It takes a village: How organizational support for adoption positively affects employees and their families

Abstract

Extending the integration of conservation of resources theory with the spillover–crossover model, we broaden the scope of types of organizational support by examining the influence of organizational support for adoption (OSFA) as a work resource that could benefit employees, their spouse, and their adopted child. Specifically, we examine how this resource of OSFA contributes to job incumbent work–family enrichment (WFE) and indirectly to a work outcome (i.e., affective commitment) and spills over to impact family outcomes (i.e., attachment, relationship tension, and family functioning). Further, we examine the crossover to the spouse through positive crossover transmission to his/her commitment to the job incumbent’s organization and his/her family outcomes. Using a matched sample of 592 couples that had adopted a child, we found that the resource of OSFA indirectly influences the job incumbent’s work and family outcomes as expected. Further, we found OSFA indirectly influences the spouse’s commitment to the job incumbent’s organization and the spouse’s family outcomes through WFE and positive crossover transmission. Evidence of the content and construct validity of OSFA is also presented. Implications, both theoretical and practical, and suggestions for future research are discussed. Practitioner points Employees who feel supported in their adoption by their organization are more committed to their organization. Organizations that provide support for adoptive employees indirectly influence their spouses’ commitment to the employees’ organization. Adoptive employees’ positive work experiences that result from organizational support for adoption spillover into their family domain. Children who are adopted can benefit indirectly from their parents’ employing organization when that organization supports the adoption in tangible ways.

Welcome to parenthood!? An examination of the far-reaching effects of perceived adoption stigma in the workplace

“…Further, since WFC mediated the relationship between PAS and adverse outcomes for employees and their families, organizations should focus on creating work environments in which employees pursuing adoption feel supported (see Fox and Quinn, 2015). One way to do this would be to institute policies that demonstrate organizational support for adoption, which has been linked to increases in job incumbents' affective commitment (Quade et al, 2021). However, managers will also need to do things to ensure such family-friendly policies are both utilized by adoptive employees and viewed by others as positive.…”

Working and caring for a disabled adopted child during a pandemic

“…The right to request flexibility, mandatory paid sick leave and paid family medical leave for all employees would enable employed parents to better meet work and family demands. This is especially pertinent for adoptive parents since workplaces that provide adoption-friendly supports encourage worker retention (Quade et al, 2021). Foster-adoptive children in the United States typically qualify for Medicaid, but providers may be more limited (Rosenbach, 2001).…”

“…For example, supportive supervisors, family‐friendly organizational climates and flexible workplaces in addition to sick days and medical leave have been found in numerous studies to improve work–family–community fit for families with disabled children (Brown & Clark, 2017). Adoptive parents that identified their workplace as supportive of adoptive families expressed greater work–family fit (Quade et al, 2021); however, the study did not address disability specifically.…”

Untangling the role of CEOs' political ideology in the provision and inclusiveness of work–family policies: a multi-level conceptual model

“…Finally, far less attention has been given to the work-family balancing needs of employees who are in the process of adopting or have adopted a child. As Quade et al (2021) highlight, employees who are in the process of adopting a child go through an extremely complex and time-consuming legal process, and after completion of the adoption, they are likely to face a variety of challenges, such as therapy sessions for both the child and the new parents and possible language barriers, particularly when older children are adopted. Therefore, Quade et al (2021, p. 2) conclude that employers should help their employees balance their work and family lives by offering organization support for adoption, which they define as "the intentional effort on the part of an organization, through financial environmental, or procedural means to support an employee who is in the process of adopting or has recently adopted a child," that extends beyond adoption leave.…”

“…Finally, far less attention has been given to the work–family balancing needs of employees who are in the process of adopting or have adopted a child. As Quade et al. (2021) highlight, employees who are in the process of adopting a child go through an extremely complex and time-consuming legal process, and after completion of the adoption, they are likely to face a variety of challenges, such as therapy sessions for both the child and the new parents and possible language barriers, particularly when older children are adopted.…”