scholarly journals Work–family enrichment of firefighters: “satellite family members”, risk, trauma and family functioning

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-407
Author(s):  
Rowena Hill ◽  
Eva Sundin ◽  
Belinda Winder
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emergency Responders ◽  
Rescue Services ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

PurposeTraditionally, research exploring the work–family interface has focussed on two perspectives: the organisation and the employee. The third perspective of the family has been largely neglected. This has also been the case with emergency responders. Arguably, the social support that emergency responders receive from their families maintains the health and well-being of the emergency responders. There has been more literature focussing on family members of police and ambulance staff, but less is known about the experiences of the families of firefighters. This study, therefore, aims to explore the occupation-related consequences for families of firefighters to establish what could be done to preserve this important source of social support.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was needed to understand the perspective of relatives of firefighters. Grounded theory was used to analyse interviews of family members of firefighters.FindingsImportant concepts to families of firefighters include the management of emotional contagion from their firefighter, their sophisticated perceptions of physical and emotional risk, their ability to make things work around a satellite family member, detail of the sacrifices they make and the social support from other firefighters' families.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings highlight the rich understanding and benefits offered when fire and rescue services and researchers consider the family perspective of the work–family interface within this context to develop a rich supportive dynamic between the organisation, the employee and their family.Practical implicationsFindings from this study are considered to inform the development of a positive resource ecology within fire and rescue services. Where work-family enrichment positively informs the interventions and practical approaches organisations can use to enhance the wellbeing of their employees, by acknowledging other life domains.Originality/valueThe contribution to theoretical perspectives on the work–family interface, as well as the informed understanding of occupational consequences of the firefighting occupation on relatives, offers a unique contribution to the literature.

Work-family enrichment through I-Deals: evidence from Chinese employees

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 940-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yipeng Tang ◽  
Severin Hornung
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Work Role ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals), embedded in the processes of work-family enrichment. Design/methodology/approach – Hierarchical linear regressions and indirect-effect analyses were used to analyze the data from 179 working parents surveyed in a Chinese city. Findings – Successful i-deal negotiation was contingent on both personal initiative of the employee and a positive influx of support from the family to the work domain. Additionally, the results suggested that: development i-deals enriched the intra-work role experience by customizing intrinsic work features and thus enhancing intrinsic motivation. Flexibility i-deals enriched the work-to-family boundary experience through increased instrumentality of the work role, connected to the economic basis of employment. Research limitations/implications – Providing new insights into the antecedents and consequences of i-deals, the study suggested a model through which employees can create balance and use synergies in their work-life quality. Based on single-source cross-sectional data, the results are preliminary. Practical implications – Human resource management needs to consider the family lives of employees, especially in the Chinese culture. The authors further discussed applications of and limitations to the use of i-deals. Social implications – The study provides a new approach to addressing the issue of balance between different social roles. Originality/value – The study is the first to investigate i-deals in the context of work-family enrichment, explore the role experiences of i-deal recipients, and link i-deals to distinct motivational processes.

Family-supportive organizational environment and turnover intention

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Taheri
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Organizational Environment ◽  
Staff Retention ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test a model in which family-supportive organizational environment is associated with lower levels of turnover intention through higher levels of work-family enrichment and job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of 300 employees, the bootstrap procedure for estimating indirect correlations in multiple mediator models was used to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe results suggest that employees experiencing high levels of family-supportive organizational environment are likely to report lower intention to leave their profession by virtue of their higher levels of job satisfaction and work-life enrichment.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to public organization and sample size. Further research is needed to make comparison between large/state-owned and small/private organizations.Practical implicationsIn the Iran context, work-family enrichment and job satisfaction are effective in reducing the employees' turnover intention. Organizations should show concerns for the employees' work-life enrichment and job satisfaction to reduce their turnover intention.Social implicationsTurnover is one of the problems of organizations in many countries throughout the world including Iran, which has negative consequences through increasing the cost of organizations. The results of this study suggest ways in which staff retention could be improved.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to supportive organizational environment literature by addressing the relationship between family-supportive organizational environment and employee-related outcomes. Given some commonalities between Iran and other developing countries, the findings might be of potential interest in comparative studies dealing with the employees' turnover issue.

