Title
Work and family life: the relationship between spousal support, spousal conflict, and work outcomes
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
Abstract Balancing relationships and jobs are difficult in the fast-paced lifestyle that the average American worker faces on a regular basis. If the relationship or job is more difficult and takes more energy and time, it may have an effect on the other. Too much attention on either area can be detrimental to the other, so it is crucial to maintain a balance between both areas of life. This idea is known as the spillover effect (i.e., how having a good marriage can produce satisfaction in both a relationship and in work) (Liang, 2015). Furthermore, family and work relationships can be beneficial or detrimental towards one another depending on how each spouse views the importance of both areas in their lives. A previous study looked at work-family relationship through the causes of exhaustion and stress when work and family demands overlap, and found that employees with more exhaustion from a lack of balance were less likely to be given promotions (Wayne, Lemmon, Hoobler, Cheung, and Wilson, 2017). This loss of energy can affect the success of a worker, specifically in the eyes of the supervisor, and revealed that exhaustion affects the mood towards the spouse and towards the boss. In the current study, we will be looking at the relationships between variables related to support outside of the workplace and important workplace variables such as satisfaction and engagement. Specifically, I will examine spousal support and its relationship with emotional exhaustion, engagement, life satisfaction, and job satisfaction. I predict that spousal support will have a negative relationship with emotional exhaustion and a positive relationship with engagement, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Conversely, since spousal conflict should create conflict at home and drain energy and time resources, I predict that spousal conflict will have the opposite relationships compared to spousal support with the given variables. This study will also help identify certain areas that partners should be aware of to have a healthy relationship. However, although spousal support may be imperative for a long-lasting relationship, is also important for performance at work. Additionally, it is not just physical exhaustion that may impact work engagement, but also emotional exhaustion that may result from home-life spillover. Organizations can take these findings to evaluate how they can make their workspace better by encouraging meaningful time at work and also at home. Method Participants We will use Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to recruit approximately 250 participants for the study. MTurk is an online crowdsourcing platform where “workers” can complete tasks (e.g., surveys) for monetary compensation. Study inclusion criteria include the need to be married and a full-time employee. Design & Analyses For this study, spousal support, spousal conflict, emotional exhaustion, employee engagement, life satisfaction and job satisfaction will be measured. All variables will be assessed through MTurk. Correlational and regression analyses will be used to interpret results. Measures Spousal support. Spousal support will be studied using an eight-item scale that measures how much an individual feels affirmed from the people in their lives they view as supportive (Abbey, Abramis & Caplan, 1985). Items are measured from 1 to 5 with 1 = Not at All and 5 = A Great Deal. An example item is, “My partner listens to me when I need to talk about things that are very important to me”. Spousal conflict. Spousal support will be studied using a five-item scale that measures the conflicts that a person faces with family members that occurs in anger or tension (Abbey, Abramis & Caplan, 1985). Items are measured from 1 to 5 with 1= Not Very Much and 5= Very Much (Braiker and Kelly’s, 1979). An example item is, “When you and your spouse argue, to what extent are the problems or arguments serious?”. Employee engagement. Employee engagement will be studied using a nine-item assessment scale that measures a mindset that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez, & Bakker, 2002). Items will be modified from to measure engagement from the employee’s own perspective rather than their supervisors. Items are measured from 1 to 7 with 1= Strongly Disagree and 7= Strongly Agree. An example item that will be asked is “At work, I am full of energy”. Emotional Exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion will be studied using a five-item scale from the MBI General Survey that measures how someone distances themselves due to the amount of work as a coping mechanism (Schaufeli, Leiter, Maslach, & Jackson, 1996). Items are measured from 1 to 7 with 1= Strongly Disagree and 7= Strongly Agree. An example question is “I feel all used up at the end of the workday”. Job Satisfaction. Job satisfaction will be measured using a three item scale that assesses employee satisfaction with their work, their coworkers, and their supervisor (Price & Mueller, 1986). Items are measured on from 1 to 5 with 1 = Very Unsatisfied and 5 = Very Satisfied. An example item is, “All in all, how satisfied are you with the work itself of your job?”. Life Satisfaction. Life satisfaction will be studied using the five item Satisfaction of Life Scale that measures an individual’s perception of their quality of life (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Items are measured from 1 to 7 with 1= Strongly Disagree and 7= Strongly Agree. An example question is “In most ways, my life is close to ideal”.
