A study of work interference with family (WIF) among managers is described, contrasting four clusters of countries, one of which is individualistic (Anglo) and three of which are collectivistic (Asia, East Europe, and Latin America). Country cluster (Anglo vs. each of the others) moderated the relation of work demands with strain‐based WIF, with the Anglo country cluster having the strongest relationships. Country cluster moderated some of the relationships of strain‐based WIF with both job satisfaction and turnover intentions, with Anglos showing the strongest relationships. Cluster differences in domestic help were ruled out as the possible explanation for these moderator results.

Job quality, Life satisfaction, Quality of life, Europe, Cross-national comparison,

Surveying 6509 managers from 24 countries/geopolitical entities, we tested the process through which individualism-collectivism at the country level relates to employees' appraisals of and reactions to three types of work demands (i.e., work hours, workload, and organizational constraints). Our multilevel modeling results suggested that, while working the same number of hours, employees from individualistic countries reported a higher perceived workload than their counterparts in collectivistic countries. Furthermore, relationships of perceived workload and organizational constraints with job dissatisfaction and turnover intentions were stronger in individualistic than in collectivistic countries. Importantly, results of supplementary analyses suggested that the cultural value of individualism-collectivism moderated the mediation effect of perceived workload between work hours and both job dissatisfaction and turnover intentions. Our findings highlight the need to expand contemporary theories of work stress by applying multilevel approaches and incorporating crossnational differences in dimensions such as individualism-collectivism while studying how employees appraise and react to important work stressors.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a commonly used life satisfaction scale. Cross-cultural researchers use SWLS to compare mean scores of life satisfaction across countries. Despite the wide use of SWLS in cross-cultural studies, measurement invariance of SWLS has rarely been investigated, and previous studies showed inconsistent findings. Therefore, we examined the measurement invariance of SWLS with samples collected from 26 countries. To test measurement invariance, we utilized three measurement invariance techniques: (a) multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA), (b) multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (ML-CFA), and (c) alignment optimization methods. The three methods demonstrated that configural and metric invariances of life satisfaction held across 26 countries, whereas scalar invariance did not. With partial invariance testing, we identified that the intercepts of Items 2, 4, and 5 were noninvariant. Based on two invariant intercepts, factor means of countries were compared. Chile showed the highest factor mean; Spain and Bulgaria showed the lowest. The findings enhance our understanding of life satisfaction across countries, and they provide researchers and practitioners with practical guidance on how to conduct measurement invariance testing across countries.

Purpose -The paper seeks to examine the relationships between various work demands and resources and satisfaction with work-family balance in a sample of German office workers. Work-to-family conflict is expected to mediate several relationships between dependent and independent variables. Design/methodology/approach -A sample of 716 office workers from two service sector organizations in Germany participated in a comprehensive online survey. Hierarchical multivariate regressions were used to test the predicted relationships. Findings -Perceived high organizational time expectations, psychological job demands and job insecurity were found to be negatively related to employees' satisfaction with work-family balance. Work-to-family conflict partially mediated those relationships. Social support at work and job control revealed positive relationships with satisfaction with work-family balance, but contrary to predictions this association persisted after controlling for work-to-family conflict.Research limitations/implications -The study used a cross-sectional design and employees' self reports which may be problematic in drawing causal conclusions. Originality/value -The majority of studies in work-family research look at either work-family conflict, or more recently, at work-family facilitation/enrichment, but little research has been conducted on employees' overall assessment of satisfaction with work-family balance. By investigating relationships between various work demands and resources and the mediating role of work-to-family conflict in a sample of German office workers, the study extends previous research and contributes to the work-family literature by clarifying the relationship between work-to-family conflict and satisfaction with work-family balance.