Informal learning, work engagement and their effects on work-family enrichment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansi Rastogi ◽  
Osman M. Karatepe
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hotel Employees ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

PurposeDrawing from work-family enrichment (WFE) model and path-goal theory of motivation, this paper proposes and tests work engagement (WE) as a mediator between informal learning and WFE.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaires measuring informal learning, WE and WFE were filled out by 290 hotel employees in India. The abovementioned linkages were tested via structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings suggest that hotel employees' informal learning fosters their WE and WFE. The findings also reveal that WE partly mediates the impact of informal learning on WFE.Originality/valueMost of employees' learning efforts in the workplace emerge from informal learning. However, there is still limited information whether employees' informal learning activates their WE, which is a timely and significant topic. Importantly, there is a paucity of evidence appertaining to the effect of informal learning on WFE, which is underrepresented in the current literature. Evidence about the mechanism linking informal learning to WFE is also sparse.

scholarly journals Job satisfaction and work–family policies through work-family enrichment

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 386-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Martinez-Sanchez ◽  
Manuela Perez-Perez ◽  
Maria-Jose Vela-Jimenez ◽  
Silvia Abella-Garces
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Family Policies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of a bundle of work–family policies on employee’s job satisfaction and (affective) organizational commitment, by using work–family enrichment and conflict as explanatory.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical study is conducted with a sample of 322 employees from 30 Spanish firms that have been granted with the “Flexible Firm Award” or have been certified as “Family Responsible Firms.” Structural equation modeling is used to test hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that the higher the use of work–family policies the more positive effects on work–family enrichment and conflict, and that job satisfaction is positively related to (effective) organizational commitment.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a cross-sectional study which may limit the establishment of causal relationships.Practical implicationsWork–family policies may constitute a relevant management tool to balance work and family life by making employees more interested in their jobs, enhancing their well-being and reducing the conflicts between work and family domains. The positive role of work–family enrichment contributes to enhance employees’ job satisfaction and, at the same time, to increase their organizational commitment. Managers should pay attention at how work–family policies are justified because they may influence differently on their outcomes on satisfaction and commitment.Originality/valueThere are two main original contributions of the paper. First, the authors study the joint effect of work–family policies on different dimensions of enrichment and conflict. Second, the authors analyze the relationship between different dimensions of enrichment and conflict on job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

scholarly journals A Matter of Love: Exploring What Enables Work-family Enrichment

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Sowon Kim ◽  
Mireia Las Heras ◽  
Maria Jose Bosch
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
The Other ◽  
Executive Education ◽  
Family Resources ◽  
The Family ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

<p>The purpose of this empirical study is to examine the conditions under which work-family enrichment happens. We conducted a total of 30 interviews with managers (and their spouses) participating in a demanding executive education program at a prestigious business school in Spain in order to explore how work and family resources are generated and transferred from one role to the other. Based on the qualitative results, we developed a model and surveyed 302 Chilean employees across an organization in the industrial sector in order to test our preliminary results in the qualitative stage. In our qualitative study, we find that there is a unique resource generated only in the family domain, which we define as “agape love” that contributes to enrichment. Our quantitative study confirms that, the more individuals experience agape love from spouse and children, the more the family enriches the employee’s work life.<strong></strong></p>

Work–family enrichment: an integrative review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Agrawal ◽  
Ritika Mahajan
Keyword(s):  
Integrative Review ◽  
Family Type ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide an integrative review of work–family enrichment literature.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based upon 206 peer-reviewed papers derived from systematic search in the Scopus database. The review ascertains its relevance by analyzing the publication trends, research designs, data analysis techniques, sample characteristics, measures and findings of selected articles.FindingsThe study notes a rising trend of publication activity in the Asian region on this topic. Empirical research using regression is the most popular research design in this field. Most of the research studies have targeted samples based on family type and/or gender. The majority of the studies include directionality to measure work–family enrichment. Notably, work-related antecedents and consequences have received the most attention from the research community. Crossover models have concentrated on spousal dyad samples.Originality/valueAs per the authors' knowledge, the study is a primary attempt to integrate the extant literature on this subject. Additionally, the study presents the gender role ideology as a potential moderator and provides future research directions along with managerial implications.

