Chapter 11

Question 1

Through which three concepts can work-family interaction best be described?

Answer 1

• Degree -> segmentation and integration
• Direction -> work-to-family and family-to-work
• Valence -> encounter between work and family can be negative or positive

Question 2

The combination of direction and valence results in four kinds of interaction between work and family, what are these?

Answer 2

• Work-to-family conflict -> in this case work has a negative impact on family
• Family-to-work conflict
• Work-to-family enrichment
• Family-to-work enrichment

Question 3

What are the three types of work-family conflict?

Answer 3

• Time-based work-family conflict (overlapping schedules)
• Strain-based work-family conflict
• Behaviour-based work-family conflict (e.g. being strict and formal at work and loving and tender at home)

Question 4

What is work-life enrichment?

Answer 4

The extent to which experiences in one role improve the quality of life in the other role

Question 5

Explain the antecedent-outcome models of work-family interaction

Answer 5

• Work-family interaction consists of four dimension. The relationship between conflicts and enrichment in negative.
• These four dimensions are seen as mediators between work and family characteristics and work-related/non-work related stress and health consequences
• Depending on individual characteristics, WFC, FWC, WFE, and FWE are experienced more or less frequently

Question 6

What is the essence of spillover models?

Answer 6

Explaining how moods, skills, and behaviours are transferred from one life domain in another

Question 7

Explain direct and indirect spillover

Answer 7

Direct spillover: the objective conditions of one life domain affect directly the outcomes in the other life domain -> low wage causes poverty and strain
Indirect spillover: an individual’s subjective reactions to objective conditions mediate the effect of these conditions on the outcomes -> one’s dissatisfaction with low wage can indirectly lead to marital dissatisfaction through worries.

Question 8

What are the different individual coping strategies to cope with work and family demands?

Answer 8

• Active, problem-focused coping: aiming to solve the stressful situation, this is beneficial in reducing WFC and FWC
• Emotion-focused coping: e.g., talking to someone
• Avoidance-focused coping: e.g., denying the stressful situation

Question 9

What are the two types of work-family coping?

Answer 9

• Demand-decreasing coping strategies -> reducing work hours, giving up some tasks, etc.
• Resource-increasing coping strategies -> seeking work-family support, trying to find benefits/learn from difficult situations, etc.

Question 10

How can organizations help in supporting their employees balancing work and family life?

Answer 10

• Work-family policies (formal) -> formal support in assisting employees’ work-family integration. E.g., cover leave (parental leave), and flexibility arrangements (flex hours)
• A supportive work-family culture (informal) -> informal support in assisting employees’ work-family integration.
  The culture refers to:
• Managerial support
• Career consequences (perception of negative career development as a consequence of utilizing work-family benefits)
• Organizational time demands