Mikako Yazawa
2025 Annual Conference of The Korean Psychological Association, Aug 22, 2025, The Korean Psychological Association
Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in work-life balance (WLB) in Japan; however, as work styles,
values, and career perspectives diversify, individuals’ life domains and social roles are expected to become
more complex and multifaceted, highlighting the limitations of conventional WLB paradigms. In response to
this, the present study explores the concept of Work & Life Integration (WLI), which represents an evolution
beyond traditional WLB by seeking to flexibly and holistically integrate work and personal life. WLI aspires to
generate synergistic effects by dynamically managing both spheres, thereby enhancing productivity,
encouraging personal growth, and improving quality of life and psychological well-being.
This study aimed to examine whether the interaction between individual psychological factors (including
strategies to promote WLI) and social factors (such as organizational systems) enhances WLI and contributes
to greater psychological well-being. An online survey was conducted among employees (N = 1,780; 879 men
and 901 women) aged 20–59 years working in private companies in Japan. Based on the concepts of work-
life permeability and boundary management, respondents were classified into five typologies: “Integration-
Active,” “Integration-Passive,” “Separation,” “Work-Priority,” and “Family-Priority.” The results revealed that
individuals categorized as “Integration-Active,” who proactively integrate work and private life, demonstrated
significantly higher levels of both strategies promoting WLI and psychological well-being compared to other
types. Additionally, the “Integration-Active” group exhibited greater tendencies to expand resources through
multiple roles, compensate for inter-role difficulties, and transfer resources across roles. Furthermore,
employees who teleworked at least one day per week reported significantly higher engagement in WLI-
promoting strategies than those who did not telework.
These findings indicate that flexible working arrangements may facilitate more frequent use of strategies that
advance WLI, and that proactively and integratively managing work and private life can yield positive
psychological outcomes. Future research and practice should aim to develop psychological interventions and
organizational strategies that foster a beneficial cycle between individual and organizational factors.
Keywords: Work-life integration, Work-life balance, Well-being, Japanese workers, Boundary management