Interaction of social support and core self-evaluations on work-family conflict and burnout

Abstract

Previous research has established that supportive work and family environments are critical in helping employees manage stressors that lead to work-family conflict. However, little is known about alternate ways that work-family conflict can be reduced in situations where support is insufficient. Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory, this study examines whether individual differences in personality, specifically core self-evaluations (CSE), can relieve work-family conflict when external sources of support (i.e., family-supportive organizational perceptions (FSOP), supervisor support, family support) are low. Results from 453 men and women in various industries and organizations suggest that FSOP and supervisor support reduce work-to-family conflict (WFC), and that family support reduces family-to-work conflict (FWC). In addition, work-family conflict mediated the negative relationships between social support and employee burnout. Contrary to predictions, however, instead of compensating for low FSOP, WFC was reduced especially for individuals, particularly men, who had both strong FSOP and high CSE. This implies that men who hold more positive views toward their self-worth and competence stand to gain more from family-supportive work environments than individuals who lack the same internal resources. CSE did not have this boosting influence for women. CSE also moderated the indirect relationship between FSOP and burnout through WFC, meaning that individuals with high CSE who also perceived their organization as family-supportive experienced significantly less burnout than those with low CSE.