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Purpose Past research has been concerned with finding reasons for failure of organizational changes and the role of employees in it. Whether employees hinder or support organizational change depends not only on the organizational context, but also on individual predispositions and the change communication employees experience during the process. The purpose of this paper is to test how these three categories affect employees’ attitudes toward the change as well as their tendency to show resistance or to support it. Design/methodology/approach An online survey (n=608) of German employees who were recently subject to a change in their workplace was conducted. Findings With respect to individual predispositions and organizational context, the results show that in particular skepticism, openness, engagement and influence on decisions are relevant predictors. Change communication variables (e.g. involvement, participation and appreciation) explain the largest share of variance, indicating that transparent communication and including employees in the process result in positive attitudes toward change and support. Originality/value This study adds to the discussion about which factors determine the support or resistance to organizational change by identifying relevant predictors, organizing them along three categories and testing them concurrently.

Family-friendly organizational policies are important for employees to manage work and family responsibilities. Besides formal policies, research has emphasized the importance of informal social support by organizational actors. The positive effects of organizational and supervisor support are already known, but findings are limited regarding family-specific support by coworkers. Taking a communicative perspective, this study tests the assumption that social support is contingent on trustworthy and open communication. To test this, 724 German employees participated in an online survey. Results confirm the relationship between family-specific support and the outcomes job satisfaction, policy use, and work-family conflict, through open and trustworthy communication. Additionally, the study illuminates the distinct roles of organizational actors’ (i.e., coworker, supervisor, organization) support on employee outcomes in the German context.