"We kept getting zero. We tried different groups. We asked ourselves what we had missed. But despite every conceivable test, we couldn’t find any significant interactions. We were forced to conclude that long work hours are not an important contributor to life satisfaction or feelings of well-being," said Ganster.
However, Ganster is quick to point out that work-family conflict does have an impact on life satisfaction, but that conflict is shaped by factors related to the work environment. Work autonomy, learning opportunities, supportive supervisors and scheduling flexibility are more important influences on work-family conflict and life satisfaction than are long work hours.
"We don’t want to downplay the importance of work-family conflict," Ganster said. "Employer policies do matter. Flexibility is a good thing no matter how many hours you work. But it’s not how long you work that matters, it’s how you are working."
- University of Arkansas
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