In a rapidly evolving and digitized professional environment, understanding how individuals balance work and family life has become crucial for promoting psychological well-being and organizational sustainability. This study aims to investigate the relationships among perceived workload, digital connectivity, and work-family conflict within the theoretical frameworks of the Job Demand-Control-Support Model (Karasek & Theorell, 1990) and the Work-Family Conflict Model (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985) in the real estate companies.
A total of 146 employees from the Italian branch of Engel & Völkers, a global real estate company, participated in the study. Data were collected via an online survey including the Stress Questionnaire (Giorgi et al., 2015) and the Work-Family Conflict Scale (Netemeyer et al., 1996). The survey was conducted in 2025 with voluntary and anonymous participation. Statistical analyses (ANOVA, correlation, and mediation models) were performed using Jamovi 2.6.13 version.
Results revealed that perceived workload was the strongest predictor of work-family conflict (β = 0.7453, p < .001), while digital connectivity did not significantly mediate this relationship. Contrary to expectations, neither gender nor parental status influenced the perception of work-family conflict, suggesting a possible cultural shift in role distribution. However, significant differences emerged by age and job role: employees aged 31-40 reported the highest workload and administrative staff perceived higher work pressure than real estate agents. Interestingly, digital engagement increased with age, reflecting the growing digital competence of older professionals.
These findings emphasize the central role of workload in generating inter-role conflict and highlight the limited compensatory function of digital connectivity. Promoting a supportive organizational culture and realistic workload management emerges as essential to sustain employee well-being and work-life balance in contemporary workplaces.