Job satisfaction and work–family policies through work-family enrichment

Abstract

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of a bundle of work-family policies on employee's job satisfaction and (affective) organizational commitment, by using work-family enrichment and conflict as explanatory. Design/methodology/approach-Empirical study is conducted with a sample of 322 employees from 30 Spanish firms that have been granted with the "Flexible Firm Award" or have been certified as "Family Responsible Firms." Structural equation modeling is used to test hypotheses. Findings-The results show that the higher the use of work-family policies the more positive effects on work-family enrichment and conflict, and that job satisfaction is positively related to (effective) organizational commitment. Research limitations/implications-This is a cross-sectional study which may limit the establishment of causal relationships. Practical implications-Work-family policies may constitute a relevant management tool to balance work and family life by making employees more interested in their jobs, enhancing their well-being and reducing the conflicts between work and family domains. The positive role of work-family enrichment contributes to enhance employees' job satisfaction and, at the same time, to increase their organizational commitment. Managers should pay attention at how work-family policies are justified because they may influence differently on their outcomes on satisfaction and commitment. Originality/value-There are two main original contributions of the paper. First, the authors study the joint effect of work-family policies on different dimensions of enrichment and conflict. Second, the authors analyze the relationship between different dimensions of enrichment and conflict on job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Family-friendly policies, supervisor support and job satisfaction: mediating effect of work-family conflict

“…Results show that those employees using work-family policies are more satisfied at work and have a low conflict (Sanchez, 2018). Work-family conflict was found negatively associated with the availability of policies for work and family (Anderson et al, 2002;Breaugh and Frye, 2008).…”

Work–family enrichment, job satisfaction, and work engagement: The mediating role of subjective career success

“…When organisations ensure the availability of sufficient human, technological, financial, and other resources to achieve its goals, they are also providing optimal conditions for work–family balance. Organisations should therefor attempt to enhance the experience of WFE by providing employees avenues to increase this enrichment phenomenon which may also include flexible work arrangements (e.g., flex time, offsite work and compressed workweeks) (Greenhaus & Powell, 2006) or family–friendly work policies (e.g., parental leave, flexible emergency leave and family–friendly environment) (Martinez‐Sanchez, Perez‐Perez, Vela‐Jimenez, & Abella‐Garces, 2018) or time management skills. As these aspects may lead to enrichment experiences.…”

Employee Characteristics, Subjective Norms and Work Performance: Integrating the Achievement Goal Orientation Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior

“…In addition, with the development of productivity and the increase in labor participation, the study of the work-family interface is becoming more and more abundant. Early research focused on the conflict between work and family, and as the research progressed, the researchers found positive effects in the work-family relationship (Dunn et al, 2013;Martinez et al, 2018;Mishra et al, 2019). Today, work-family balance is a goal that is increasingly pursued by individuals and organizations (Wang, Yang, & Gu, 2011).…”

“…The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a behavioral theory research model proposed by Ajzen (1991), which suggests that human behavior is influenced by three factors -attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controlwhere subjective norms refer to the social pressure an individual feels to adopt a particular behavior, or the influence of other individuals and groups in predicting the behavior of others. The traditional TPB model assumes that "work-family gain" (Dunn, Rochlen, & O'Brien, 2013;Martinez, Perez, Jimenez, & Abellas, 2018;Mishra, Bhatnagar, Gupta, & Wadsworth, 2019) and "leader-subordinate matching" (Chen, Wang, Luo, & Luo, 2016). Nicholls (1984) and Dweck (1988) introduced achievement goals into the field of achievement motivation and argued that individuals' behavior is influenced by achievement goals, including the concepts of goal convergence and goal avoidance (Song, 2013).…”