When family rooms become guest lounges: Work–family balance of B&B innkeepers

Work–life balance is one of the major challenges faced by bed-and-breakfast (B&B) innkeepers due to the lack of spatial boundaries between home and workplace in a typical B&B establishment. Grounded in the work–family border theory, the present research develops a conceptual framework to understand the impact of work–life border characteristics and entrepreneurial motivation on the work–life balance of B&B innkeepers. The findings of an online survey among 369 innkeepers in the United States suggest that border tangibility is positively related to work–life balance and the relationship between the two is fully mediated by work–life integration. In contrast, border strength is negatively related to work–life balance and this relationship is direct and not mediated by work–life integration. Innkeepers can enjoy a higher level of work–life balance by maintaining a tangible work–life border to reduce the level of integration of work and personal life domains. The study also shows that entrepreneurial motivation moderates the relationship between work–life integration and work–life balance such that lifestyle-oriented B&B innkeepers enjoy higher levels of work–life balance than business-oriented B&B innkeepers.