Does work and family imbalance impact the satisfaction of police force employees? A “net or a web” model

Author(s):  
Rashid Ahmad ◽  
Talat Islam

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of work–family conflict (WFC) and family–work conflict (FWC) on the level of job satisfaction for the police force employees, considering organizational and community embeddedness as the two moderators. Design/methodology/approach A convenience-based sample of 345 employees working in the capital city police force was collected using a questionnaire-based survey. Findings A negative association was found between WFC and the employees’ job satisfaction, and both organizational and community embeddedness were found to moderate these associations. Research limitations/implications The study suggests policymakers to develop HR strategies to mitigate work and family imbalances in order to enhance job satisfaction among the police force employees. Practical implications Practically, this study contributes by suggesting flexible working hours and reducing the workload of the police force. Originality/value This study highlights the importance of the effects of community and organizational embeddedness on the associations between inter-role conflicts and job satisfaction among police force employees. The study adds to the limited literature on the constructs of WFC and FWC to elucidate the moderating role of embeddedness.

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Maria Ferri ◽  
Matteo Pedrini ◽  
Egidio Riva

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how the actual use of supports available from the state, organisations and families helps workers reduce perceived work–family conflict (WFC), explored from both works interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) perspectives. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a survey of 2,029 employees at six large Italian firms. To test hypotheses, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed. Findings WFC should be explored considering its bi-directionality, as supports have different impacts on WIF and FIW. Workplace instrumental support elicits mixed effects on WFC, whereas workplace emotional support and familiar support reduce both FIW and WIF. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to the Italian national context, and data were collected in a single moment of time, which did not allow for observing changes in employees’ lives. Practical implications Human resource managers, as well as policy makers, will find this study’s results useful in designing effective work–life balance policies and supports, in which attention is devoted mainly to promoting workplace emotional supports and facilitating familiar support. Social implications The study highlights that by reducing pressures from work and family responsibilities that generate WFC conditions, organisational and familiar supports elicit different effects, which should be considered carefully when defining policies and interventions. Originality/value This study is one of the few that compare the role of supports provided by actors in different sectors on FIW and WIF, thereby allowing for an understanding of whether the bi-directionality of the conflicts is a relevant perspective.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-440
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Yu ◽  
Xiaotong Meng ◽  
Gang Cao ◽  
Yingya Jia

Purpose Conflict between work and family is a significant issue for entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of entrepreneurial failure on both family–work conflict (FWC) and work–family conflict (WFC) and the moderating role of perceived control of time and organizational slack based on conservation of resources (COR) theory. Design/methodology/approach This study used a questionnaire to explore the relationship between entrepreneurial failure, FWC/WFC, perceived control of time and organizational slack. Data were collected from the Chinese context in 2018 and as a result received 318 valid questionnaires, obtaining a response rate of 63.6 per cent. Findings The study finds that entrepreneurial failure has a significant relationship with FWC but a nonsignificant relationship with WFC and that perceived control of time and organizational slack moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial failure and FWC/WFC. Originality/value This study aligns the field of family–work (work–family) conflict and entrepreneurial failure. It addresses a research gap in the conflict literature by introducing one form of resource loss: entrepreneurial failure as a source of conflict between work and family based on COR theory and the work–home resources model. The study also enriches the literature on the social cost of entrepreneurial failure by exploring the crossover effect of entrepreneurial failure on conflicts in the family domain. Furthermore, the study advances the understanding of managing conflict between work and family after entrepreneurial failure.


2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 726-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tri Wulida Afrianty ◽  
John Burgess ◽  
Theodora Issa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of family-friendly programs at the workplace in the Indonesian higher education sector. The focus is the impact that these programs have on employees’ work family conflict. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of academic and non-academic staff from 30 higher education institutions across Indonesia participated in the research. A total of 159 completed questionnaires from 109 academic and 50 from non-academic staff are reported and statistically analysed using SPSS. Findings – Work and family experiences in Indonesia do not positively align with the findings reported in most academic literature pertaining to western societies where the use of family-friendly programs (i.e. flexible work options, specialized leave options and dependent care support) leads to a reduction in employees’ work family conflict. In fact, some of the programs were found to have the opposite effect in the Indonesian context. Research limitations/implications – The design of family-friendly support has to take into account the context in which the policies will operates; these policies are not transferable across countries in terms of their effectiveness. Originality/value – This is one of the first studies that has examined the operation and effectiveness of family-friendly support programs in an Indonesian context.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 883-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhash C. Kundu ◽  
Rina S. Phogat ◽  
Saroj Kumar Datta ◽  
Neha Gahlawat

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of various workplace characteristics on work-family conflict among dual-career couples in India. Design/methodology/approach Primary data based on 393 employees belonging to dual-career couples were analyzed. Using multiple regression analysis, the study has attempted to find out the effects of workplace characteristics on work-family conflict in dual-career couples. Findings The findings indicate that not all workplace characteristics effect work-family conflict in dual-career couples. Out of 13 characteristics, 8 workplace characteristics, namely, development and flexibility, co-worker support, supervisory support, job competence, self-employee control, practicing overtime, flexibility and discrimination, are found to have significant effects on work-family conflict in dual-career couples. Research limitations/implications As this study is limited to the dual-career couples employed mainly in organizations operating in India, these results may not be generalized to other areas such as traditional career couples, self-employed member of couples and in other national contexts. Practical implications It would be beneficial for organizations to understand and implicate that adoption of certain workplace characteristics provide appropriate choices, freedom and environment for dual-career employees, which further encourage them to build effective amalgamation of work and family roles suiting their individual circumstances. Originality/value This study is an important and almost first study on dual-career couples in India on such issues. As a very scant number of researches have examined the impact of workplace characteristics on work-family conflict on such extensive basis, it definitely contributes to HR literature.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 513-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mareike Reimann ◽  
Charlotte Katharina Marx ◽  
Martin Diewald

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and how employed single-parents differ from parents in two-parent families in their experience of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). Looking at job-related as well as family-related demands and resources, this research investigated to what degree these demands and resources contribute to differences in WFC and FWC, how their relevance in predicting conflicts varies between single parents and other parents and the role of compositional differences in work and family demands and resources. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional linear regression analyses were applied to analyze a random sample of employees in large work organizations in Germany. The sample included 3,581 parents with children up to the age of 25, of whom 346 were single parents. Findings The results indicated that single parents face more FWC, but not more WFC, than other parents. For all parents, job demands such as overtime, supervising responsibilities and availability expectations were associated with higher levels of WFC, whereas job resources such as job autonomy, support from supervisors and flexible working hours were associated with lower levels of WFC. In predicting FWC, family demands and resources played only a minor role. However, results provide only scant evidence of differences between single parents and other parents in terms of the effects of job and family demands and resources. Originality/value This study offers interesting insights into the diversity of WFC and FWC experiences in Germany. It provides first evidence of the impact of job and family demands and resources on both directions of work–family conflicts among employed single parents as a specific social group.


2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Lipińska-Grobelny

Abstract The aim of my study was to determine what relations exist between work and family demands, W-F/F-W conflict and job satisfaction, satisfaction with marriage, and life satisfaction among multiworkers and monoworkers. Research involved 218 multiworkers and 218 employees with single employment, who filled out a survey, the Organizational Climate Questionnaire, the W-F/F-W Conflict Technique, the Job Description Questionnaire, the Marital Communication Questionnaire, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. From the data obtained referring to multiworkers, it is shown that W-F conflict is directly affected by the number of working hours, commuting time, job demands, rewards, and leave control. F-W conflict is directly affected by number of children aged up to six years, partner engagement, and the number of children aged 12‒15 years. Satisfaction with life results from satisfaction with marriage and job satisfaction (stronger relationship). Considering the monoworkers, W-F conflict is directly affected by the number of working hours, commuting time, and the rewards at work. F-W conflict is directly affected by engagement of the partner and the depreciation in the relationship. Satisfaction with life results from satisfaction with marriage (stronger relation) and job satisfaction. These results contribute to deeper knowledge on the multiwork phenomenon.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Katja Mihelič

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of work-family and family-work conflict and enrichment in predicting job satisfaction and its subsequent relation with turnover intentions in a transition country. Design/methodology/approach – This study examined the role of work-family and family-work conflict and enrichment in predicting job satisfaction and its subsequent relation with turnover intentions in a transition country. Findings – While work-family enrichment was significantly and positively related to job satisfaction, family-work enrichment was not. A similar pattern was observed for conflict, whereby only work-family conflict exhibited a positive relation to job satisfaction. Moreover, job satisfaction partially mediated the relationships between work-family interface and turnover intentions. The results revealed indirect effects of work-family enrichment and work-family conflict on turnover intentions. Originality/value – This study is unique because it tested the relationships among the negative and positive sides of the work-family interface and job attitudes in a transition country in CEE, an underrepresented cultural context in the work-family literature. Furthermore, it tested the direct and indirect effects of work-family interface on turnover intentions. In addition, it provided evidence of the significance of same-domain effects and insignificance of cross-domain effects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grishma Shah ◽  
Ujvala Rajadhyaksha

