Examining the relationship between work-related factors and work-family-related factors on work-family conflict

Executive Summary The current work-family conflict literature is characterized by limitations in focus and methodology, particularly with a failure to link work-family conflict with work-family policies. This study compares the influence of work-related factors and work-family related factors on work-family conflict in two directions. A local government organization in New Zealand was the setting. Findings show that work factors account for a significant component of both work-to-family and family-to-work conflict, although this is far greater on work-family conflict. Workfamily practice use had little influence on work-family conflict, but was significantly related with family-work conflict. Past use and future use of work-family practices was found to positively associate with family-work conflict. Overall, the findings suggest managers in search of reducing employee conflict should focus directly upon work factors such as workload, rather than seek to use work-family practices as the primary way to reduce conflict. Work and family issues are becoming increasingly important for organizations (Tenbrunsel, Brett, Maoz, Stroh, & Reilly, 1995). The rationale for organizational work-family programs focuses upon four major demographic trends. These include growing participation rates for working women and working mothers (Milliken, Martins, & Morgan, 1998; Osterman, 1995), the rise in dual-career couples (Goodstein, 1994), the increase in the number of singleparent families (Morgan & Milliken, 1992), and the escalation in the elderly population (Goodstein, 1995; Hendrickson, 2000). At the heart of work-family policies are the necessity for these programs to help employees balance changing work and family roles (Goodstein, 1994; Moore, 1997; Osterman, 1995; Judge, Boudreau, & Bretz, 1994; Hand & Zawacki, 1994 ). Due to these factors, managing the conflict between work and family responsibilities has been recognized as a critical challenge for organizations (Kossek & Ozeki, 1998). The present study sought to contribute to the work-family conflict literature by comparing the influence on work-family conflict of work-related factors including job satisfaction, time-based and strain-based sources of conflict, and work-family related practices, including work-family satisfaction and work-family practice use. We consider past, present or anticipated (future) use of work-family practices as categories for use, but do not investigate frequency of use for each practice. This study also investigates conflict from two directions, work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC), as well as the association between conflict and work-family practice use. The context of the study is notable in that it was set in New Zealand, where work-family programs are a more recent phenomenon than in the United States (Callister, 1996). Also, countries like New Zealand and Australia are very much under represented in the work-family conflict literature (Haar & Spell, 2001). Work-Family Conflict Literature The relationship between employee work lives and non-work pursuits has been scrutinized for quite some time (Kanter, 1977; Voydanoff, 1980). However, Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) suggested that one aspect of the work and non-work interface that deserves more research attention is the conflict employees experience between work roles and other roles. Work-family conflict is defined as "a form of interrole conflict in which the role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible in some respect. That is, participation in the work (family) role is made more difficult by virtue of participation in the family (work) role" (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985, p. 77). Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) described three major forms of work-family conflict: (a) time-based, (b) strain-based, and (c) behavior based. These authors maintained that work-family conflict increases when the work and family roles are salient or central to the individual's self-concept and when powerful negative sanctions for noncompliance with role demands are inevitable. …