Determinants of work-family conflict in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47040/sd/sdpsych.v12i1.121Keywords:
work-family conflict, job insecurity, job demands and resources, teleworking, COVID-19Abstract
In this paper, we want to investigate some determinants of work-family conflict. Factors related to job (job insecurity, job demands and resources, type of job, salary level, time spent at work, working conditions in the pandemic) and aspects such as fear of COVID-19 will be explored. The present study involved 301 people, aged between 18 and 65 years, M = 40.10, AS = 8.25. The instruments used were Work and Family Conflict Scale (Haslam et al., 2015), Job Insecurity Scale (De witte et al., 2000, 2010), The Job Demands-Resources Questionnaire (Bakker et al., 2014) and The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (Ahorsu et al., 2020). The results indicated that both job insecurity and workplace pressure are positive predictors of the work-family conflict, while autonomy is a negative predictor. Also, the moderating effect of fear of COVID-19 on the relationship between job insecurity and work-family conflict was analyzed, but it proved to be statistically insignificant. However, it was found that employees working from home during this period have a higher level of work-family conflict. Based on these results, work-family conflict management strategies can be developed, both individually and by organizations.
References
Abendroth, A.-K., & Reimann, M. (2018). Chapter 15 Telework and Work–Family Conflict across Workplaces: Investigating the Implications of Work–Family-Supportive and High-Demand Workplace Cultures. Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, 323–348. https://doi.org/10.1108/s1530-353520180000013017
Ahorsu, D. K., Lin, C.-Y., Imani, V., Saffari, M., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2020). The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Development and Initial Validation. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00270-8
Alyami, M., de Albuquerque, J. V., Krägeloh, C. U., Alyami, H., & Henning, M. A. (2021). Effects of Fear of COVID-19 on Mental Well-Being and Quality of Life among Saudi Adults: A Path Analysis. Saudi Journal of Medicine and MedicalSciences, 9(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_630_20
Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a Day'S Work: Boundaries and Micro Role Transitions. Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 472–491. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.3363315
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands‐ Resources model: state of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328.https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2014). Job Demands- Resources Theory. Wellbeing, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118539415.wbwell019
Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Euwema, M. C. (2005). Job Resources Buffer the Impact of Job Demands on Burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(2), 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.2.170
Bakker, A. B., ten Brummelhuis, L. L., Prins, J. T., & der Heijden, F. M. M. A. (2011). Applying the job demands– resources model to the work–home interface: A study among medical residents and their partners. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(1), 170–180.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.12.004
Bakker, A. B., ten Brummelhuis, L. L., Prins, J. T., & der Heijden, F. M. M. A. (2011). Applying the job demands– resources model to the work–home interface: A study among medical residents and their partners. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(1), 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.12.004
Bakker, A. B., Van Emmerik, H., & Van Riet, P. (2008). How job demands, resources, and burnout predict objective performance: A constructive replication. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 21(3), 309–324.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800801958637
Balogun, A. G., Afolabi, O. A., & Ibini, O. D. (2020). Job Demands as Mediators between Work Engagement and Work-family Conflict. Nigerian Journal of Psychological Research.
Berdicchia, D., & Masino, G. (2019). The Ambivalent Effects of Participation on Performance and Job Stressors: The Role of Job Crafting and Autonomy. Human Performance, 32(5), 220–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959285.2019.1669038
Bowling, N. A., & Kirkendall, C. (2012). Workload: A Review of Causes, Consequences, and Potential Interventions. Contemporary Occupational Health Psychology, 221–238. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119942849.ch13
Bowling, N. A., Alarcon, G. M., Bragg, C. B., & Hartman, M. J. (2015). A meta-analytic examination of the potential correlates and consequences of workload. Work & Stress, 29(2), 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2015.1033037
Brauchli, R., Bauer, G. F., & Hämmig, O. (2014). Job Autonomy Buffers the Impact of Work–Life Conflict on Organizational Outcomes. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 73(2), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185/a000126
Campione, W. (2008). Employed Women’s Well-Being: The Global and Daily Impact of Work. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 29(3), 346–361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-008-9107-x
Clark, S. C. (2000). Work/Family Border Theory: A New Theory of Work/Family Balance. Human Relations, 53(6), 747–770. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726700536001
Coelho, C. M., Suttiwan, P., Arato, N., & Zsido, A. N. (2020). On the Nature of Fear and Anxiety Triggered by COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.581314
Cooklin, A. R., Westrupp, E., Strazdins, L., Giallo, R., Martin, A., & Nicholson, J. M. (2014). Mothers' work–family conflict and enrichment: associations with parenting quality and couple relationship. Child: Care, Health and Development, 41(2), 266–277. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12137
Davy, J. A., Kiniki, A. J., & Scheck, C. L. (1997). A test of job security's direct and mediated effects on withdrawal cognitions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 18(4), 323– 349. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099- 1379(199707)18:4<323::aid-job801>3.0.co;2-#
De Witte, H. (1999). Job Insecurity and Psychological Well- being: Review of the Literature and Exploration of Some Unresolved Issues. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(2), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/135943299398302
De Witte, H. (2000). Arbeidsethos en jobonzekerheid: Meting en gevolgen voor welzijn, tevredenheid en inzet op het werk [Work ethic and job insecurity: Measurement and consequences for well-being, satisfaction and productivity].
