Longitudinal Stability of Work-Family Enrichment and its Association with Well-Being and Personality Traits

Seeing the big picture during the COVID-19 pandemic: the spillover effects of visionary leadership on employees' work-to-family conflict

While an expanding body of research has revealed the beneficial impacts of visionary leadership on employees' work-related outcomes, little is known about its spillover effects on nonwork domains. Drawing upon work-home resources theory, we investigated the impacts of visionary leadership on employees' work-to-family conflict (WFC). Utilizing three-wave data from 268 employees, the results indicate that visionary leadership promotes follower relational energy, which in turn reduces WFC. Furthermore, perceived COVID-19 crisis disruption was found to strengthen the negative indirect link between visionary leadership and employees' WFC. Our research broadens our understanding of the potential positive spillover effects of visionary leadership in the nonwork domain through relational energy, and the accentuating effect of perceived crisis disruption on the work-family interface. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.

Work-family enrichment: A potential buffer of inflammation among black adults?

Background

Inflammation plays a known role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the United States and a condition that disproportionately affects Blacks. Although social stressors are frequently studied, the role of positive experiences in inflammation and its potential for CVD remains understudied. To address this gap, we examined the relationship between work family enrichment and inflammation in a population-based sample of working adults.

Methods

Participants were 447 working adults from Refresher Cohort of the National Study of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) and the oversample of Blacks from the Milwaukee, WI. Serum concentration of pro-inflammatory biomarkers (IL-6/sIL-6r; CPR; Fibrinogen) were obtained via blood draw. Family-to-work enrichment (FtoWE) and work-to-family enrichment (WtoFE) were each assessed with four established survey questions.

Results

Blacks had higher concentrations of IL-6, CRP and Fibrinogen, and lower levels of sIL-6r than whites. A significant inverse relationship was observed between WtoFE and systemic inflammation as well as WtoFE and serum IL-6 concentration.

Conclusions

Individuals who perceived a stronger enhancing effect from work onto family showed lower levels of systemic inflammation and decreased concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6; highlighting the potential work-family enrichment or other positive experiences may have in buffering the negative cardiovascular effects of inflammation. However, variation between racial groups remain undetermined.