remote work and relationship in hope of creating new pathways toward better future developments of strategies that can be utilized to advocating new implementation, plans, or policies that employers and employees can implement as a mediator to advance personal and professional lives one step at a time. Recognizing the importance of emotional connection and emotional well-being therefore become one of the most important steps in both personal and professional lives helping to shape and support employees achieve work-life balance while recognizing the importance of the role work can play achieving balance.
One of the most important aspect of individuality is characterized by one’s influence and impact to the world, changing the meaning of career and it long term effect a way to create meaning in life while giving purpose both in world outlook and the influence on life domains, shaping views and act as a motivator to support and help develop positive outlook and internal balance (Shimura et al., 2023). Maslow's hierarchy of needs when regarding balance suggest that elements supporting individualization through life can be seen as personal need ranging from basic survival to self-actualization (Koltko-Rivera, 2006); work, therefore, can serves not only as a mean to provide personal and psychological needs but rather to support as a foundation of safety, belonging, esteem, and ultimately self-actualization (Koltko-Rivera, 2006), effecting all aspects of his hierarchy.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs recognition and acknowledgment thereby can offer an understanding of inner desires a mean to develop and grow personal interpretations of supporting inner respect, while forming self-esteem, building recognition, forming strength, and delivering autonomy, incorporating safety, and psychological needs. Thus, a healthy work environment acts not only as a unidimensional aspect of life but rather a multidimensional concept that can provide tools needed to achieve inner desires, a sense of security, emotional well-being, while supporting the building block of positive personal and professional relationships (Koltko-Rivera, 2006).
Koltko-Rivera, (2006) explores personal relationship in life as it is considered an essential feature marked by love and belonging though Maslow’s interpretations of his hierarchy of needs. Thereby creating a fundamental aspect for forming connection, intimacy, and love supporting the recognition of true emotional states and well-being. Consequently, the foundation of need is marked as a key to balance an essential factor to recognize the role of work and relationship and the given impact once united.
Technology likewise in maintaining a relationship act as a critical role both as a facilitator and/or as a barrio; thus, examining the role of technology and its impacts is plays a role within relationship is another aspect of this study as technology can both be seen or regarded as an enablers to connect and build relationships providing flexibility while also it can be seen as a challenge or a barrio in maintaining traditional boundaries creating a separation or a mixture of boundary within work and personal lives.
Work and its nature or condition involves aspects seen in society incorporating high powers influencing physiological well-being and resilience in both personal and professional lives; however, today an era where remote work, the rise of technological, coped with emotional dependency is continuously rising works nature has becomes normalized and minimalized due to lack of adequate research and at times boundaries among work and relationship become overlooked or neglected resulting in negative consequences (Ali et al., 2023). Thus, the boundaries in personal and professional lives supporting to shape and drive willingness to drive must be recognized and reinforced as understanding this missing link is marked as a crucial step to develop personal recognition and most importantly creating an awareness of opportunities to grow, develop, adjust, or embrace new possibilities creating a true work-life balance. Therefore, by examining the effect or impact of remote work this study aims to uncover the multifaceted modes in which remote work has or have shaped lives and is continuing to reshape logistical aspect of professional and personal lives.
Consequently in this new era examining the role of remote work and its effect on relationship while concentrating on personal and professional aspects particularly regarding personal and professional communication, relationship satisfaction, and personal support within relationship becomes highly important and valuable in this society especially when regarding personal development and overall well-being.
Literature review
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, there has been a significant shift, a constant move toward a transition of work impacting personal and professional aspects of life incorporating work environment and social interactions impacting relationships of those working remotely (Van et al., 2021). A new shift impacting professional and personal lives on a global scale, a change that has become increasingly impactful in ways day-to-day interactions are done. Van et al. (2021) discovered critical factors incorporating such adjustment to remote work from an on-sit positions. This transition has been linked to higher employees’ career satisfaction considering the environmental factor of their positions. Thus, factor such as, work outcome, perceived work performances, and an ability to balance personal and professional demands is identified as key aspect of this transition.
During their study Van et al. (2021) utilized 5,452 employees discovering fundamental elements influencing work transition based on structural element exploration on work autonomy and job clarity. Through observing relational dynamics in workplace Van et al. (2021) explored interpersonal trust and social isolation in contextual workplace examining the shift in workplace environment such as change in location and work disruptions hypothesizing that independency of work is associates with work adjustment. Likewise the clarity of work is linked to employees’ positive adjustment, requiring inner/outer trust, limitation of social isolation, change in location, and a disruption of routines. Therefore, it become essential to recognize work not only as a unidimensional but rather a multidimensional factor impacting personal and prelesional lives.
