Purpose: This paper aims to examine work design and the linkages of work design with the work-life balance of academics in higher education (HE). Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 307 academics was recruited for this study. The result was analysed using SPSS (statistical package of social science) and AMOS (analysis of moment structure) structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings: This paper discovered that high autonomy, task significance, task identity and feedback were linked to greater work-to-family enrichment (W-FE) levels amongst academics, whilst, low job autonomy, task identity and task significance were linked to high work-to-family conflict (W-FC) levels. Originality/value: This paper highlights the importance of promoting good academics' work-life balance by evaluating and improvising the academics' work design.