Domain Switch Theory: A Deeper Understanding of Transitions between Work and Nonwork Domains in Modern Work Life

Employees face an increasingly integrated experience between work and nonwork, with existing theories of the work–nonwork interface conceptualizing an integrated experience as a state of simultaneous engagement in both work and nonwork domains. In contrast, a multitasking perspective reveals that this assumed simultaneous engagement is rare, if not impossible, and employees instead engage in rapid, sequential shifts across domains. However, such occurrences have not been integrated into the work–nonwork literature, limiting our understanding of the multitude of ways in which individuals may shift across domains—what can be referred to as domain switches. We argue that domain switches are consequential not only to an individual, but also to their domain(s) and fellow domain members. At an individual level, the frequency of an employee’s domain switches has implications for the outcomes of a domain, involving a tradeoff between goal progress and neglect. However, at an interpersonal level, we argue that domain outcomes are primarily impacted by the fit of domain switches across an employee and their partner(s) in that domain. Together, our work provides new insights for the modern era as employees find themselves with lessening separation between domains.