Furthermore, Van et al. (2021) explored communication quality regarding work as a crucial moderator particularly through the utilization of technologies, revealing that previous data that suggest trust among colleagues and supervisors does not facilitate successful work outcome rather structural and contextual facts are key in a healthy work environment that can create and become key element in creating a successful adaptation in the transition of work underlining the complexity of remote work and its adaptation, emphasizing the value that work plays and the importance of having a diverse view in facilitating success for employees’ ability to navigate challenges and achieve the modern work goals.
Van et al. (2021) suggest the need to further understand remote work and its implications in today’s world, this understanding can support implications of needed adjustment for organizational practices and to support the creation of new policies in times of crisis and even beyond crisis signifying that the existing and past crisis are simply a call for a need to further adapt new methodologies and prepare the future work force for possible events such as wars, economic disaster, environmental tragedies, and many more requiring further adjustment to current work force seeking further research to better support and advocate upcoming changes and possible or needed adjustments.
Van et al. (2021) likewise highlighted the importance of this new adjustment from traditional work to work from home and its impact on both individuals personal and professional lives. Emphasizing the significance of autonomy, job clarity, trust, and the mitigation of social isolation when incorporating remote work. Vanet al. (2021) recognized the importance of personal roles when working remotely and its effect on relationship resilience marking it as a important step in developing new strategies that can supports employees in navigating the complexity of work and to better recognize the importance of work-life balance. Furthermore through this development organizations can implent new understanding to change and recognizing the needed adjustment employers can better understanding the importance of organizational management particularly when adapting new policies to accommodate change that can affect the work force.
Henke et al. (2022) also in their study explored remote work and its accelerated shift of traditional work to remote work while focusing on the adaptation and the success factors in the work environment utilizing a semi-structured interview in his study focusing on 59 participants in various levels and demographics seeking to explore contribution and challenges within individuals, teams, and organizational levels within a healthcare organization regarding remote work by utilizing a thematic analysis. Henke et al. (2022) identified skillsets and organizational changes as a crucial factor in supporting remote workers not only highlighting the importance of clear communication and policies that can result in empowering employees but also recognizing the importance addressing and ensuring fairness recognizing the challenges existing in building and likewise maintaining healthy relationship as relationship were challenging to make and maintain, highlighting that continues skill development as a key component in facilitating successful professional and personal relationship (Henke et al., 2022).
An important component in shaping lives and experiences especially considering professional and personal relationship is mental well-being and mental health (Phelan et al., 2001). Over the past 60 years research discovered that individuals suffering from mental health can be twice as likely to die from illnesses compared to these who are not suffering from mental health issues (Phelan et al., 2001). One of the most important and often overlooked aspect is providing mental health the value that it needs as it have been neglected for far too often (Younger, 2011); thus, professionals must acknowledge the existing relationship between physical and emotional well-being in support of understanding the link among such interactions and ways that new implementation can be set supporting the current literature.
Numerous research recommended importance of mental health and mental well-being suggesting a need for change and a deeper focus on improving personal health and well-being of employees reducing the impact of job strains and supporting employees personal and professional lives. (Laschinger et al., 2005, Gonge et al., 2002, Van Den Berg et al., 2006, Way & MacNeil 2006). Work, employee health, healthy relationships, and career success are recognized as complex but closely linked factors to each other impacting lives directly and indirectly (Way & MacNeil 2006). Current research is highlighting the existing influence of mental health and mental well-being on career outcome suggesting that negative mental health and mental well-being can affect up to 50% of individuals throughout their given lifespan triggering major societal cost proposing a U-shape life trajectory demonstrating that mental health and well-being peaks at a specific point in life course emphasizing the complexity of mental health and its course (Dijk & Mierau, 2023), signifying the critical link concerning mental well-being and physical well-being requiring immediate adaptations, recognition, and a need for more targeted research (Robson & Gray, 2007).
