The Effect of Flexible Work Arrangements on Work-Life Balance in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Systematic Literature Review And Meta-Analysis

Flexible work arrangements (FWA) deployment in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector is increasing due to digitalization, alongside ‎the COVID-19 aftermath reorganization. Deployment, nonetheless, has limitations in terms of resource deficiency, technological gap, and ‎organizational preparedness. Work-life balance (WLB) significantly influences worker fulfillment, retention, and work efficacy. Pattern analysis, ‎barriers, and contributors to acceptance of flexible work arrangements (FWA) alongside work-life balance (WLB) in SMEs, particularly in the ‎developing world, provide evidence-informed optimization guidelines. Systematic review of the literature according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines ‎covered 47 high-quality works in five databases (2018-2024). Meta-analysis employed random-effects schemes in an extensive statistical analysis ‎of 52,847 participants. Meta-analysis demonstrated a robust positive correlation between FWA-WLB (r = 0.614, 95% CI: 0.563-0.661, p < ‎‎0.001) with moderate-to-large magnitude (Cohen's d = 0.67). Substantial heterogeneity (I² = 72.4%) of settings existed. Spatial flexibility (β = ‎‎0.641) as well as temporal flexibility (β = 0.596) significantly influenced. Job autonomy (β = 0.34), time control (β = 0.31), and stress ‎reduction (β = 0.27) mediated 58.2% of variance. FWA significantly constructs work-life balance in varied settings, with variation by industrial ‎sector, culture, and deployment. SMEs can optimize worker well-being through optimized strategies by focusing on deployment barriers ‎through strategic utilization of resources alongside support by the stakeholders‎.