Crossover of resources and well-being within employee-partner dyads: through increased schedule control

ABSTRACT

This study examined whether one partner’s additional resources obtained from a workplace intervention influence the other partner’s perception of having those resources at home (crossover of resources). We also examined whether one partner’s decreased stress by increased work resources crosses over to the other partner’s stress levels (crossover of well-being). Longitudinal data came from IT employees and their married/cohabiting partners in midlife (N = 327). A randomized workplace intervention significantly increased employee-reported schedule control at the 6-month follow-up, which, in turn, increased partner-reported employees’ work schedule flexibility to handle family responsibilities at the 12-month follow-up. The intervention also decreased partners’ perceived stress at the 12-month follow-up through the processes by which increases in schedule control predicted decreases in employees’ perceived stress, which further predicted decreased levels of partners’ perceived stress. Notably, crossover of resources and well-being were found in couples who lived with children in the household, but not in couples without children. Our findings suggest that benefits of workplace support can permeate into the family domain, by increasing partner-perceived family resources and well-being.

RESUMEN

Este estudio examinó si los recursos adicionales a un miembro de la pareja obtenidos a través de una intervención en el lugar de trabajo influyen la percepción del otro miembro de tener esos recursos en la casa (cruce de recursos). También examinamos si la disminución de estrés en un miembro de la pareja al aumentar los recursos laborales se traslada a los niveles de estrés del otro miembro (cruce de bienestar). Los datos longitudinales provinieron de empleados de TI (Tecnología Informática) y sus parejas casadas/convivientes en la mediana edad (N = 327). Una intervención aleatoria en el lugar de trabajo aumentó significativamente el control del horario reportado por empleados en el seguimiento de 6 meses, lo que, a su vez, aumentó la flexibilidad del horario laboral de los empleados para manejar las responsabilidades familiares, según reportaron las parejas de los empleados en el seguimiento de 12 meses. La intervención también disminuyó el estrés percibido por las parejas de los empleados en el seguimiento de 12 meses, a través de los procesos mediante los cuales los aumentos en el control programado predijeron disminuciones en el estrés percibido de los empleados, lo que también predijo niveles más bajos de estrés percibido de las parejas de los empleados. En particular, el cruce de recursos y bienestar se encontró en parejas que vivían con niños en el hogar, pero no en parejas sin niños. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que los beneficios de apoyo en el lugar de trabajo pueden penetrar el dominio familiar, al aumentar los recursos familiares y bienestar percibidos por la pareja.

KEYWORDS:

• Crossover
• schedule control
• workplace intervention
• work schedule flexibility for family roles
• family time adequacy
• perceived stress

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• Cruce
• control de horarios
• intervención laboral
• flexibilidad de horarios de trabajo para los roles familiares
• Adecuación del tiempo familiar
• estrés percibido

Acknowledgements

This research was conducted as part of the Work, Family and Health Network (www.WorkFamilyHealthNetwork.org), which is funded by a cooperative agreement through the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Grant # U01HD051217, U01HD051218, U01HD051256, U01HD051276), National Institute on Aging (Grant # U01AG027669), Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Grant # U01OH008788, U01HD059773). Grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Grant #R01HL107240), William T. Grant Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Administration for Children and Families have provided additional funding.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [grant number U01HD059773]; Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research [grant number U01OH008788]; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [grant number U01HD051217,,U01HD051218,,U01HD051256, U01HD051276]; National Institute on Aging [grant number U01AG027669]; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [grant number R01HL107240].

Notes on contributors

Soomi Lee

Soomi Lee is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida in the School of Aging Studies and affiliated with the Center for Healthy Aging at the Pennsylvania State University.

Katie M. Lawson

Katie M. Lawson is an Assistant Professor at Ball State University in the Department of Psychological Science.

Sarah Damaske

Sarah Damaske is an Associate Professor at the Pennsylvania State University in Labor & Employment Relations, Sociology, and Women’s Studies.