In the eye of the beholder: Employee sexual orientation, perceived supervisory support for life beyond work and job satisfaction

• Published date: 01 January 2021
• Date: 01 January 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12293

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

In the eye of the beholder: Employee sexual

orientation, perceived supervisory support for life

beyond work and job satisfaction

Eleni Stavrou | Eftychia Solea

Department of Business and Public Administration, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

Correspondence

Eftychia Solea, Department of Business and

Public Administration, University of Cyprus,

1 University Avenue, Aglantzia, Nicosia, 2109,

Cyprus.

Email: eftychia.solea@ruhr-uni-bochum.de

Funding information

Collaborative ResearchCenter "Statistical

modeling of nonlinear dynamic processes" of

the German Research Foundation (DFG),

Grant/Award Number: SFB 823, Teilprojekt

A1; University of Cyprus

Abstract

We adopt congruence theory to compare perceptions of les-

bian, gay and bisexual (LGB) and heterosexual employees

between perceived supervisory support on life beyond work

(LBW) and job satisfaction and the effect of life-to-work con-

flict (LWC). Using the 2011 UK WERS data and applying mul-

tilevel modelling, we find no incongruence between the two

groups of employees on job satisfaction. We find a significant

perceptual incongruence in the relation between supervisory

support on LBW and job satisfaction. While the relation was

positive forboth groups, it was stronger for heterosexual than

LGB employees.We also find significant perceptualincongru-

ence when we add LWC. Specifically, as LWC increases, the

positive relation between supervisory support on LBW and

job satisfaction becomes stronger for LGB than heterosexual

employees. This last finding may be the most interesting as it

may place the concept of identity-based conflict primarily in

the life-to-work domain of LGB employees.

KEYWORDS

job satisfaction, LGB employees, life-to-work conflict, supervisory

support, work-life discourse

1|INTRODUCTION

In a world where the workforce has become increasingly diverse, organisations are faced with the dilemma on

whether and how to assist their employees to achieve a healthy balance between their personal and work life while

maintaining organisational success (Lewis, Gambles, & Rapoport, 2007). Discourse on work-life issues has evolved to

Received: 4 September 2018 Revised: 21 March 2020 Accepted: 6 April 2020

DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12293

Hum Resour Manag J. 2021;31:225–241. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrmj © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 225

include practices not only relevant to families (see, Beauregard & Henry, 2009) but also to single and childless

employees (Waumsley, Houston, & Marks, 2010). This discourse involves integrating individuals' roles on a contin-

uum between two domains, where equilibrium or balance is in the middle, work is on the paid end and life on the

personal end of the tail (Roth, 2015). The inherent assumption is that the work-life discourse is gender neutral (Lewis

et al., 2007).

Nonetheless, little has been done to incorporate aspects of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,

thus systematically excluding lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) employees from work-life studies (Everly &

Schwarz, 2015; King & Cortina, 2010; Ozturk & Tatli, 2016; Stavrou & Ierodiakonou, 2018). Yet, LGB people are a

sizable minority group, making up between 4 and 17% of the workforce (Gates, 2014; McCarthy, 2016). They hold a

wide range of occupations and can be found among different races, ethnicities, economic classes and industries (Bell,

Özbilgin, Beauregard, & Sürgevil, 2011; Fra, 2014). In addition, they tend to make their buying decisions in part on

whether or not the company treats its LGB employees well (Human Rights Campaign, 2015). Finally, the limited

research on the subject has recently raised the point that work-life issues may be different for LGB compared to het-

erosexual employees and calls for studies that explicate the unique work-life issues of this “invisible”but substantial

minority in this research stream (Languilaire & Carey, 2017; Sawyer, Thoroughgood, & Cleveland, 2015; Stavrou &

Ierodiakonou, 2018). For example, based on in-depth qualitative interviews, Wicks (2017) argues how the presumed

lack of family commitments can, for many gay men, create extensive workplace demands that are not shared equally

by heterosexual employees. Similarly, Wicks (2017) and Sawyer et al. (2015) note the pressure that LGB employees

feel in participating in or bringing their partner to work-related social events.

In response to this call, we compare the perceptions between LGB and heterosexual employees in relation to

job satisfaction and the support they receive from their supervisors in meeting their responsibilities outside work. To

explore these perceptions, we borrow from the theory of perceptual congruence defined as the degree to which

individuals view matters in similar ways (Heald, Contractor, Koehly, & Wasserman, 1998; Turban & Jones, 1988).

Research has indicated that greater perceptual congruence has a positive effect on both employees and organisa-

tions (Benlian, 2014), by reducing uncertainty and ambiguity between individuals (Wexley & Pulakos, 1983). For

Practitioner notes

What is currently known

•The studies on the work and life balance of LGBT employees are currently limited.

•The value of perceptual congruence on work-life balance is unclear.

•Organisations' understanding of LGB work-life issues is limited.

What this paper adds

•A new theoretical approach to understanding the work-life balance of LGBT employees.

•Data used to explore effects of congruence between LGB and heterosexual employees within

organisational contexts.

The implications for practitioners

•Encourage practitioners to adopt LGB-friendly policies in relation to work-life balance.

•Help LGB employees to achieve the same level of job satisfaction and work-life balance as their hetero-

sexual colleagues.

226 STAVROU AND SOLEA