Nevertheless, a lack of acknowledgment remains in understanding the true connection and the nature of mental health and its importance linked in existing social stigma regarding mental health and mental illness of individuals’ (Lyons, et al., 2009). Although, various entities have attempted to create protocals and procedures in reshaping the existing stigma surrounding mental health illnesses, its existing effect seeks additional development and awareness as little success has been made while many neglect the true effect and influence of a healthy mental health on people (Lyons, et al., 2009). Thus, mental health, is seen as fundamental aspect of life supporting individuals’ level of internal satisfaction, forming internal drive, while crafting a willingness to grow seen as an essential key in developing positive self-image both internally and externally.
Similarly, a healthier mental well-being fostering growth and development results the creation of positive and healthy work environment suggest positive impacts on professional and personal lives. Miller et al. (2007) highlights in their study the importance of mental health and effects beyond anxiety and stress impacting employees and its posible consequence, correlating the impact of mental health of individuals physical and emotional state suggesting poor mental health has protentional to manifest itself while going beyond psychological state and in some cases being linked to an increased chance of developing breast and cervical cancer.
Therefore the connection between physical and mental state suggests an important link effecting aspects of life that are at times ignored or not cared for; consequently, creating a positive and healthy environmental structure can create empowerment while significantly improving perceptions of fairness, respect, and trust resulting a higher level of job satisfaction within employees and also create a stronger commitment to employers and ultimately manifesting itself into personal lives of employees supporting a healthier mental health and a healthier prosomal relationship (Spence Laschinger & Finegan, 2005)
Davila et al. (2017) explored the notion of healthy relationship functioning—romantic competence and its influence on personal and professional relationship satisfaction creating emotional resilience in understanding the true value of having positive relationship resilience, and personal well-being on both mental and emotional state. Research has continually linked the importance of having a positive and healthy relationship to a positive and healthy mental and physical health (Umberson & Montez, 2010). Therefore, exploring relationship competnce is considered as a combined influence of multiple skills including insight, mutuality, and emotional regulation.
Davila et al. (2017) study included a total of 187 participants examined across three diverse groups comprising of single women, a mixed-gender group, and romantic couples. Participants were identified as 140 women and 47 men with an average age of 19.65 with mix racial background who were involved in a romantic relationship. Utilizing web-based survey participants involved in this study were examined in their romantic competence measuring their levels of relationship competence expressing higher competence level, reporting a significant link with their enhanced and improved relationship security forming an adept decision-making while increasing relational satisfaction in each couples relationship and most importantly reducing mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and stress highlighting the importance of relationship competency and its value (Davila et al., 2017), marking competency a significant factor in the development of a healthy relationship dynamics promoting psychological well-being and an improved mental health. Davila et al. (2017) not only validates the Romantic Competence Interview for Emerging Adults (RCI–EA) as a positive and reliable measure of relationship competence but also highlights the hypothetcal of romantic capability as foundational element for educational programs that are aimed to enhance relational skills prior to formation of long-term commitments, offering a proactive approach in improving relationship outcomes and mental well-being.
Lal et al. (2023) in their study focused on the significance of maintaining healthy and positive social interaction among employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on individuals that are actively working from home, being physically distant and facing limited social interactions with colleagues and others. Lal et al. (2023) explored a need to reevaluate impacts that are possible to result social isolation. Previous research mainly emphasized the importance of social interaction through traditional on-site roles and has been marked as a fundamental characteristic of social life particularly in a work environment aimed to create structure and a positive individuals experience; however, with the introduction of remote work this experience has been removed creating a gap in curet information of aspects work and the possibility of social isolation due to the current shift of remote work (Lal et al., 2023).
Lal & Haag, (2023) qualitative study comprised of diary entries gathered from twenty-nine participants to further explore technology-enabled social interactions among employees and its dynamic in regard to remote work, the qualitative study revealed significant challenges in maintaining social connection without the presence of physical connection. Such challenges include but are not limited to a lack of non-verbal cues, emotional intelligence, work insecurity, amplified workload, and a heavy dependance on technology. However, despite the existence of such challenges many participants revealed a desire in maintaining remote work status as a primarily method of working and are not looking to go back to traditional work settings, suggesting that a traditional in-person work environment could result in a lack of productivity and security.
Lal & Haag, (2023) emphasized the importance of varied work experiences of employees with work from home arrangements highlighting the importance of employers need in recognizing and managing differences effectively as such recognitions can mutually enhance efficiency and increase the level of satisfactions associated with work from home contributing the importance of insights in the evolving nature of work dynamic fundamental to the role of digital communication in remote work environment seeking to improve mental well-being and employees productivity rate (Lal & Haag, 2023).