R. Bouwen, K. De Witte, H. De Witte, & T. Taillieu (Eds.), Van Groep Naar Gemeenschap. Liber Amicorum Prof. Dr Leo Lagrou.
De Witte, H., De Cuyper, N., Handaja, Y., Sverke, M., Näswall, K., & Hellgren, J. (2010). Associations Between Quantitative and Qualitative Job Insecurity and Well-Being. International Studies of Management & Organization, 40(1), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.2753/imo0020-8825400103
Delanoeije, J., & Verbruggen, M. (2020). Between-person and within-person effects of telework: a quasi-field experiment. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(6), 795–808. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2020.1774557 Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
Demerouti, E., Bouwman, K., & Sanz-Vergel, A. I. (2011). Job Resources Buffer the Impact of Work-Family Conflict on Absenteeism in Female Employees. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 10(4), 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866- 5888/a000044
Derks, D., van Duin, D., Tims, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2014). Smartphone use and work-home interference: The moderating role of social norms and employee work engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88(1), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12083
Dijst, M. (2004). ICTs and Accessibility: An Action Space Perspective on the Impact of New Information and Communication Technologies. Advances in Spatial Science, 27–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-24827-9_3
Dingel, J. I., & Neiman, B. (2020). How many jobs can be done at home? Journal of Public Economics, 189, 104235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104235
Duxbury, L., Higgins, C., & Lee, C. (1994). Work-Family Conflict: A Comparison by Gender, Family Type, and Perceived Control. Journal of Family Issues, 15(3), 449– 466. https://doi.org/10.1177/019251394015003006
Eddleston, K. A., & Mulki, J. (2017). Toward Understanding Remote Workers’ Management of Work–Family Boundaries: The Complexity of Workplace Embeddedness. Group & Organization Management, 42(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601115619548
Edwards, J. R., & Rothbard, N. P. (2000). Mechanisms Linking Work and Family: Clarifying the Relationship between Work and Family Constructs. The Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 178. https://doi.org/10.2307/259269
Engelhard, I. M., van Uijen, S. L., van Seters, N., & Velu, N. (2015). The Effects of Safety Behavior Directed Towards a Safety Cue on Perceptions of Threat. Behavior Therapy, 46(5), 604–610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2014.12.006
Flint, E., Bartley, M., Shelton, N., & Sacker, A. (2013). Do labour market status transitions predict changes in psychological well-being? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 67(9), 796–802. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-202425
Gadeyne, N., Verbruggen, M., Delanoeije, J., & De Cooman, R. (2018). All wired, all tired? Work-related ICT-use outside work hours and work-to-home conflict: The role of integration preference, integration norms and work demands. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 107, 86–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.03.008
Gilboa, S., Shirom, A., Fried, Y., & Cooper, C. (2008). A meta-analysis of work demand stressors and job performance: examining main and moderating effects. Personnel Psychology, 61(2), 227–271. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.00113.x
Glavin, P., & Schieman, S. (2012). Work–Family Role Blurring and Work–Family Conflict. Work and Occupations, 39(1), 71–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888411406295
Grant, C. A., Wallace, L. M., Spurgeon, P. C., Tramontano, C., & Charalampous, M. (2019). Construction and initial validation of the E-Work Life Scale to measure remote e- working. Employee Relations, 41(1), 16–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/er-09-2017-0229
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of Conflict between Work and Family Roles. The Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76. https://doi.org/10.2307/258214
Greenhaus, J. H., Parasuraman, S., Granrose, C. S., Rabinowitz, S., & Beutell, N. J. (1989). Sources of work- family conflict among two-career couples. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 34(2), 133–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(89)90010-9
Gregory, A., & Milner, S. (2009). Work-life Balance: A Matter of Choice? Gender, Work & Organization, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2008.00429.x Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(76)90016-7
Hamouche, S. (2020). COVID-19 and employees’ mental health: stressors, moderators and agenda for organizational actions. Emerald Open Research, 2, 15. https://doi.org/10.35241/emeraldopenres.13550.1
Han, K.-M., Shin, C., Yoon, H.-K., Ko, Y.-H., Kim, Y.-K., & Han, C. (2018). Emotional labor and depressive mood in service and sales workers: Interactions with gender and job autonomy. Psychiatry Research, 267, 490–498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.06.044
Haslam, D., Filus, A., Morawska, A., Sanders, M. R., & Fletcher, R. (2014). The Work–Conflict Scale (WAFCS): Development and Initial Validation of a Self-report Measure of Work–Family Conflict for Use with Parents. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 46(3), 346–357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-014-0476-0
Hofstede, G. J. (2017). Hofstede Insights Organizational Culture Consulting. Hofstede Insights. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/.
