Work-Life Balance in Hybrid and Return-to-Office Settings: A TCCM-Based Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Divya Garg; Diksha Garg

doi:10.62127/aijmr.2026.v04i04.1462

Work-Life Balance in Hybrid and Return-to-Office Settings: A TCCM-Based Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Author(s)	Ms. Divya Garg, Ms. Diksha Garg
Country	India
Abstract	Purpose: The shift from mandatory remote work to hybrid arrangements and, in many organizations, a subsequent push toward return-to-office (RTO) policies has unsettled a question that once seemed largely resolved: how do employees sustain balance between work and non-work life when the location of work itself has become contested. This paper synthesizes the fragmented body of research that has emerged around this question using the Theory, Context, Characteristics, and Methodology (TCCM) framework. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic search was conducted on ScienceDirect using the string ("work-life balance" OR "work-family balance" OR "work-family conflict") AND ("hybrid work" OR "return to office" OR "return-to-office" OR "RTO" OR "post-pandemic work arrangements"), filtered to the management subject area and to publication years 2024 and 2025. The search returned 640 records, narrowed to 104 after filtering and to a final corpus of 100 articles following eligibility screening. The corpus was coded and analyzed following PRISMA reporting conventions and the TCCM framework, complemented by descriptive bibliometric analysis of publication trends, source journals, and keyword co-occurrence. Findings: The reviewed literature is theoretically anchored primarily in Conservation of Resources theory and the Job Demands-Resources model, with smaller but recurring use of person-environment fit, organizational support theory, and boundary/spillover perspectives. Empirical work concentrates heavily on knowledge workers and IT professionals, with thinner coverage of healthcare, public sector, and academic contexts, and a pronounced skew toward India, the United States, Italy, and a handful of other single-country samples. Methodologically, quantitative surveys analyzed through regression or structural equation modeling dominate, followed by qualitative interview-based designs and a substantial stream of bibliometric and narrative reviews. Across characteristics, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and psychological withdrawal recur as the central mediating mechanisms linking hybrid and RTO arrangements to well-being, engagement, and turnover outcomes. Originality/value: This review is among the first to apply the TCCM framework specifically to the post-pandemic hybrid/RTO phase of the work-life balance literature, offering an integrated conceptual framework and a structured future research agenda for scholars and HR practitioners navigating this fast-moving and often contested area of organizational practice.
Keywords	work-life balance; hybrid work; return-to-office; work-family conflict; TCCM framework; systematic literature review; bibliometric analysis
Discipline	Sociology > Commerce / Economics
Published In	Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-08-15
DOI	https://doi.org/10.62127/aijmr.2026.v04i04.1462

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Work-Life Balance in Hybrid and Return-to-Office Settings: A TCCM-Based Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

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