Exploring the Relationship Between Work–Family Conflict, Family–Work Conflict and Job Embeddedness: Examining the Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between family–work conflicts, work–family conflicts, emotional exhaustion, and job embeddedness. Emotional exhaustion was hypothesized to mediate relations between family–work conflicts, work–family conflicts and job embeddedness.

Methods

An online questionnaire was distributed to collect the data. The sample consisted of 264 women aged 18 years and older who work in private sector in Saudi Arabia. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), common method bias (CMB), and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted using AMOS (Version 28).

Results

The results show that emotional exhaustion functions as a full meditator of the relationship between work–family conflicts, family–work conflicts and job embeddedness. Specifically, women who experience work and family conflicts are unable to balance heavy workloads are emotionally exhausted which in turn affects their job embeddedness.

Conclusion

The study emphasizes the negative effects of both work-to-family and family-to-work-life spillover that result in unfavorable psychological states for female employees. Therefore, it is essential for organizations to have interventions that support balancing the demands of family and work. Organizations need to consider how much control an employee has over the time and location of their job. Organizations must also provide clear procedures for handling flexible work schedules and part-time employment.

Keywords:

• family–work conflict
• emotional exhaustion
• work–family conflict
• job embeddedness
• Saudi Arabia

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of King Saud University No.: KSU-HE-21-822, Date 08/12/2021.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Disclosure

The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by research supporting program (RSPD2023R1023).