Negotiating Work-Life Boundaries in a Collectivist Context: The Case of Chinese Teachers on WeChat

The integration of mobile technology in education raises concerns about teachers’ work-life boundaries. Most studies examine boundary issues from a Western, individualistic perspective, prompting the question: How might work-life balance be understood within the context of a collectivist culture? This study examines how Chinese teachers manage boundaries on the all-in-one app WeChat. A survey of 108 teachers shows most view WeChat positively for work, while interviews with 18 teachers reveal that while teachers experience fatigue from blurred boundaries and constant availability, they also view WeChat as indispensable for managing fragmented responsibilities, sustaining relationships, and coordinating collective tasks. Teachers employ workarounds to negotiate expectations of accessibility. These practices highlight what we describe as expected permeability, a relationally constructed rhythm of accessibility shaped by obligations and tie-specific norms, while foregrounding relational agency as a stronger lens for rethinking both platform design and work-life balance theory beyond individualistic framings.