Supervisory support in Slovenian and Dutch organizations: a contextualizing approach

Abstract

This paper builds on the influential work of Suzan Lewis examining how employees' work-life experiences are shaped by different layers of context. Our approach is therefore a comparative one using data from four organizational contexts in two countries, the Netherlands and Slovenia. Within each organization, we examine the role of different types of supervisory support (specific family support and general support) and the quality of the relationship between supervisor and subordinate (LMX) in work-to-family conflict, enrichment, and work-life balance satisfaction. Findings indicate that in a context with a high level of national policy support, some dimensions of family support are seen as part of general supervisory support. Moreover, the role of supervisory support and the leader-member exchange relationship differs between organizational contexts and the outcomes considered.Keywords: supervisory support; LMX; work-family conflict; work-life balance; work-life policies Ce document se fonde sur le travail d'influence de Suzan Lewis sur la façon dont les expériences au niveau du travail et la vie des employés sont façonnées par les différentes couches de contexte. Par conséquence nous prenons une perspective comparative en utilisant des données provenant de quatre contextes organisationnels situés dans deux pays; les Pays-Bas et la Slovénie. Au sein de chaque organisation, nous examinons le rôle des différents types de soutien de surveillance (soutien spécifique familial et générale) ainsi que la qualité de la relation entre le superviseur et le subordonné (LMX) sur le conflit travail à famille, l'enrichissement et la satisfaction entre l'équilibre travail-vie. Les résultats indiquent que dans un contexte avec un niveau élevé de soutien de la politique nationale, certains aspects du soutien de la famille sont considérés comme faisant partie de l'appui général de surveillance. En outre, le rôle de supervision et le soutien de la relation d'échange superviseur -subordonné diffère entre les contextes organisationnels et les résultats qui sont considérés.

Beyond Formal Access: Organizational Context, Working From Home, and Work–Family Conflict of Men and Women in European Workplaces

“…They may also feel less pressured to invest themselves completely in their work role at the expense of their family. Perceived managerial work-life support leads to less work–family conflict as well, as it is easier to discuss conflicting issues and more likely to receive empathy from a supervisor who is supportive of work-life issues, instead of one who views these as a private matter (Den Dulk et al 2016 ; Major et al 2008 ). We thus argue that a work–family supportive context may also be influential to what extent working from home causes work–family conflict.…”

“…There is evidence that a supportive organizational context is important to alleviate work-life conflict (cf. Den Dulk et al 2016 ; Chung, in this issue), but a number of scholars indicated that there is void of research studying how cultural-normative organizational contexts are of influence on family-friendly policies and employee outcomes (Allen et al 2015b ; Kossek et al 2006 ; Den Dulk et al 2016 ). The present paper fills this gap by providing insight in how the organizational context shapes the impact of working from home on work–family conflict.…”

“The Work Must Go On”

“…It is important to consider employee and managerial discourses to gain insight into why, even in the case of strong national and cultural work–life support at the macro level, employees sometimes lack the agency, within the local organizational context, to fully use existing policies ( Den Dulk, Peper, Kanjuo Mrĉla, & Ignjatović, 2016 ). Following Watson (2001) , discourses refer to “connected sets of statements, concepts, terms and expressions which constitute a way of talking and writing about a particular issue, thus framing the way people understand and act with respect to that issue” (p. 113).…”

Family-Supportive Supervision around the Globe

“…Allen, culture and family-supportive supervision were both related to work-home inter ference in all countries (Beham, Drobnic, & Prag, 2014). FSS has also shown to be negatively related to work-family conflict and positively related to both work-family enrichment and satisfaction with work-family balance in a Slovenian hospital, as well as positively related to work-family enrichment in a Dutch university and work-family balance satisfaction at a Dutch consultancy firm (Den Dulk, Peper, Mrcela, & Ignjatovic, 2016). The negative relationship between FSS and work-family conflict has also been demonstrated in samples in Iran (Farhadi, Sharifian, Feili, & Shokrpour, 2013), New Zealand (O'Driscoll, Poelmans, Spector, Kalliath, Allen, Cooper, & Sanchez, 2003), as well as South American countries like Peru (Agarwala et al, 2014).…”

“…In the United States, effects of FSS have been found for both managerial and professional-level employees (e.g., , as well as low-wage workers (e.g., Griggs, Casper, & Eby, 2013;Hammer et al, 2011;Muse & Pichler, 2011). A global review of family-supportive supervision research, however, reveals that studies appear to largely be conducted on managerial and professional-level employees outside of the United States (e.g., Agarwala et al, 2014;Den Dulk, Peper, Mrcela, & Ignjatovic, 2016;O'Driscoll, Poelmans, Spector, Kalliath, Allen, Cooper, & Sanchez, 2003), while some have a mix of employee levels (e.g., Beham, Drobnic, & Prag, 2014), or where job level is not noted (e.g., Allen et al, 2014). An exception would be a sample of nurses and nurse assistants in Iran where family-supportive supervision was found to negatively predict work-family conflict and job stress (Farhadi et al, 2013).…”