A theory of work-family conflict episode processing

Examining the Aftermath of Work-Family Conflict Episodes: Internal Attributions, Self-Conscious Emotions, Family Engagement, and Well-Being

Little empirical research exists on attributions that people make regarding work-family conflict that they experience. Our study used attribution theory to examine the aftermath of work-family conflict episodes. We used a diary method in which respondents reported their daily encounters with work-family conflict, attributions they made about its causes, feelings of guilt and shame they experienced, and their levels of daily family engagement and well-being after work. Based on Ilies et al. (2012) we hypothesized that internal attributions of work-family conflict would be associated with feelings of guilt and shame, and that these emotions would in turn be differentially associated with daily after-work outcomes. We also hypothesized that the degree to which individuals were satisfied with the resolution of their work-family conflict would moderate the relationship between internal attribution and guilt/shame. Results largely supported our hypotheses, with guilt demonstrating a positive link to family engagement while shame showed a negative association. We also found that shame, but not guilt, was negatively associated with daily well-being. One's level of satisfaction with the resolution of work-family conflict emerged as a key variable as well. Lastly, we discuss the theoretical and practical ramifications of our findings.

Work-Family Conflict, Happiness and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Among Professional Women: A Moderated Mediation Model

This study investigates the association between work-family conflict and organizational citizenship behavior and examines the mediated role of subjective happiness between and the moderated part of family support. A moderated mediation model is established based on the Conservation of Resources theory. We collected data from 386 employees of nine companies in China. This study shows that the work-family conflict of female professional employees is negatively correlated with organizational citizenship behavior, and that the relationship is mediated by subjective well-being. Furthermore, female professional employees' family support moderates the effects of work-family conflict on subjective happiness and organizational citizenship behavior, with the relationship weaker when family support is higher. This study enriches the literature on work-family conflict by using family support as a mediating mechanism for work-family conflict. It enhanced our understanding of the influencing mechanisms of organizational citizenship behavior by constructing a more detailed model.

An Episodic Process Model of After-Hour ICT-Related Interruptions at Home

As remote and hybrid work become mainstream, after-hour interruptions from work into personal life (i.e., boundary violations) via information communicative technology will become even more prevalent. These interruptions trigger employees to suddenly disengage from their nonwork roles and reengage in work (i.e., interrole transitions), which can translate into adverse work and well-being outcomes for employees. It is critical to study after-hour ICT-related interruptions to ensure employees can effectively perform in both their work and nonwork spheres. Although there is a substantial knowledge base for boundary violations and interrole transitions, we have limited understanding of the mechanisms through which these experiences affect individuals on a daily basis. The present study builds on boundary theory with a comprehensive qualitative investigation of the boundary violation-interrole transition process and development of an episodic process model grounded in data. Using the event reconstruction method, employee experiences with after-hour ICT-related interruptions were deeply explored. Content analysis revealed defining features and underlying mechanisms of the boundary violation-interrole transition process and the interrelationships of these mechanisms, facilitating the development of an episodic model with testable propositions for future boundary research. The results suggest that after-hour ICT-related interruptions are a particular type of perceived work-family incompatibility that can be problematic for employees, thereby advancing work-family theory. As these interruptions cannot be eliminated and will increase as more employees work remotely, the results and proposed model can inform the design of organizational interventions intended to mitigate the negative effects of interruptions on employees’ daily lives.

Job demands and resources and their relationship with satisfaction and thriving at work in a sample of Chinese doctors: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

The current study aimed to evaluate the status quo of perceived job demands and resources respectively among Chinese doctors, to examine the mediating role of work-family conflicts in the relationship between perceived job demands and various indicators of well-being, and to test the mediating role of psychological attachment in the relationship between perceived job resources and thriving at work among Chinese doctors.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional online survey study.

SETTING

Online questionnaires were administered across 30 provinces.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 2617 doctors provided sufficiently complete responses to be used in the study.

