Measuring the positive side of the work–family interface: Development and validation of a work–family enrichment scale

Work-Life Balance: The Good and the Bad of Boundary Management

“…Since work-family enrichment is a two-way process, experiences in one life domain can lead to a better quality of life in another domain, and vice-versa (Carlson, Kacmar, Wayne, & Grzywacz, 2006;Greenhaus & Powell, 2006). For example, studies have shown that enrichment is positively associated to positive impacts (e.g., affective commitment, emotional commitment towards the organization, satisfaction at work, at home and in life in general) and negatively associated to negative outcomes (e.g., negative affect and physical health problems; McNall, Nicklin, & Masuda, 2010).…”

“…For example, studies have shown that enrichment is positively associated to positive impacts (e.g., affective commitment, emotional commitment towards the organization, satisfaction at work, at home and in life in general) and negatively associated to negative outcomes (e.g., negative affect and physical health problems; McNall, Nicklin, & Masuda, 2010). According to Carlson et al (2006), each direction in the process (WFE and FWE) has three components. WFE would include development (both on a personal and intellectual level, for example, "My involvement in my work helps me to understand different viewpoints and this helps me be a better family member"), affect (positive emotions experienced within the role, for example, "My involvement in my work puts me in a good mood and this helps me be a better family member") and capital (psychological capital acquired through the role, for example, "My involvement in my work helps me feel personally fulfilled and this helps me be a better family member"), whereas FWE would include development (both on a personal and intellectual level, for example, "My involvement in my family helps me to gain knowledge and this helps me be a better worker"), affect (positive emotions experienced within the role, for example, "My involvement in my family puts me in a good mood and this helps me be a better worker") and efficiency (developed with family management, for example, "My involvement in my family requires me to avoid wasting time at work and this helps me be a better worker").…”

“…The work-family enrichment scale developed by Carlson et al (2006) and validated in French by was used during this study. Two subscales with nine items each were used to measure work-family enrichment (e.g., "My involvement in my work helps me to understand different viewpoints and this helps me be a better family member") and family-work enrichment (e.g., "My involvement in my family puts me in a good mood and this helps me be a better worker").…”

“…To our knowledge, these are the first studies to examine the relationship between segmentation preferences and enrichment. According to the work-family enrichment theory (Carlson et al, 2006;Greenhaus & Powell, 2006), family life can be enhanced, or enriched, by integrating abilities developed at work and using them at home, and vice-versa. Results from both studies show that people who prefer to keep work and personal life separate (e.g., not taking any business calls while at home) would deprive themselves from this enrichment, which could in fact promote integration of the different roles and spheres of life.…”

Does Psychological Contract on Work-family Benefits Improve Employee Commitment?

“…Another initiative is to increase employee job involvement since this is linked to work-family facilitation (Aryee et al, 2005). Employees need to experience greater involvement in their jobs, since involvement in family roles benefit from involvement in work roles through development (e.g., skills, knowledge, behaviors), positive affect (e.g., moods, attitude), and capital resources (e.g., security, confidence) (Carlson, Kacmar, Wayne, & Grzywacz, 2006).…”