Locus of Control, Supportive Workplace Policies and Work-Family Conflict

Abstract

The study examined the possible pathways by which locus of control influenced the relationship between workplace policies and work-family conflict. Initially, supportive workplace policies were predicted to be negatively correlated with work-family conflict. In a sample of 142 Malaysian employees combining work and family, results of the regression analyses showed that after controlling for demographic variables and locus of control, workplace policies were not related to conflict. More importantly, however, the results showed that locus of control had both direct and moderator effects on the relationship between workplace policies and work-family conflict. No mediation effect was found. The implications of these findings were discussed with respect to the literature on personality and workplace policies within the work-family linkage.Key words: locus of control, workplace policies, work-family conflict, moderator, mediatorThe last few decades have seen dramatic changes in the demographic characteristics and lifestyles of the workforce. The single most important change is the increase of women into the workforce, especially that of married women with children. With this change, in many countries, dual-earner families are fast becoming the norm.These families face certain challenges that the traditional single-earner families do not. The most obvious is the "time bind' between the demands of work and family (Hochschild, 1997) or work-family conflict. This is experienced when demands from one role domain interfere with participation or performance of the other role (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). For example, when one devotes extra time and energy into the work role (or the family role), the family role (work role) is assumed to suffer. Two types of workfamily conflict have been identified; work-interfering-with-family (WIF) and familyinterfering-with-work (FIW). WIF conflict occurs when work-related activities spill over or interfere with home responsibilities (e.g., bringing work home and trying to complete them at the expense of family time) and FIW conflict arises when family-role responsibilities spill over or impede work activities (e.g., having to cancel an important meeting because a child is suddenly taken ill).

Community Demands and Resources and Work-Family Conflict: Case Study in Kuching Sarawak

“…The present study makes an important contribution to the worklife balance literature. Although several Malaysian researchers had studied work-family conflict (Ahmad, 1996;Noor, 2006), the present study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence on the influence of community demands and resources on WFC and FWC.…”

Dampak Konflik Keluarga-Pekerjaan Dan Motivasi Intrinsik Terhadap Kinerja Kerja

“…Menambahkan beberapa anteseden dan konsekuensi lain untuk tiap konstruk penelitian. Anteseden konflik keluargapekerjaan yaitu work overload (Elloy & Smith, 2004), role conflict, role ambiguity (Elloy & Smith, 2004), locus of control (Noor, 2006). Konstruk yang dapat menjadi outcomes dari konflik kerja-keluarga yaitu turnover intention (Agustina, 2008), turnover, motivasi, dan absenteeism (Triaryati, 2003), organizational citizhen behavior (Balmforth & Gardner, 2006), serta keterlibatan kerja (Panggabean, 2006).…”

Three paradigms in management: American, japanese and indian

“…With regards to the work-life conflict, research performed on 124 Malaysian employees showed that locus of control had a direct impact on the work-life conflict (Noor, 2006). In a study conducted among accountants, female externals reacted more negatively to conflicts and were more likely to hand in their resignation (Reed, Kratchman & Strawser, 1994).…”