Lt. Thomas et Dc. Ganster, IMPACT OF FAMILY-SUPPORTIVE WORK VARIABLES ON WORK FAMILY CONFLICT AND STRAIN - A CONTROL PERSPECTIVE, Journal of applied psychology, 80(1), 1995, pp. 6-15
The authors examined the direct and indirect effects of organizational
policies and practices that are supportive of family responsibilities
on work-family conflict and psychological, physical, and behavioral m
easures of strain. Survey data were gathered at 45 acute-care faciliti
es from 398 health professionals who had children aged 16 years or you
nger at home. Supportive practices, especially flexible scheduling and
supportive supervisors, had direct positive effects on employee perce
ptions of control over work and family matters. Control perceptions, i
n turn, were associated with lower levels of work-family conflict, job
dissatisfaction, depression, somatic complaints, and blood cholestero
l. These results suggest that organizations can take steps that can in
crease employees' control over family responsibilities and that this c
ontrol might help employees better manage conflicting demands of work
and family life.