Family friendly workplaces, the work/family interface and their relation to work outcomes among working parents : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

Abstract

Work/family conflict, family/work conflict, satisfaction with child care, the positive outcomes from combining work and family roles and social support were investigated as potential moderators and mediators between the two independent variables of family friendly policies and supervisor support and the dependent variables of job satisfaction, membership behaviours, organisational commitment and general health. Two models were devised to examine these relationships. A work/family questionnaire was distributed through nine New Zealand organisations, which were selected from the list of work/family network members. There were 121 complete questionnaires returned (giving a response rate of 29%) from working parents who had at least one child under the age of 18 years living at home. Work/family conflict and family/work conflict were found to be positively correlated however they were also found to be associated with unique antecedents and outcomes providing support for their independence as separate constructs. Hierarchical multiple regression techniques were utilised to examine the relationships between potential mediators and moderators, the independent variables of organisation policy and supervisor support and several outcomes. Three significant moderated relationships were identified with respect to the outcome of "intention to leave". There are several conclusions to be drawn from this study regarding the importance of supervisor support, the distinction between work/family conflict and family/work conflict and the different needs of working parents.