Strategies to achieve work–family balance in a home office using border theory: case study of Mexican university employees

Purpose This study aims to determine if Boundary Theory remains relevant for achieving work–family balance in a mandatory home office environment and to create a comprehensive inventory of strategies aligned with this theory that workers could use to restore boundaries between work and family life. Design/methodology/approach A voluntary and non-random sample of 443 subjects from a private university in Mexico was included. Data were collected using a single, open-ended question to capture the strategies followed to separate work from family (and vice versa). A qualitative technique of coding and content analysis was employed to interpret the data received. Findings The study describes and interprets the ten main strategies identified to reinforce the boundaries between family and work life. In particular, two main strategies are used by workers at home: creating effective agendas and maintaining the discipline to adhere to them. Practical implications Workers at home could adopt two effective strategies to repair these work-family boundaries: creating agendas to manage their tasks and obligations and maintaining the discipline to adhere to them. Originality/value This research demonstrates that boundary theory remains highly applicable for achieving work–family balance in a mandatory home office environment, where work and family coexist in the same space and time.