Date
October 2019
Subject
Industrial and organizational psychology
Document Type
posters
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Included in
Work and family life: the relationship between spousal support, spousal conflict, and work outcomes
Abstract Balancing relationships and jobs are difficult in the fast-paced lifestyle that the average American worker faces on a regular basis. If the relationship or job is more difficult and takes more energy and time, it may have an effect on the other. Too much attention on either area can be detrimental to the other, so it is crucial to maintain a balance between both areas of life. This idea is known as the spillover effect (i.e., how having a good marriage can produce satisfaction in both a relationship and in work) (Liang, 2015). Furthermore, family and work relationships can be beneficial or detrimental towards one another depending on how each spouse views the importance of both areas in their lives. A previous study looked at work-family relationship through the causes of exhaustion and stress when work and family demands overlap, and found that employees with more exhaustion from a lack of balance were less likely to be given promotions (Wayne, Lemmon, Hoobler, Cheung, and Wilson, 2017). This loss of energy can affect the success of a worker, specifically in the eyes of the supervisor, and revealed that exhaustion affects the mood towards the spouse and towards the boss. In the current study, we will be looking at the relationships between variables related to support outside of the workplace and important workplace variables such as satisfaction and engagement. Specifically, I will examine spousal support and its relationship with emotional exhaustion, engagement, life satisfaction, and job satisfaction. I predict that spousal support will have a negative relationship with emotional exhaustion and a positive relationship with engagement, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Conversely, since spousal conflict should create conflict at home and drain energy and time resources, I predict that spousal conflict will have the opposite relationships compared to spousal support with the given variables. This study will also help identify certain areas that partners should be aware of to have a healthy relationship. However, although spousal support may be imperative for a long-lasting relationship, is also important for performance at work. Additionally, it is not just physical exhaustion that may impact work engagement, but also emotional exhaustion that may result from home-life spillover. Organizations can take these findings to evaluate how they can make their workspace better by encouraging meaningful time at work and also at home. Method Participants We will use Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to recruit approximately 250 participants for the study. MTurk is an online crowdsourcing platform where “workers” can complete tasks (e.g., surveys) for monetary compensation. Study inclusion criteria include the need to be married and a full-time employee. Design & Analyses For this study, spousal support, spousal conflict, emotional exhaustion, employee engagement, life satisfaction and job satisfaction will be measured. All variables will be assessed through MTurk. Correlational and regression analyses will be used to interpret results. Measures Spousal support. Spousal support will be studied using an eight-item scale that measures how much an individual feels affirmed from the people in their lives they view as supportive (Abbey, Abramis & Caplan, 1985). Items are measured from 1 to 5 with 1 = Not at All and 5 = A Great Deal. An example item is, “My partner listens to me when I need to talk about things that are very important to me”. Spousal conflict. Spousal support will be studied using a five-item scale that measures the conflicts that a person faces with family members that occurs in anger or tension (Abbey, Abramis & Caplan, 1985). Items are measured from 1 to 5 with 1= Not Very Much and 5= Very Much (Braiker and Kelly’s, 1979). An example item is, “When you and your spouse argue, to what extent are the problems or arguments serious?”. Employee engagement. Employee engagement will be studied using a nine-item assessment scale that measures a mindset that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez, & Bakker, 2002). Items will be modified from to measure engagement from the employee’s own perspective rather than their supervisors. Items are measured from 1 to 7 with 1= Strongly Disagree and 7= Strongly Agree. An example item that will be asked is “At work, I am full of energy”. Emotional Exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion will be studied using a five-item scale from the MBI General Survey that measures how someone distances themselves due to the amount of work as a coping mechanism (Schaufeli, Leiter, Maslach, & Jackson, 1996). Items are measured from 1 to 7 with 1= Strongly Disagree and 7= Strongly Agree. An example question is “I feel all used up at the end of the workday”. Job Satisfaction. Job satisfaction will be measured using a three item scale that assesses employee satisfaction with their work, their coworkers, and their supervisor (Price & Mueller, 1986). Items are measured on from 1 to 5 with 1 = Very Unsatisfied and 5 = Very Satisfied. An example item is, “All in all, how satisfied are you with the work itself of your job?”. Life Satisfaction. Life satisfaction will be studied using the five item Satisfaction of Life Scale that measures an individual’s perception of their quality of life (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Items are measured from 1 to 7 with 1= Strongly Disagree and 7= Strongly Agree. An example question is “In most ways, my life is close to ideal”.
Department
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology