Work–Life Balance in Home-Based Businesses: A UK Study

Kapasi, Isla; Galloway, Laura

Abstract

Home-based businesses are increasing in number throughout Western economies. One of the benefits of a home-based business is asserted to be improved work–life balance, yet there is little empirical evidence to support this assertion. Using a qualitative methodology, this paper explores the work–life balance in eight home-based businesses in the UK. Motivations for working at home include the desire for improved work–life balance, but the achievement of this aim among the study participants
was found to be nuanced. Critically, home-based business is another employment context in which the work–life balance must be managed. This management is especially needed because of the blurring of work and life time and space, which may demand more self-discipline in
home-based workers compared with those in employment or self-employment remote from the home.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 1, 2015
• Publication Date: 2015-02
• Deposit Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Print ISSN: 1465-7503
• Electronic ISSN: 2043-6882
• Publisher: IP Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 33-42
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5367/ijei.2015.0170
• Keywords: Business ownership; home-based business; life balance; motivations; self-employment; work–
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9782
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5367/ijei.2015.0170