Martin (2017) study marks as an important research to consider as he focused on exploring relationship from different dimensions, examining personal and professional relationship outcomes. Martin (2017) sought to understand the role of leaders on employees effecting personal and professional relationships to achieve goals aligned with desired outcome to supports personal and professional aspect of well-being. His study was focused in recognizing the influence of leaders that are considered inspirational through knowledgeable stimulation, implementing positive motivations, healthy personal and professional influence, and positive considerations in developing professional and personal well-being fostering growth exploring groups experienced with transformational leadership to emphasiz personal mentoring, positive vision sharing, and supportive generosity (Martin, 2017).
Martin (2017) explores the importance of work-life balance being recognized as a key ingredent in development of a healthy and supporting work relationship that can be seen as a buffer supporting employees from negative effects while in the same hand supporting employees to further enhance personal relationship forming growth to reaching personal and professional goals. Therefore, empowering personal and professional relationships while providing actionable steps and insight to employees become a key ingredient of well-being. Martin (2017) suggest that a positive and healthy leadership is the primarily component in addressing healthy balance, marking comunication and support as a vital factor in work-life balance an important factor for both employees and employers to consider.
Another important aspect of any relationship is the level of communication and how each person is capable of clearly communicate the emotions and feeling. Hirschmann et al. (2020) explored the relationship-centered communication skills and the value that communication plays highlighting the profound impact both in regard to professional and interpersonal aspects highlighting a significant shift in professional interactions and personal growth. Hirschmann et al. (2020) revealed enhanced professional and interpersonal relationship based on improved communication that can be seen as a skill that is transferrable across many situations a great example of the value that communication can play in achieving goals and reaching mutual positive perspective. This study not only explores the value of positive communication but also explores the effect that it can create across many aspects of personal and professional lives leading to an improved experience and a positive outcome. Hirschmann et al. (2020) expressed that despite organizational dynamic or the given structure there is a need of interprofessionally work in order to provider positive and desired outcome. This study supports the study by acknowledging the importance of positive communication and the quality it can add on a relationship as communication can support and build patterns positive relationship supporting the personal and professional resilience.
Likewise, another aspect in developing a healthy relationship relies on the power of acknowledgment and recognition. Acknowledgment and recognition therefore explored thorough mindfulness and time spent in recognizing and exploring inner and outer values. Kimmes et al. (2018) utilized Relationship Mindfulness Measure (RMM) that is designated to explore the level of mindfulness within a romantic relationship specifically designed to access individuals’ mindfulness level within romantic relationship addressing the gap in mindfulness research seeking to further focus on how mindfulness plays a role in relationship and discover how deep-rooted emotions and attachment play a role in relationship and how significant they are. Kimmes et al. (2018) study involved 185 participants with RMM predicting both positive and negative aspects of relationship qualities, attachment anxiety and also predicting avoidance. Indicating that mindfulness activates behaviors and emotional patters operates differently in romantic relationship a view different from other perspectives highlighting the importance of context-specific mindfulness in improving relationship outcome.
Therefore, working from home can offer employees a place and a chance to communicate and share feelings with their partners more effectively by paying attention to each other in ways that help couples be purposeful and in the present moment without any judgment holding awareness to further develop and build upon their relationship (Kimmes et al., 2018). When regarding a healthy relationship’s aspects such as the level of intimacy, mutual respect, positive regard to self and partner, healthy communication among partners, and having a positive sense of security marks an important factor in relationship (Kimmes et al., 2018), giving remote workers a better chance to manage and support their partners throughout the relationship creating positive and healthy outcomes.
Aleksić-Glišović et al. (2019) analyzeed motivation as a process supporting individuals to reach their goals recognizing employees as the most important aspect of any organization, thus their level of motivation marks as a key factor is achieving overall companies’ goals, seeking for new motivational tools and factors to be emplaced to support employees in reaching their goals and therefore helping company to reach its goals (Aleksić-Glišović et al., 2019). Contemporary motivational theories such equality, goal setting, reinforcement, and expectancy explore the new dynamic and express that importance of current shift from traditional one size fit all motivational strategies to rather a personalized theory that perfectly fits the new existing demands of remote work indicating the significant benefit of remote work and both in regard to employees and employers outcome fostering a workforce who are motivated, productive, and most importantly satisfied (Aleksić-Glišović et al., 2019).
