Work-to-Life Spillover and Organizational Commitment: The Moderating Role of Flextime and Sectoral Differences Between Public and Non-Public Organizations

The importance of retaining and motivating employees from a human resources management perspective has intensified the focus on organizational commitment and work-life balance. Despite extensive research on factors influencing organizational commitment, empirical evidence remains inconclusive, particularly regarding perceived work-life spillover and flexibility. In the Asian context, female workers often bear a greater share of caregiving responsibilities, yet studies specifically targeting female workers remain limited. This study addresses these gaps by examining the impact of work-to-life spillover on organizational commitment and the moderating effect of workplace flexibility (flextime) among Korean women managers. In addition, sectoral differences were analyzed using data from the 2016 and 2018 Korean Women Manager Panel (KWMP) compiled by the Korean Women’s Development Institute (KWDI). The findings revealed that both negative and positive spillover significantly influence organizational commitment. Moreover, the actual use of flextime was found to mitigate the negative effects of spillover on organizational commitment. From a human resource management (HRM) perspective, these results underscore the importance of not only providing workplace flexibility systems but also ensuring their effective use. In addition, the findings emphasize the need for institutional support tailored to sector-specific contexts to address work-life spillover challenges effectively.