The Lure of Work‐Life Benefits: Perceived Person‐Organization Fit As A Mechanism Explaining Job Seeker Attraction To Organizations

• Author: Shainaz Firfiray,Margarita Mayo
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21790
• Date: 01 July 2017
• Published date: 01 July 2017

Human Resource Management, July–August 2017, Vol. 56, No. 4. Pp. 629–649

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI:10.1002/hrm.21790

Correspondence to: Shainaz Firfiray, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL,

United Kingdom, Phone:+44 24 765 22345, E-mail: shainaz.firfiray@wbs.ac.uk.

THE LURE OF WORK-LIFE

BENEFITS: PERCEIVED PERSON-

ORGANIZATION FIT AS A

MECHANISM EXPLAINING

JOB SEEKER ATTRACTION

TOORGANIZATIONS

SHAINAZ FIRFIRAY AND MARGARITA MAYO

Drawing from person-organization (P-O) fi t theory, we explain how the provi-

sion of work-life benefi ts (WLBs) increases job seeker attraction to organizations

during the early recruitment stage because of a perceived value fi t between job

seekers and the organization. Our results from an experimental study using a

sample of 189 MBA students who belonged to two generational groups (Mil-

lennials and Gen Xers) and were seeking employment during a period of eco-

nomic recession support our expectations. We found that job seeker s develop

higher P-O fi t perceptions for organizations that supplement standard pay with

WLBs in their recruitment materials compared with organizations that supple-

ment standard pay with health care benefi ts or offer only standard pay. In turn,

such organizations are assessed as more attractive prospective employers. We

also found that generational group moderated the path between P-O fi t and job

seeker attraction such that Millennial job seekers were more likely to be attracted

toward organizations with which they had strong fi t perceptions than their Gen X

counterparts. Theoretical and practical implications of our fi ndings are discussed.

©2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: generational differences, job pursuit intentions (JPI), Millennials,

organizational attractiveness (OA), person-organization (P-O) fi t theory,

recruitment, work-life benefi ts (WLBs)

630 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, JULY–AUGUST 2017

Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm

Given the challenges

faced by individuals

in reconciling work

and nonwork roles,

it would be fair to

assume that WLBs

would be valued by

current job seekers.

a firm’s reputation in work-life practices affected

their decision to apply for jobs through the medi-

ating mechanisms of perceptions of organizational

prestige, anticipated organizational support, and

anticipated role performance. While this study

has taken an instrumental approach to explain the

link between organizational provision of work-

life practices and job pursuit intentions, there is a

need for more studies to enhance our understand-

ing of alternative mechanisms that move beyond

the instrumental lens to emphasize value congru-

ence between the person and the organization.

Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to

examine the role of benefits provision in predict-

ing job seekers’ perceptions of person-organiza-

tion (P-O) fit and, ultimately, their attraction to

organizations. We focus on P-O fit perceptions

as a mediator of the relationship between provi-

sion of WLBs and our two recruitment outcomes:

organizational attractiveness (OA) and job pursuit

intentions (JPI). While some studies on job seeker

attraction have examined mediators such as antici-

pated organizational support and anticipated role

performance (Casper & Buffardi, 2004; Wayne &

Casper, 2012), extant research has not sufficiently

focused on the influence of P-O fit on the relation-

ship between benefits provision and job seeker

attraction to organizations. Given that the newer

generations entering the workforce are said to

have a more values-based rather than an instru-

mental orientation, we believe such research can

provide some useful insights to existing recruit-

ment research. In particular, we develop and test

a perceived P-O fit model to explain how the pro-

vision of WLBs predicts job seeker attraction to

organizations, in comparison with the provision

of standard pay benefits and health care and insur-

ance benefits. We have included these benefits in

our study because they represent crucial informa-

tion highlighted in “best companies” lists and may

influence job seeker judgment during the recruit-

ment process.

Our study contributes to the work-life litera-

ture in three important ways. First, although some

studies have examined the relationship between

work-life policy provision and job seeker attraction

(Casper & Buffardi, 2004; Wayne & Casper, 2012),

the field could benefit from the application of a

new theoretical perspective that moves beyond

the instrumental paradigm to include social value

considerations that provide a more complete pic-

ture of the mechanisms underlying the relation-

ship between WLBs and job seeker attraction. For

instance, Casper and Buffardi (2004) have investi-

gated the impact of WLBs on organizational attrac-

tion from an anticipated organizational support

perspective. Because perceptions of organizational

Organizations have always been con-

cerned with attracting and selecting the

right types of employees (e.g., Rynes &

Barber, 1990; Schneider, 1987). To date,

management scholars have acknowl-

edged the role of employment inducements in

attracting applicants (Rynes & Barber, 1990). The

provision of work-life benefits (WLBs) is one of

the many inducements that are currently utilized

by companies to attract potential applicants. This

is evidenced by the fact that each year in their 100

“Best Companies to Work For” list, Fortune maga-

zine identifies organizations that are expanding

and diversifying their work-life programs in an

attempt to help employees balance their work

and nonwork demands (Muse, Harris, Giles, &

Feild, 2008). Muse et al. (2008) have identified

that in line with an inves tment-in-employees

approach as opposed to the traditional utilitarian

perspective, a WLBs package may include benefits

from the following categories:

child-related (e.g., child-care facili-

ties, financial assistance, and refer-

ral and maternity/paternity leave),

time/schedule flexibility (e.g.,

flex-time, compressed workweek,

and job sharing), psychological

well-being (e.g., counseling and

employee assistance programs),

and elder care (e.g., assistance and

referrals).

Given the challenges faced by

individuals in reconciling work and

nonwork roles, it would be fair to

assume that WLBs would be valued

by current job seekers. However,

extant literature reveals competing

findings concerning the extent to which WLBs

are universally appealing (Bretz & Judge, 1994;

Honeycutt & Rosen, 1997). Some studies show

that WLBs appeal only to workers who are most

likely to benefit from them (Rau & Hyland, 2002;

Rothausen, Gonzales, Clarke, & O’Dell, 1998).

In contrast, other studies suggest that WLBs also

appeal to a younger generation of employees. For

example, Casper and Buffardi’s (2004) study has

shown evidence of a positive relationship between

work-life practices such as schedule flexibility and

dependent care assistance and favorable recruit-

ment outcomes with a sample of mostly young

respondents, a majority of whom did not have

any children. Thus, to reconcile these findings it is

critical to understand the mediating mechanisms

that underlie the relationship between WLBs and

job seeker attraction to organizations.

Taking this direction, Wayne and Casper (2012)

have shown that college students’ perceptions of