By its nature remote work seeks this transformation to support organizations and personals in modeling new avenues toward a new model that highlights all aspects of personal and proceptions lives supporting autonomy, trust, and flexibility creating a sense of appreciation while driving autonomy and balance central to principals in motivational theory (Aleksić-Glišović et al., 2019).
When viewing goals, adults goal hierarchy has developed and transformed over the years indicating relationship and career as the most important aspect of adulthood with minimal research supporting the importance of this link between career and relationship (Ranta et al., 2014), thus, providing employees with control over not only their work environment but also allowing a flexible schedule and means of work employers can support a higher motivational need for further autonomy that can result in improving not only job satisfaction and autonomy but also can enhance employees personal lives and call for a better relationship outcomes; likewise, the nature of goal setting and feedback can be regarded as goal setting theory key driver of motivation; therefore, remote work not only aligns with traditional motivational strategies but also it promotes a healthy work-life balance providing fundamental framework for stablishing work life integrations that can contribute in maintaining healthy robust relationship both within and outside the workplace (Aleksić-Glišović et al., 2019).
Oz-Soysal et al. (2024), highlights the impact of remote work on adult relationships relating it to the autonomy factor a need for satisfaction and openness in relationship resilience amplifying the importance of how autonomy plays a role in relationship quality. Oz-Soysal et al. (2024) study proved that autonomy satisfaction and openness within romantic relationships significantly contribute to improved relationship quality and developing relationship resilience.
Problem Statement
The transformation of professional and personal lives stimulated by technology while accelerated by the COIVD-19 Pandemic has formed flexibility and autonomy redefining personal and professional boundaries globally while raising critical questions in ways that relationship is navigated and/or maintained (Prodanova & Kocarev, 2022). Current research has provided extensive research on the evolution of remote work and its effect on psychological state (Van et al., 2021; Henke et al., 2022), and its importance on psychological well-being particularly in regard to relationship resilience (Davila et al., 2017; Kimmes et al., 2018) likewise the importance of relationships resilience regarding employee’s psychological state has been extensively examined (Davila et al., 2017; Kimmes et al., 2018). However, the link between these domains particularly ways that remote work effects/influences remain an unexploited gap requiring further exploration.
Current research has highlighted the transformative potential of remote work particularly when regarding job satisfaction and work-life balance on employees who are actively engaged in remote work (Ali et al., 2023), yet its effects on relationship remains unexplored. Likewise, current research highlights the integration of technology as both a facilitator and a barrier in maintaining relationship (Lal & Haag, 2023), suggesting its complexity when maintaining relationship. However, there is a lack of sufficient research that encompasses the complexity of relationship and how it’s been affecting individuals working from home particularly regarding communication patters, relationship satisfaction, and support within a romantic relationship.
The effect of remote work is an important area of exploration impacting mental and physical well-being directly and indirectly particularly in regard to relationship dynamic, communication patters, and relationship satisfaction; as current research indicates remote work to be a positive factor in personal relationship development biased on factors such as work-life balance, communication quality, and mental well-being (Lal et al., 2023; Oz-Soysal et al., 2024), yet overlooking this correlation and factors work environment can either foster positive or negative relationship consequence remains unknown. Questions such as will remote work promote, built, help support, and/or maintain relationship satisfaction while supporting resilience particularly in the context of the existing global shift remines at utmost important to answer.
This study is seeking to bridge the gap within the current existing research by analyzing insights from remote work adaptation and its psychological impact and understand the importance of remote work when considering romantic relationship (Van et al., 2021; Henke et al., 2022), understanding the importance of mental well-being in professional and personal lives (Phelan et al., 2001; Robson & Gray, 2007), while recognizing the role of technology in relationship dynamic and todays digital age (Davila et al., 2017; Lal et al., 2023).
Addressing the existing gap regarding remote work and relationship in research is not only necessary for advancing social psychology but likewise an important factor in development of interventions that can support relationship resilience in an era of ever-growing technological advancement forming a rise of remote work replacing traditional onsite roles. This is an important area that can impact both employees and employers, a fundamental step in setting new policies, practices, and/or developing stage to fostering healthy relationship while raising awareness for the importance of future research.
