Work–home interaction and flourishing: The sequential mediating role of social connectedness and positive coping

Abstract

Orientation: Knowledge workers navigating hybrid and digitally mediated work environments face heightened work-to-home interaction (WHI) demands that may influence their capacity to flourish.
Research purpose: This study examined whether workplace social connectedness (WSC) and positive coping behaviour (PCB) sequentially mediate the relationships between four WHI sub-dimensions and flourishing among South African knowledge workers.
Motivation for the study: Although flourishing is a key indicator of optimal functioning, limited research has explored how WHI influences flourishing through underlying social and personal resource mechanisms. Examining WSC and PCB as sequential mediators provides insight into these processes.
Research approach/design and method: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 427 South African knowledge workers using validated measurement instruments. Hayes’s PROCESS Macro (Model 6) was used to test sequential mediation effects.
Main findings: Negative WHI and negative home-to-work interaction (HWI) were directly and negatively associated with flourishing. While total indirect effects were generally non-significant, specific indirect pathways emerged. Negative WHI was associated with lower flourishing through reduced WSC, whereas negative HWI was associated with lower flourishing through reduced PCB. For positive WHI, WSC independently mediated the relationship with flourishing, and a small but significant sequential indirect effect through WSC and PCB was observed. No indirect effects were found for positive HWI.
Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should strengthen employees’ proactive coping capabilities and foster meaningful workplace connections to support resilience and well-being in hybrid work environments.
Contribution/value-add: This study extends understanding of how social and personal resources relate to flourishing under competing work–home demands. The findings highlight the limited but meaningful role of sequential mediation in positive WHI and provide insights for human-centred human resource management practices aligned with Industry 5.0.