Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Advanced Research in Social Sciences
Year: 2026
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Impact Of Remote Work and Learning Culture on Work-Life Balance: A Comparative Study of Students’ and Employees’ PerspectivesLayan Alhosainan
ABSTRACT:
The structural transition from traditional brick-and-mortar settings to remote and hybrid ecosystems hasfundamentally transformed the operational and psychological contracts within modern work and learningenvironments. While highly valued for its spatial-temporal flexibility, remote arrangements frequentlyintroduce unintended socio-technical strains that disrupt individual well-being and challenge existingorganizational boundaries. This study investigates the dual reality of the remote experience by exploringthe complex relationships between workspace flexibility, digital availability pressures, institutionalsupport systems, and their collective impact on work-life balance and occupational burnout. Utilizing astructured quantitative research design, primary empirical data was gathered from a cross-sectionalsample of 148 active corporate professionals and higher education students. The conceptual frameworkwas evaluated using descriptive analysis, psychometric internal consistency testing, and advanced pathanalysis to assess direct, mediated, and moderated institutional interactions. The empirical analysisreveals a profound organizational paradox; while a clear majority of participants acknowledge thatremote flexibility substantially enhances personal task management and increases quality time spent withfamily and friends, significant counter-currents exist. More than half of the cohort experiences prominentdifficulties in maintaining clear personal-professional boundaries, and a substantial portion facespersistent pressure to check and respond to institutional communications outside of official hours.Consequently, over one-third of the sample reports chronic mental or physical burnout triggered byenvironmental overlap. Crucially, path modeling demonstrates that the direct relationship betweenremote flexibility and long-term work-life equilibrium is statistically non-significant on its own, showinginstead that it is fully mediated and heavily moderated by perceived institutional and social support.Therefore, when structural support deficits and constant digital demands exist, remote setups accelerateburnout rather than balance. Reflecting these realities, the absolute majority of the cohort explicitlyrejects both full-time traditional and full-time remote mandates, designating a fluid, multi-day hybridmodel with two to three days of remote work as the optimal future framework. The study concludes withstrategic recommendations for institutional leaders to formalize “Right to Disconnect” policies and buildautonomy-driven hybrid architectures that preserve workforce retention and mental well-being.
Keywords: Boundary Management, Hybrid Organizational Models, Learning, Occupational Burnout, Perceived Institutional Support, Remote Work, Work-Life Balance