Employee-Coworker Work-Life Value Congruence: The Effects on Work-Life Conflict, Turnover Intentions, and Burnout

Date

2015-08

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Abstract

As organizations become increasingly flattened (i.e., weaker hierarchies and more team-based job designs), employees’ relationships with coworkers are more essential. It is imperative, then, to study employees’ perceptions of coworkers in management research to fully understand the effect of coworkers on employee well-being, performance, and stress. For example, coworkers can provide emotional support and instrumental support for employees struggling with work-life balance. The present study investigates how employees might benefit when they work with coworkers who have congruent work-life values. Specifically, I use both conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989) and person-environment fit theory (Kristof-Brown, 1996) to explain why having congruent values with ones coworkers is associated with increased perceptions of work-life support from their workgroup (FSWP) and lower work-life conflict, turnover intentions, and emotional exhaustion. Results from 418 working adults demonstrated employee-coworker value congruence was related to emotional exhaustion and turnover intensions through the serial mediation of FSWP and work-life conflict. Furthermore, family-supportive supervisor behaviors moderated the relationship between employee-coworker value congruence and FSWP. Theoretical and practical implications and future directions are also discussed.

Description

Keywords

Value congruence, Work-life conflict

Citation