RESULTS

Perceived job demands (M=3.843, SD=0.791) of participants were positively associated with work-family conflicts (B=0.454, p<0.001) and negatively associated with job satisfaction (B=-0.065, p<0.001) and life satisfaction (B=-0.261, p<0.001). Work-family conflicts partially mediated the relationship between job demands and life satisfaction and fully mediated the relationship between job demands and job satisfaction. Perceived job resources (M=2.474, SD=0.740) among Chinese doctors were positively associated with psychological attachment (B=0.988, p<0.001) and thriving at work (B=0.582, p<0.001). Furthermore, psychological attachment partially mediated the relationship between perceived job resources and thriving at work.

CONCLUSION

Doctors in China with high-level job demands tended to exhibit increased work-family conflicts, which in turn threatened their job and life satisfaction. On the contrary, doctors with greater job resources were more likely to thrive at work by increasing their degree of psychological attachment. The current study suggested that Chinese health policymakers and hospital administrators should provide a work environment with a dynamic equilibrium between doctors' job demands and resources.

The neural basis of decision-making during time-based inter-role conflict

Time-based inter-role conflict is a type of conflict in which individuals are faced with simultaneous role pressures from different role domains. Some researchers have applied a decision-making perspective to investigate inter-role conflict; however, the neural basis of inter-role decision-making has rarely been discussed. In the current study, a collection of inter-role conflict scenarios with high/low levels of conflict were selected, and sixty college students were recruited to make choices between the conflicting student and family/friend demands in each scenario while their brain activities were recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Blood oxygen level-dependent conjunction analysis found that making decisions in inter-role conflict activated brain areas, including the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), bilateral temporoparietal conjunction (TPJ), bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and bilateral anterior temporal lobe. Direct comparisons between high versus low conflict situations showed increased activation of the left dorsal anterior cingulate. A generalized psychophysiological interaction analysis further showed enhanced connectivity among the mPFC, PCC, and bilateral TPJ in high conflict versus low conflict situations. Our study improved understanding of the relationship between brain and inter-role decision-making and provided an empirical examination on the psychological process propositions.

Not Just Work-to-Family Conflict, But How you React to It Matters for Physical and Mental Health

Individuals with higher work-to-family conflict (WTFC) in general are more likely to report poorer physical and mental health. Less research, however, has examined the daily implications of WTFC, such as whether individuals' reactions to minor WTFC day-to-day (e.g., missing family dinner due to work obligation) are associated with health outcomes. We examined whether affective reactivity to daily WTFC was associated with poorer sleep, health behaviors, and mental health in a sample who may be particularly vulnerable to daily WTFC. Employed parents in the IT industry with adolescent-aged children (N = 118, M age = 45.01, 44.07 % female) reported daily WTFC and negative affect on 8 consecutive days, in addition to completing a survey that assessed sleep, health behaviors (smoking, drinking, exercise, fast food consumption), and psychological distress. Multilevel modeling outputted individual reactivity slopes by regressing daily negative affect on the day's WTFC. Results of general linear models indicated that affective reactivity to WTFC was associated with poorer sleep quality and higher levels of psychological distress - even when controlling for average daily negative affect on non-WTFC days. Individual differences in reactivity to daily WTFC have implications for health. Interventions aimed to reduce daily WTFC and reactivity to it are needed.

Work–Family Conflict on Sustainable Creative Performance: Job Crafting as a Mediator

The psychology of sustainability in terms of sustainable development for work–family conflict (WFC) in organizations has become increasingly relevant in sustainable human resource management research, and the pursuit of sustainable creative performance is an important aspect of corporate sustainable development. Taking a regulatory focus perspective, this study integrates a moderated-mediation model to examine the relationship between work–family conflict and sustainable creative performance. Data were collected from 203 supervisor–subordinate dyads from two branches of a high-end manufacturing enterprise in Shanghai, China. The results reveal that work–family conflict has a positive effect on sustainable creative performance through job crafting, and the effect is stronger when individuals show higher promotion regulatory focus. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the study, along with potential future research directions.