When the demands of work and family
conflict, is the job blamed, is the family role blamed, or is blame
placed on both? And what are the consequences?
A new study by Elizabeth M. Poposki, assistant professor of
psychology at Indiana and Purdue universities, is the first to explore
day-to-day experiences in attributing this blame.
The work examines individual incidents of work-family conflict and tracks how blame for this conflict is attributed.
Only three percent of those surveyed blamed both work and family for conflict between the two.
Sixty-four percent of those surveyed blamed work, not family, for
conflict. Twenty-two percent blamed only their family role, the journal
Group & Organization Management reports.
Five percent blamed external factors other than work or family for the
conflict, and only six percent blamed themselves for the conflict.
There were no gender differences in how blame was assigned, according
to an Indiana statement.
Anger and frustration on the job are related to many negative
workplace outcomes such as employee theft. Preventing such emotions may
benefit both employees and employers, said Poposki.
Focusing on reactions to the work-family conflict, Poposki found
that the order in which events were scheduled, was an important factor
in attributing blame, as the second event, whether work or family
related, was more likely to be blamed than the first.
The 269 study participants worked an average of 45 hours per week. All
held bachelor's degrees and slightly more than half had received
graduate degrees. With an average age of 43 years, two-thirds had
spouses who worked at least part-time.
'This study is valuable because focusing on details helps us
better understand the mechanisms and processes of conflict. This
understanding may be important to future studies of the negative
emotional reactions to work-family conflict including anger,
frustration, shame and guilt,' Poposki said. IANS
