Browsing by Author "Xu, Mengyi"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    How does work-life balance take shape in less regulated economies? A signaling theory perspective
    (International Assocoation for Chinese Management Research, 2023-06-18) Xu, Mengyi; Wang, Wen
    Though a seemingly simple term, there is no consensus on how to operationalize Work-Life Balance (WLB). Understanding of this crucial concept is also limited because research on how WLB is perceived or realized comes mainly from studies in North America or Europe. Consequently, we lack insight into how this phenomenon unfolds in less-regulated economies. We argue that it is precisely in these settings that the absence of a mature governance environment makes the study of WLB even more important. Drawing on signaling theory, which seeks to explain how messages are understood in ambiguous contexts, this paper examines employees’ WLB in a context where formal regulations and policies are sparse. Operationalizing WLB using signaling theory helps to explain the partial success of managing employees’ WLB in the organizations we study: large, Chinese Stated-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Based on 312 survey responses and 23 supplementary interviews, we show how an emerging concept in the literature - organizational work-life culture - can support positive signaling. This has two important consequences. It may empower some line managers to facilitate employees’ WLB and it can also embolden some employees to ‘push back’ on excessive workload demands. In a context where WLB policy is often ambiguous, we propose and find evidence for a sequential mediating path between organizational work-life culture and WLB. The findings contribute to our understanding of why and how to manage WLB in different contexts.
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    Internet use and quality of life: the multiple mediating effects of risk perception and internet addiction
    (MDPI, 2022-02-04) Qian, Bo; Huang, Mengmeng; Xu, Mengyi; Hong, Yuxiang
    The impact of internet use on quality of life (QoL) has become an increasing focus of academic research. This paper aims to explore the internal influencing mechanisms of internet use (i.e., leisure-oriented internet use (LIU); work-oriented internet use (WIU)) on QoL, with a focus on the multiple mediating effects of risk perception and internet addiction. We constructed a theoretical framework from a psychological perspective and tested the hypotheses using hierarchical regression analysis with a sample of 1535 participants. The results showed that: (1) LIU had a positive effect on QoL, while WIU did not have a significant impact on QoL; (2) both risk perception and internet addiction had a negative influence on QoL; (3) risk perception positively impacted internet addiction; (4) risk perception and internet addiction had multiple mediating effects on the relationship between internet use and QoL.
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    Leave or not to leave? the impact of managerial work-life support and work engagement on the outcomes of work-to-life conflict for China’s new generation employees
    (Taylor & Francis, 2023-10-23) Xu, Mengyi; Cao, Xuebing; Lu, Hui
    This paper explores how work engagement and managerial work-life support can influence the relationship between work-to-life conflict and turnover intention for China’s new generation employees. Drawing on job demand-resources (JD-R) theory and time-lagged survey data, we developed a moderated mediation model which reveals the mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between work-to-life conflict and turnover intention, and the moderation effect of managerial work-life support on the relationship between work-to-life conflict and work engagement. The findings show that work engagement serves as a personal resource for new generation employees to buffer the negative impact of work-life conflict on turnover intention, and managerial work-life support serves as a key job resource to influence the mediating effect of work engagement when work-life conflict occurs. Research contributions, implications, and limitations are discussed.
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    Navigating the blurred work-life boundary under the hybrid working context: how the appraisal of emotions prompts individual boundary management tactics
    (British Academy of Management, 2023-09-06) Xu, Mengyi; Wang, Lu
    Hybrid working heightens work-life boundaries blurring. This can create the need for employees to constantly navigate evolving demands in their work-nonwork environment, often before formalized strategic, organisational, and managerial interventions are developed and/or implemented. Therefore, understanding why and how adapt to boundary blurs and manage their work-life balance is critical for effective hybrid working. Drawn on appraisal theories of emotion, we argue that employees' appraisals of boundary-blurring situations can elicit emotions, which prompt employees to navigate and adapt to their blurred boundaries in their work-life balance. We substantiate this with a longitudinal one-month dairy and post-interview study using a sample of 34 employees in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector, where hybrid working has been widely applied. Our finding unveils that both positive and negative emotions help the individual efficiently respond to boundary blurring, using prevention- and promotion-oriented tactics; the former associated with negative emotions focuses on the temporary work-life blurring, whereas the latter associated with positive emotions that attempts to leverage resources and opportunities for long term work-life balance. The findings make practical implications for employees and organisations on how to effectively manage hybrid working by understanding work-life boundaries.
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    Situational support and information security behavioural intention: a comparative study using conservation of resources theory
    (Taylor & Francis, 2023-02-15) Hong, Yuxiang; Xu, Mengyi; Furnell, Steven
    The formation of information security behavioural intention (ISBI) can be complex and dynamic in different contexts. This paper aims to examine and compare different users’ ISBI formalisation mechanisms when dealing with their personal affairs (non-work users) and organisational affairs (work users). Drawing on two principles of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (i.e. resource loss principle, and resource gain principle), we developed two models to examine how situational support affects ISBI formation. The results of a study of 432 non-worker users and 261 work users indicate a curvilinear relationship between situational support and ISBI through subjective norms and risk perception for non-worker users, whilst a linear relationship via subjective norms is found for worker users. This is the first time that COR has been applied to explain the formation of ISBI. The findings broaden the research scope of individuals’ ISBI by revealing how situational support affects the formalisation mechanism for different users in cross-contexts. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings and the future study are discussed.
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    Work-life balance
    (Routledge, 2024-10-23) Xu, Mengyi; Kelliher, Clare; McDonough, Brian; Parry, Jane
    This chapter provides an overview of work-life balance (WLB), concerned with the relationship between an individual’s work and non-work lives. It first introduces and discusses the complexity of work-life balance as a concept and then examines how national, organisational, and temporal contexts may shape how it is understood and enacted. In addition, the chapter critically reviews formal and informal approaches to managing work-life balance for both employees and the organisation. While interest in work-life balance has been widespread and received much attention in academia, institutional and organisational agendas, and public discourse, to date, there has been limited attention given to its meaning and implementation in non-western contexts. This chapter addresses this gap by including a case study in the Chinese context. Using ‘Beyond Management Consulting Ltd’., as a case study, the opportunities for and challenges of managing work-life balance are discussed in the Chinese context. The chapter concludes by emphasising the complexity and dynamic nature of the notion of work-life balance and the necessity of considering inclusivity in how work-life balance is managed.
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    Workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: insights from strategic human resource management in Mainland China
    (Taylor and Francis, 2022-09-29) Cai, Yujie; Rowley, Chris; Xu, Mengyi
    We show the relevance of strategic human resource management (SHRM) to addressing the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has posed to the workplace in the context of Mainland China. In particular, we discuss the insights of prevalent areas of SHRM for navigating the pandemic at the organizational and individual levels. We explore the contextual factors that have affected the relationship between human resource (HR) practices and work outcomes in organizations and the development of HR practices during the pandemic. Looking forward to a future with uncertainties and other possible crises, we discuss research directions for SHRM in the post-pandemic reality. These include resilience-oriented high-performance work systems (HPWSs), contextualized SHRM, and the horizontal fit of SHRM in the ‘new normal’.