Purpose The authors observe the impact of certain aspects of globalization on the work-family interface in India. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of life in Tier 1 (more globalized) vs Tier 2 (less globalized) cities, family/work collectivism and gender on work-family conflict (WFC) – both work interfering with family (WIF) conflict as well as family interfering with work (FIW) conflict. Design/methodology/approach The study surveyed 628 young employees on cultural values of collectivism and WFC. Findings Results suggest a main effect of tier in which Tier 1 city individuals experience more of both forms of WFC than Tier 2 city individuals. However, two- and three-way interactions between family/work collectivism and tier greatly moderate the main effect. Interactions indicate that family collectivism decreased WIF more for Tier 1 as compared to Tier 2 cities and work collectivism decreased FIW more for Tier 2 as compared to Tier 1 cities. The results suggest that high family collectivism creates high conflict for those who are low on work collectivism and high family collectivism creates low conflict for those who are high on work collectivism. Research limitations/implications The paper provides great insight into globalization and WFC within the context of cultural values. The paper calls for further studies on globalization, work life enrichment and cultural values. Practical implications The results build a case for more paid and organizationally supported interventions for work-life balance in India. Originality/value Large scale institutional changes, such as globalization, call for a reexamination of cultural dynamics. This study heeds the call and examines WFC in the context of rapid economic and social transformation occurring in India by bridging globalization, cultural change and WIF/FIW.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 805-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inbar Kremer

Purpose – School has been neglected as a source of stress and strain resulting from its inevitable conflict with work and family role demands among married, working students. The meager research available has examined only work-school (not school-work) conflict among adolescents and college students and only three studies (two unpublished) have developed measures of conflict involving work, family, and school without studying its antecedents and consequences. The purpose of this paper is to examine all six school-work-family interrole conflicts and their effects on subjective stress and burnout. It was hypothesized that the greater the conflict between family, work, and school roles, the greater the subjective stress and burnout and that women experience more work-family-school conflicts than do men. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 100 working married adult students completed self-report demographic questionnaire, school-work-family conflict, subjective stress, and burnout scales. Findings – Regression results revealed that school-work (but not work-school) conflict was the only one of the six interrole conflicts examined that contributed to subjective stress and burnout. Women reported greater work-family conflict and family-work conflict. There were no differences between men and women involving school; where gender plays no role, it causes no conflict. Research limitations/implications – Scholars interested in interrole conflict involving family and work should expand the scope of their theories and research to include the school role. Originality/value – The present study was the first to examine all six school-work-family interrole conflicts and their effects on subjective stress and burnout.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 459-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Conte ◽  
Bryan Aasen ◽  
Caitie Jacobson ◽  
Casey O’Loughlin ◽  
Lukas Toroslu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine whether polychronicity, an individual difference variable that involves a preference for multitasking, moderates the relationships between work-family conflict (WFC) and two work criteria, job satisfaction and work engagement; second, to examine two measures of polychronicity (the multitasking preference inventory (MPI) and the inventory of polychronic values (IPV)) and investigate whether polychronicity moderates the relationships between WFC and work criteria differently when measured by the MPI or the IPV. Design/methodology/approach The study’s sample included 257 respondents from the Amazon Mechanical Turk service who completed an online survey. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to test whether polychronicity moderated the relationships between WFC and two work criteria, job satisfaction and work engagement. Findings Polychronicity was found to significantly moderate the relationship between the work engagement and WFC. Follow-up analyses indicated that those who were lower in polychronicity had a significant decrease in work engagement as WFC increased, whereas those who were higher in polychronicity had relatively the same work engagement level regardless of changes in WFC. The results suggest that individuals higher in polychronicity have more personal resources and may be more resilient than those lower in polychronicity when it comes to not letting conflicts between their work and family lives affect how engaged they feel in their work. Originality/value This study extends the application of polychronicity to new domains of WFC and work engagement. The current study also contributed to the literature by investigating two measures of polychronicity (MPI and IPV) and finding that the MPI significantly moderated the relationship between WFC and work engagement, but the IPV did not. These findings indicate that there are important differences between the MPI and the IPV, and additional research is needed in comparing these two polychronicity measures.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document