Purpose of the Study
The ultimate goal of this study is to explore remote work and its impact on relationship resilience exploring the union of professional and personal relationship in the rise of technology. This study seeks to investigate how remote work contributes to relationship dynamics by supporting couples, participants overall well-being, while recognizing possible career satisfaction as a result. By utilizing the diary method this study can capture in-depth view of day-to-day interaction in real-time, understand daily interaction of participant while engaged in work. Ultimately the goal of this study is to better understand how each individuals experience impacts/influences their relationship experience. Hypothesizing that remote work can offers relationship resilience leading to career satisfaction.
This study is rooted in three primary questions delivered from the gap identified within research. The first question is to explore and identify how remote work can impact participants day-to-day relationship satisfaction while working from home and living with their partners, understanding direct impact by recognizing perception while considering the existing balance within professional and personal boundaries.
The second question is to understand in what ways do communication changes in relationship while working remotely and how such changes affect personal relationship. This question will provide an understanding of communication dynamic particularly within remote work and its implications seeking to understand how the new norm can sustain or enhance relationship resilience.
Finally the last question is to understand how each participants perceive their relationship in terms of support given their work arrangements and how will this support in turn impacts the ways participants view not only their relationship but their career, seeking to explore the importance of support within the relationship impacting not only the relationship but also the ways it can enhance career satisfaction.
These questions are set to foster a deep analyzation in complexity of the link within personal and professional relationships and discover if this link can enhance or impair relationship resilience, ultimately impacting professional and personal relationship satisfaction providing empirical insight to adapt strategies supporting future research in navigating challenges and opportunities in relationship dynamic.
Research Methodology
Participants
This study will recruit participants online and utilizing cluster sampling. The participants will be comprised of 20 adult who are actively working in a remote work setting working from home and are actively engaged in relationship will be selected randomly to participate in this study. Likewise the sample will be selected with an aim to include a wide range of participant particularly selected based on geographcal regions within the United States with wide range of age and gender in no particular order to demonstrate random sampling seeking to gain a broad understanding of participants experience not only focusing on one particular group.
The participants for this study will be recruited through social media platforms such as Instagram and Google Ads to support a personalized targeting advertisement and create a higher audience retention. By utilizing online platforms such as Google Ads and Instagram the selection of participants can have better chance of only targeting eligible audience who fall into appropriate criteria that are needed for this study; therefore, utilizing targeting advertisement strategies can be a helpful step as it can reduce the time spent on advertisement due to its targeting ability and likewise it can reduce the cost of advertisement by focusing its target only on individuals who fall into the study criteria.
The criteria for participants who will be eligible to participate in this study is to be actively work on a full-time position and are engaged in a remote position working from home for at least six months and likewise actively engaged in a romantic relationship with no children, married, and living together for at least one year. Having no children is an important factor for this study as it supports in removing all possible external factors that could manipulate results or divert participants based on children’s unpredictability influences. The goal of this sample is to provide the researcher with a diverse sample, a sample that can represent a verity of professional experience and age group across the U.S. population.
Method
The primarily methodology for this study will be in the use of diary method as it can provide the researcher tools to capture real-time data that are naturalistic biased on participants daily experience, thoughts , and feelings in regard to their work experience, incorporation of technology, relationship satisfaction, and finally career satisfaction. These questions are designated to support participants in expressing their true experience related to their work experience and relationship factors.
Utilizing the diary methods participants will be asked to reflect on their daily experience and provide journal entry of their experience over four-weeks. Likewise, to ensure participants engagement during the study and provide interventions and adjustment the researcher and the participants will have weekly online meeting over Zoom to support the participants in answering any question that they may have and provide support in case of any issues that may come to surface. This weekly meeting also is utilized as a motivator factor and an accountability factor to support the participants in achieving their goals and make any adjustment needed during the duration of this study.
Procedures
Upon recruitment, participants will be briefed about the study's purpose, confidentiality measures, and their role in the diary-keeping process. The participants in this study will be provided a digital diary platform that can be accessible through a secure application using both iOS and Android, ensuring security, privacy, ease of use, and cross platform usage. Participants will be then prompted to download the application, create an account, set a four digit password, and make daily entries, focusing on work routines, interactions with their partners, perceived support, communication patterns, overall relationship satisfaction, and career satisfaction. Weekly and daily reminders will also be sent to encourage consistent participation.
Measurement Tools
This study will be structured on several key factors regarding remote work to better capture the experience of participants particularly focusing on career satisfaction and relationship resilience. Factors such as work experience, technology incorporations, relationship dynamic, communication patters, and career satisfaction are important aspects of this study as together can create a better picture of participants experience.
