Making hybrid-work work: task–environment fit, managerial trust and work–life balance in higher education

Remote and hybrid work have become enduring features of academic labour, yet evidence on their consequences for work–life balance (WLB) remains mixed. This qualitative study examines how remote arrangements, organisational support, professional isolation and boundary preferences intersect to shape academics' WLB. In total, 19 semi-structured interviews with UK-based academics were thematically analysed. Three themes emerged. First, flexibility, productivity and work practices: teaching and collaboration were more effective in person, while writing, analysis and marking flourished at home; reclaimed commuting time and environmental control enhanced focus and well-being but risked “always-on” spillover. Second, organisational, managerial and technical support: trust-based, output-focused supervision, clear policies, useable information technology (IT) and appropriate estates enabled balance, whereas ambiguity, hot-desking and poor systems depleted resources. Third, WLB, boundaries and well-being: micro-boundaries and availability norms mitigated erosion, while isolation was unevenly experienced, particularly by newcomers. The study reframes autonomy as a conditional resource, positions boundary outcomes as shaped by the interaction of preferences and organisational affordances, and advances task–environment fit as a practical design principle. Implications include codifying boundary norms, developing “trust-capable” managers and aligning estates and IT with academic work.