Work–Life Interventions

Despite disparities in the conceptualization of work–life balance(WLB) and work–life harmony (WLH) in the literature, there remains no evidence till dateto validate these differences. Furthermore, there are currently no insights that shedlight on the relationship between work–life initiatives and key business strategies ofcontemporary organizations. Hence, the current study investigated the differencesbetween the constructs of WLB and WLH using a cognitive dissonance approach and assessedthe impact of work–life interventions, based on these approaches, on individualcreativity at work. Hundred participants, age ranging from 18 to 32 years (M = 23.94, SD= 3.87), with at least 6 months of working experience were recruited. Using an onlinequestionnaire, participants were randomly assigned into WLB (n = 55) or WLH (n = 45)conditions. Participants were tasked to complete pre- and post-intervention measures ofindividual creativity, as well as a manipulation check using a cognitive dissonancescale. Results showed that participants in the WLB condition elicit higher levels ofcognitive dissonance compared with participants in the WLH condition. This indicates animplicit difference in the constructs of WLB and harmony. Second, findings also suggestthat work–life interventions adopting a WLH approach will have a more positive impact onindividuals’ creativity at work compared with interventions targeted at achievingbalance. Research, practical, and cultural implications of the findings are discussed inthe article