Work and Family

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
MacKenna L. Perry ◽  
Leslie B. Hammer
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
The Family ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Work Domain ◽  
Family Enrichment

Study of the intersection of work with nonwork components of individuals’ lives has most often focused on roles within nuclear and extended families but is increasingly focused on nonwork domains beyond family, such as roles within friendships, communities, leisure activities, and the self. In line with the focus of most existing literature on the family-specific domain within nonwork lives, the nonwork domain will generally be referred to here as “family.” One popular conceptualization of linking mechanisms between work and family differentiates between work-family conflict or stress, which occurs when a work role and a nonwork role are not fully compatible and results in some type of physical or psychological strain. Alternatively, work-family enrichment occurs when participation in one role benefits life in the other role. Concepts similar to work-family enrichment include work-family positive spillover and work-family facilitation; all emphasize the ways in which one role can positively impact another role. Additionally, the popular concept of work-family balance highlights either a state of low conflict and high enrichment or the presence of effectiveness and satisfaction in both roles. Broadly speaking, the links between work and family are bi-directional, such that the work domain can influence the family domain, the family domain can influence the work domain, and both can occur simultaneously. Work-family conflict and enrichment have been tied to important employee outcomes, including work (e.g., absenteeism), family (e.g., family satisfaction), and domain-unspecific outcomes (e.g., physical and psychological health), as well as to organizational outcomes (e.g., market performance). Working conditions contributing to work-family conflict and enrichment are frequently characteristic of lower wage jobs, such as low levels of control over work, high work demands, low levels of supervisor support, shift work, and temporary work that can lead to unpredictable schedules, high degrees of job insecurity, and increased health and safety hazards. Researchers are presented with unique challenges as the workplace continues to change, with more dual-earner couples, an increasingly aging workforce, and surges of technology that facilitates flexible work arrangements (e.g., telecommuting). Nonetheless, researchers and organizations work to explore relationships between work and family roles, develop policies related to work and family (i.e., national, state or local, and organizational), and build evidence-based interventions to improve organizations’ abilities to meet employees’ needs.

Direct and indirect effects of work‒family enrichment: role of gender role ideology

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 873-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Bansal ◽  
Upasna A. Agarwal
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Decision Latitude ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Role Ideology ◽  
Family Culture ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents (i.e. work‒family culture and decision latitude) and outcome (innovative workplace behavior (IWB)) of work‒family enrichment (WFE). The study also examines the moderated mediation hypothesis between WFE and outcome, considering work‒life balance (WLB) as a mediator and gender role ideology (GRI) as the moderator. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study were collected through a questionnaire survey from 426 Indian dual working parents, working in various sectors, through purposive sampling technique. Findings The study found that work‒family culture and decision latitude are positively related to WFE, which, in turn, results in increased IWB, with WLB acting as its mediator. Further, the study also found a moderating effect of GRI between WFE and WLB relationship; more specifically, the relationship between WFE and balance is stronger for egalitarian employees (high GRI). Research limitations/implications Using self-reported questionnaire data and a cross-sectional research design is the limitation of this study. Originality/value The study examines a relatively less focused phenomenon of work‒life interface, that is WFE in one of the underrepresented contexts like India; further, the study extends the range of antecedents and outcomes of WFE. Additionally, it contributes to understand the enrichment‒balance relationship, whereby it explains the role of GRI in developing a balanced perception.