Höge, T., Sora, B., Weber, W. G., Peiró, J. M., & Caballer, A. (2015). Job insecurity, worries about the future, and somatic complaints in two economic and cultural contexts: A study in Spain and Austria. International Journal of Stress Management, 22(3), 223–242.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039164
IFC Survey Reveals Extent of COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Global Trade Finance. International Finance Corporation. (2020).
https://pressroom.ifc.org/all/pages/PressDetail.aspx?ID=26 279.
Inoue, A., Kawakami, N., Eguchi, H., & Tsutsumi, A. (2018). Interaction effect of job insecurity and role ambiguity on psychological distress in Japanese employees: a cross- sectional study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 91(4), 391–402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1288-5
Jiang, L., & Probst, T. M. (2016). A multilevel examination of affective job insecurity climate on safety outcomes. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 21(3), 366–377. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000014
Kaduk, A., Genadek, K., Kelly, E. L., & Moen, P. (2019). Involuntary vs. voluntary flexible work: insights for scholars and stakeholders. Community, Work & Family, 22(4), 412– 442. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2019.1616532
Kahn, R. L., Wolfe, D. M., Quinn, R. P., Snoek, J. D., & Rosenthal, R. A. (1964). Organizational Stress: Studies in Role Conflict and Ambiguity. American Journal of Sociology, 71(1), 103–104. https://doi.org/10.1086/224004
Kazekami, S. (2020). Mechanisms to improve labor productivity by performing telework. Telecommunications Policy, 44(2), 101868.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2019.101868
Keim, A. C., Landis, R. S., Pierce, C. A., & Earnest, D. R. (2014). Why do employees worry about their jobs? A meta- analytic review of predictors of job insecurity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19(3), 269–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036743
Keim, A. C., Landis, R. S., Pierce, C. A., & Earnest, D. R. (2014). Why do employees worry about their jobs? A meta- analytic review of predictors of job insecurity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19(3), 269–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036743
Kim, T. J., & von dem Knesebeck, O. (2015). Is an insecure job better for health than having no job at all? A systematic review of studies investigating the health-related risks of both job insecurity and unemployment. BMC Public Health, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2313-1
Korunka, C., & Kubicek, B. (2017). Job Demands in a Changing World of Work. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319- 54678-0_1
Lin, C.-Y. (2020). Social reaction toward the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Social Health and Behavior, 3(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.4103/shb.shb_11_20
Lu, J. G., Brockner, J., Vardi, Y., & Weitz, E. (2017). The dark side of experiencing job autonomy: Unethical behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 73, 222–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.05.007
Menaghan, E. G. (1991). Work Experiences and Family Interaction Processes: The Long Reach of the Job? Annual Review of Sociology, 17(1), 419–444. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.17.080191.002223
Mertens, G., Gerritsen, L., Duijndam, S., Salemink, E., & Engelhard, I. M. (2020). Fear of the coronavirus (COVID- 19): Predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74, 102258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102258
Mirchandani, K. (2000). “The Best of Both Worlds” and “Cutting My Own Throat”: Contradictory Images of Home- Based Work. Qualitative Sociology, 23(2), 159–182. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1005448415689
Mohr, G. B. (2000). The changing significance of different stressors after the announcement of bankruptcy: a longitudinal investigation with special emphasis on job insecurity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(3), 337– 359. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099- 1379(200005)21:3<337::aid-job18>3.0.co;2-g
Mokhtarian, P. L., & Salomon, I. (1997). Emerging travel patterns: Do telecommunications make a difference?
