Work–family conflict, family satisfaction and employee well‐being: a comparative study of Australian and Indian social workers

• Author: Thomas Kalliath,Parveen Kalliath,Christopher Chan
• Published date: 01 July 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12143
• Date: 01 July 2017

Work–family conflict, family satisfaction and

employee well‐being: a comparative study of

Australian and Indian social workers

Parveen Kalliath, School of Allied Health,Australian Catholic University

Thomas Kalliath,Research School of Management,Australian National University

Christopher Chan,School of Human Resource Management,York University

Faculty of Law and Business, Australian CatholicUniversity

Institut de Gestionde Rennes, Université de Rennes 1

Human Resource Management Journal, Vol 27, no 3, 2017,pages 366–381

Work‐to‐family conflict and family‐to‐work conflict have been widely investigated as antecedents of well‐

being in various employee groups. However, these studieshave largely been performed in Western countries,

and only a few studies have investigated the phenomenonusing both Western and non‐Western samples.The

present study contributes to the literature by investigatingwork–family conflict experiences of social workers

in Australia andIndia. More specifically, itexplores the impact of work‐to‐family conflict and family‐to‐work

conflict on well‐being and the mediating role of family satisfaction in this relationship. Our findings reveal

the direct negative effects of work‐to‐family conflict on well‐being and family satisfaction in both groups

and of family‐to‐work conflict on well‐being of Indian social workers. There is evidence that family

satisfaction med iates work–family conflict and well‐being relationships in both samples. We discuss the

theoretical and practical implications of the findings for HRM policies in social service agencies of both

countries.

Contact:Associate Professor ThomasKalliath, Research Schoolof Management, AustralianNational

University,Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200,Australia.Email:thomas.kalliath@anu.edu.au

Keywords: work‐to‐family conflict; family‐to‐work conflict; family satisfaction; well‐being; social

workers

INTRODUCTION

Several economic, social and technological changes, such as the emergence and

expansion of the service industry, increased participation of women with dependent

children in paid work force, technological advancements and work intensification,

have all contributed to work–family conflict and consequentially to its potential negative

impact on family relationships and individual well‐being (Major and Germano, 2006;

Whitehead, 2008). There is accumulating evidence that employee well‐being is susceptible to

the negative effects of work–family conflict to such an extent that its longer‐term impact on

employeehealth has been referred to as the ‘dark side of thework‐family interface’(Greenhaus

et al., 2006, p. 61; Kossek et al., 2012).

Work–family conflict is typically defined as ‘a form of inter‐role conflict in which role

pressures from work and family are mutually incompatible’(Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985, p.

77). This inter‐role conflict can occur in two directions: work‐to‐family conflict (WFC) where

work demands impact on the family and family‐to‐work conflict (FWC) where family

demands impact on work (Carlson et al., 2000; Ford et al., 2007). Additionally, conflict can

manifest itself in three forms: WFC/FWC‐Time, WFC/FWC‐Behaviour and WFC/FWC‐Strain.

366 HUMAN RESOURCEMANAGEMENT JOURNAL, VOL27, NO 3, 2017

©2017 John Wiley& Sons Ltd.

Please cite thisarticle in press as: Kalliath,P., Kalliath, T. and Chan C.(2017) ‘Work–family conflict, familysatisfaction and employeewell‐being: a

comparativestudy of Australianand Indiansocial workers’.HumanResource ManagementJournal 27:3,366–381

doi: 10.1111/1748-8583.12143

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WFC/FWC‐Timecan occur when individuals devote moretime to the demands of roles in one

domain (e.g. work or family) at the cost of time required for completing roles in the other

domain that remain unmet. Likewise, WFC/FWC‐Behaviour can occur when behaviours that

are appropriatefor use in one domain (workor family) may be inappropriatelyused in another

domain. WFC/FWC‐Strain can occur when strain experienced from pressures in one domain

(work or family) impact negatively on one’s ability to participate fully in another domain‐

related roles.

Work‐to‐family conflict and FWC have been widely investigated in various employee

groups. However, few studies have investigated the phenomenon among social workers

who are at the coalface of providing essential client services and experience high

occupational stress regardless of their practice context (Bride, 2007; Savaya et al.,2011).More

recent social work studies provide preliminary evidence for the prevalence of WFC and FWC

among social workers and its negative impact on their job satisfaction and levels of

psychological strain (Kalliath et al., 2012; Buonocore and Russo, 2013; Kalliath and Kalliath,

2015).

A vast majority of the WFC literature has emanated from Western samples (Aycan, 2008;

Hassan et al., 2014), which begs the question whether these findings are valid in non‐Western

settings and can therefore be applied universally? Scholars urge that if management sciences

seek to be truly global in their knowledge base, they must extricate themselves from

dominant Western perspectives and ask questions that reflect the realities and values of the

non‐Western world (Gelfand et al., 2008). There has been some interest in comparing WFC

and FWC experiences in Western and non‐Western samples. For example, Lu et al. (2006)

compared WFC experiences of full‐time employees in various sectors/organisations in the

UK and Taiwan; Yang et al. (2000) compared WFC experiences of employees in the US and

China, and other scholars have conducted multiple‐country comparison studies (e.g.

Agarwala et al., 2014; Billing et al., 2014). However, such comparative studies remain

under‐represented. More comparative studies utilising diverse nation samples are essential

for validating the WFC construct and for furthering understanding if national context has

a role in influencing work–family conflict experiences. The present study addresses this

gap in the literature by comparing the impact of WFC and FWC on well‐being and family

satisfaction of social workers in Western (Australia) and non‐Western (India) samples in

the Indo‐Pacific region.

As a developing country, India has experienced substantial economic growth. With large

migration of people to urban areas for employment, there is the danger for traditional

extended families to become fragmented, challenging the availability and accessibility of

family supports (Shah, 2009). Despite the economic advancements, India is predominantly

a traditional society. Gender roles are clearly defined with women assuming a majority of

the responsibility for the maintenance of the home and for the care of children and ageing

family members (Aziz, 2004). Given the rapid economic and social changes in India and

its economic ties and proximity to Australia, the present study aimed to investigate the

impact of WFC and FWC on family satisfaction and well‐being of Indian and Australian

social workers.

LITERATURE REVIEW

This section provides a critical review of the literature focusing on the primary variables of

interest in the present study, namely, WFC in its direct relationships with family satisfaction

ParveenKalliath, Thomas Kalliath and ChristopherChan

HUMAN RESOURCEMANAGEMENT JOURNAL, VOL27, NO 3, 2017 367

©2017 John Wiley& Sons Ltd.