Decent work and work–family enrichment: role of meaning at work and work engagement

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaneet Kashyap ◽  
Ridhi Arora
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
North India ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment ◽  
Policies And Practices

PurposeThe purpose of the current study is to examine decent work (DW) as a critical antecedent of work–family enrichment (WFE). Further, it also focuses on understanding the underlying mechanisms that facilitate the linkage of employees' perceptions of DW and WFE by investigating about the mediating role of knowledge workers' experience of meaning at work and their work engagement levels.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional research design using survey administration among faculty members employed in public and private universities of North India.FindingsResults depicted that in addition to direct relationship between DW and WFE, both meaning at work and work engagement partially mediate the relationship between access to DW and WFE indirectly. These findings showed that the provision of access to DW by organizations will help facilitate WFE via employees' experience of meaning at work and their levels of engagement with their work.Practical implicationsThe study findings would be useful for organizational practitioners and policymakers to design sustainable human resource development (HRD) policies and practices for enriching the WFE of employees as well as in driving talent retention and engagement.Originality/valueIt is one of the few studies that captures perceptions of employees about access to DW policies and practices and its role in enhancing WFE in the South Asian context. Further, it also advances our knowledge on antecedents and consequences of WFE.

Grounded theory research

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavitra Mishra ◽  
Rajen Gupta ◽  
Jyotsna Bhatnagar
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Culture ◽  
Grounded Theory Research ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
Work Family Enrichment ◽  
Family Enrichment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the phenomenon of work-to-family enrichment in totality. Using grounded theory, the study aims to understand antecedents, moderators, and consequences of work-to-family enrichment. This study also investigates strategies adopted by individuals to enhance their work-family enrichment experience. Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open-ended approach of grounded theory. This paper builds a model to understand the phenomenon by applying Strauss and Corbin's (1990) “paradigm model” approach of grounded theory. The paper throws light on the key tenets of grounded theory research and explains use of grounded theory as a rigorous method for business research. Data were collected by taking 24 in-depth interviews with employees representing middle management segment of consulting, IT and FMCG firms in India. Findings – This study reports “perceived work-family culture” of an organization as an antecedent of “work-to-family enrichment.” It also finds “community resources” and “family role salience” as significant contributors in enriching the experience of professionals. Work-to-family enrichment experience has positive influence on “employer brand attraction” and “organizational citizenship behavior” and has negative influence on “intention to quit.” The study has also added to the literature by identifying Psychological Capital as one of the consequences. The study has highlighted segmentation, i.e. by maintaining work and family boundaries, support from extended family members or close friends, engaging in activities that provides happiness and personal peace like being a part of NGO, time management and scheduling, engaging in shopping and availing community facilities like good day cares as major strategies used by Indian professionals to enhance their work-to-family enrichment. Research limitations/implications – The study demonstrates application of grounded theory for understanding a phenomenon holistically. It is one of its kinds of study conducted to understand work-to-family enrichment. Practical implications – This is a unique study, where attempts have been made to understand and integrate work-to-family enrichment phenomenon in totality. The paper provides insights to the managers about the importance of suitable work-family culture and other factors to ensure successful implementation of work-family policies. The paper also identifies strategies adopted by individuals to attain work-family enrichment. Social implications – Demographic shifts, changing market and economic trends, technological advances and competitive forces have made work-family interface an important issue for both academicians and practitioners. In India, these changes can be experienced in terms of demographic profile of work force. Changes in the definitions of work and family, shifting family structure, changing profile of work (due to technological advancement, women empowerment, etc.) are transforming the work-family interactions in emerging economies. According to Hewitt's Attrition and Retention Asia Pacific Study, the need for a balance between work and personal life has become an integral element of employee's expectations from their work organization. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need to study and explore positive side of work-family interface especially in emerging economies like India. This is the first attempt to study the relationships in the work-family domain from a grounded theory approach in Indian context and probably one of the first few in the literature.

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