Molina, J. A. (2020). The Work–Family Conflict: Evidence from the Recent Decade and Lines of Future Research. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-020-09700-0
Moore, J. (2006). Homeworking and work-life balance: does it add to quality of life? European Review of Applied Psychology, 56(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2005.02.0131
Morris, J. A., & Feldman, D. C. (1996). The Dimensions, Antecedents, and Consequences of Emotional Labor. The Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 986. https://doi.org/10.2307/25916
Nahrgang, J. D., Morgeson, F. P., & Hofmann, D. A. (2011). Safety at work: A meta-analytic investigation of the link between job demands, job resources, burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(1), 71–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021484
Nauman, S., Zheng, C., & Naseer, S. (2020). Job insecurity and work–family conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 31(5), 729–751. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijcma-09-2019-0159
Nicola, M., Alsafi, Z., Sohrabi, C., Kerwan, A., Al-Jabir, A., Iosifidis, C., Agha, M., & Agha, R. (2020). The socio- economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID- 19): A review. International Journal of Surgery, 78, 185–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.04.018
Nilles, J. M., Carlson, F. R., Gray, P., & Hanneman, G. (1976). Telecommuting - An Alternative to Urban Transportation Congestion. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, SMC-6(2), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1109/tsmc.1976.5409177
Pappas, G., Kiriaze, I. J., Giannakis, P., & Falagas, M. E. (2009). Psychosocial consequences of infectious diseases. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 15(8), 743–747. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2009.02947.x
Purwanto, A., Asbari, M., Fahlevi, M., Mufid, A., Agistiawati, E., Cahyono, Y., & Suryani, P. (2020). Impact of Work From Home (WFH) on Indonesian teachers performance during the Covid-19 pandemic: An exploratory study. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(5).
Roe, R., & Zijlstra, F. (2000). Work pressure. Results of a conceptual and empirical analysis. Hogrefe & Huber Publishers. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230627007_Work _pressure_Results_of_a_conceptual_and_empirical_analy sis
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.248
Seery, B. L., Corrigall, E. A., & Harpel, T. (2008). Job- Related Emotional Labor and Its Relationship to Work- Family Conflict and Facilitation. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 29(3), 461–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-008-9116-9
Spurk, D., & Straub, C. (2020). Flexible employment relationships and careers in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 119, 103435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103435
Sverke, M., Hellgren, J., & Näswall, K. (2002). No security: A meta-analysis and review of job insecurity and its consequences. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(3), 242–264. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.7.3.242
Tay, L., Kuykendall, L., & Diener, E. (2015). Satisfaction and Happiness – The Bright Side of Quality of Life. Global Handbook of Quality of Life, 839–853. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9178-6_39
Teo, J. (2020). More Working from Home Feel Stressed Than Those on Covid-19 Front Line: Survey. The Straits Times.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/more-work- from-homers-feel-stressed-than-front-line-workers- singapore-survey-on.
Vander Elst, T., Näswall, K., Bernhard-Oettel, C., De Witte, H., & Sverke, M. (2016). The effect of job insecurity on employee health complaints: A within-person analysis of the explanatory role of threats to the manifest and latent benefits of work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 21(1), 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039140
Vyas, L., & Butakhieo, N. (2020). The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: an exploratory study on Hong Kong. Policy Design and Practice, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2020.1863560
Wall, T. D., Kemp, N. J., Jackson, P. R., & Clegg, C. W. (1986). Outcomes of Autonomous Workgroups: A Long- Term Field Experiment. Academy of Management Journal, 29(2), 280–304. https://doi.org/10.5465/256189
Wang, H.-jiang, Lu, C.-qin, & Siu, O.-ling. (2015). Job insecurity and job performance: The moderating role of organizational justice and the mediating role of work engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(4), 1249– 1258. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038330
Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2009). Work engagement and financial returns: A diary study on the role of job and personal resources. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82(1), 183–200. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317908x285633
Zhou, X., Snoswell, C. L., Harding, L. E., Bambling, M., Edirippulige, S., Bai, X., & Smith, A. C. (2020). The Role of Telehealth in Reducing the Mental Health Burden from COVID-19. Telemedicine and e-Health, 26(4), 377–379. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.0068
Ünsar, S. A. (2011). Effect of motivation on severance tendency: a field research. J. Acad. Sight.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Meryem Sedaroglu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
