Workplace flexibility and its relationship with work-interferes-with-family
ISSN: 0048-3486
Article publication date: 13 November 2019
Issue publication date: 14 January 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing from the workplace flexibility and coping literatures, the purpose of this paper is to re-conceptualize the workplace flexibility construct as a coping resource that may help prevent work-interferes-with-family (WIF) from arising and/or assist employees manage such interference when it has occurred. A measure capturing this re-conceptualized view of flexibility is developed and tested using two samples of dual-income employees with dependent care demands.
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1, the authors use LISERL to develop and test a new multi-dimensional measure of workplace flexibility (n1=6,659). In Study 2 (n2=947), the authors use partial least squares, a component-based structural equation modeling technique, to test a model that posits workplace flexibility that helps employees cope with WIF.
Findings
This research provides support for the idea that workplace flexibility helps employees cope with WIF by: preventing interference (i.e. negatively moderating the relationship between work hours and WIF), and managing interference that has occurred (i.e. negatively moderating relationship between WIF and perceived stress).
Originality/value
This study highlights the complexity of the relationship between workplace flexibility and work-to-family interference and offers guidelines on how employers and employees can use the workplace flexibility measure developed in this study.
Keywords
Citation
Halinski, M. and Duxbury, L. (2020), "Workplace flexibility and its relationship with work-interferes-with-family", Personnel Review, Vol. 49 No. 1, pp. 149-166. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2019-0048
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited