DIGITAL AFTER-HOURS EXPECTATIONS AND WORK-LIFE BOUNDARY STRAIN AMONG UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES IN PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Digital communication technologies have intensified expectations of rapid responsiveness, stretching work into evenings, weekends, and other nonwork hours. In higher education settings, where teaching, coordination, student support, and administrative workflows increasingly run through instant messaging and email, these expectations can erode psychological detachment and heighten work-life boundary strain. Drawing on boundary theory, Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, and the stressor detachment model, this study tested whether perceived digital after-hours expectations are positively associated with work-life boundary strain among university employees in Pakistan. Using an online cross-sectional survey (n = 289), structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that digital after-hours expectations were significantly and positively associated with boundary strain (β = 0.57, p < 0.001), explaining 32% of variance. Findings align with meta-analytic evidence linking technology-assisted supplemental work and extended availability to reduced detachment and increased work-family conflict. Implications include institutional norms clarifying response expectations and structured protection of recovery time.