Work Experience: This section of the entries will focus on remote work experience particularly regarding participants remote work settings such as environmental factors, tasks, challenges, and successes focusing on specific factors that either facilitate or hinder participants productivity and well-being.
Technology Incorporations: This section will reflect participants interaction with technology both personal and professional and the role of technology in participants daily life given their work requirement. An important step to understand the role of technology on supporting participants or hinder participants in thier time management or communication within their relationships concerning both personal and professional aspects of their lives.
Relationship Dynamics: Dairy entries in this section will account for participants daily interactions with their partners both during and after work. Participants will be asked to reflect on their relationships dynamic and relationship satisfactions particularly due to their work expectations. This section will also include a section for participant to reflect on quality time spent together with their partner, possible conflict, and resolution strategies in case of possible conflicts.
Communication Patterns: Participants will be asked to reflect on their communication styles both during and after work hours seeking to underline frequency, mode, quality of communication, and patterns of change over time.
Career Satisfaction: This section will be used for participants to reflect on their career and assess their overall career satisfaction. Participants will also be asked to reflect on their career path, opportunities for growth, and work life balance.
Weekly Online Meetings
Weekly online meeting is placed to support participants and act as a motivational tool supporting the participants in any questions or concerns, they may have. Likewise, it is used to as a tool for the researcher to be further involved in the process of the study and conduct semi-structured interviews to further ensure consistency and accuracy of dada. During weekly meeting participants will be given a chance to explore and express their experience while engaged in this study and share any questions they may have regarding the process of the study or any upcoming challenges that they may have. This meeting will also be used to support participants in refining their eateries and serve as a tool that participants that they can utilize to share and express any issues that they may encounter during the study regarding the use of the app and any other technical issues that they may face.
Data Analysis
To analyze the data that has been provided by the participants for this study the researcher will utilize thematic analysis. Also, by utilizing NVivo qualitative data analysis software the researcher can better identify patters, themes, and insights into the data provided by each participant. The use of NVivo coding proses can allow for a better organization of data that is more focused on gathering and extracting themes related to the impact of remote work in regard to relationship dynamics, communicational changes, professional and personal support system, while examining overall career satisfaction and relationship resilience seeking to understand how remote work influence relationship resilience and in turn effect career satisfaction.
Validity and Reliability
The diary entries and interviews will be triangulated by the researcher for this study to ensure validity and reliability of all provided data. Likewise to improve accuracy and compliance the participants will have the opportunity to review contributions that they have provided that is known as “member checking” to further enhance credibility and trustworthiness of the data and ensure both calidity and reliability.
Ethical Considerations
Before the start of the study all participants will be given proper consent forms and will be informed of their rights and are free to exit the program at any time and will be given instruction regarding their contribution and will also be eligible to receive support in case of being overwhelmed and/or emotionally impacted during the study. Additionally, participant confidentiality is highly important during the study and upon receiving the data for this study all personal information’s such as names, address, phone number, and date of births will be removed ensuring anonymity and confidentiality. Likewise prior to the study ethical approval will be obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Conclusion
The primary goal of this research is to explore the relationship between remote work dynamic and relationship resilience. A comprehensive proposal to explore how current work dynamic influences relationship, and therefore affects career satisfaction. By exploring nuance involved in remote work dynamic. The existing body of research incorporates various aspects concentrating on remote work setting, fluctuations of work due to pandemic, state of relationship, and the future of personal and professional life; however, the current gap involves link among work and its effect on relationship.
Employing a diary method, coupled with weekly meetings this study will ensures participants have a place to reflect and acknowledge their experience surrounding personal and professional lives reflecting on factors that eaither support or hinders overall mental and emotional well-being. Utilizing the diary method integrates real time account of daily experiences of participants day-to-day activities and the existence or lack thereof work-life balance as a result of remote work. By analyzing relationship dynamic, work experience, the fusion of technology, analyzing communication patterns, and understanding overall career satisfaction this study aims to highlight the impact of work on relationship exploring factors that involve career path and relationship satisfaction.
The methodology and measurements selected can support the researcher in capturing participants experience ensuring rich an accurate data resulting in meaningful conclusions of participants experience regarding their well-being while ensuring accurate randomized account of experiences utilized to incorporate and support the findings. This study has the potential to inform future policies supporting personal and professional lives aiming to acknowledge individuals and organizational goals while navigating the complexity of work-life balance fostering mental well-being.
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