Support in Work Context and Employees’ Well-Being: The Mediation Role of the Work- Family Conflict

Claúdia Sousa; Maria José Chambel; Vânia Sofia Carvalho

Claúdia Sousa Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon
Maria José Chambel Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon
Vânia Sofia Carvalho Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra and Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon

Keywords: Support; Work-Family-Conflict; General Well-being

Abstract

Changes in families and in the structure of the workforce have contributed to a change in traditional roles, leading to an increase of the number of men and women who simultaneously
have family and work responsibilities. Because the workforce has different sources of support in the labor environment – organizational, supervisor, and coworker support – it becomes
important to study the impacts that each of these sources of support has on workers’ general well-being and to understand whether the existent work-family conflict explains
this relationship. Indeed, the present research aims to examine the relationship between perceived support and general well-being as well as the mediating effect of work-life conflict
on this relationship. The data were collected from a company from the textile industry, composing a sample of 821 store operators. The results show that work-life conflict helps
explain the relationship between support from the organization and coworkers and workers’ general well-being. However, supervisor support did not relate to work-family conflict. Based
on the specific managerial characteristics of this company, some plausible explanations for these results are provided. Practical implications related to the results obtained are presented,
in addition to the research limitations and suggestions for future research.

Author Biographies

Claúdia Sousa, Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon

Claúdia Sousa is psychologist and works in the human resource department of an international company of services. She completed her master degree at the Faculty of Psychology of University of Lisbon, Portugal.

Maria José Chambel, Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon

Maria José Chambel is associate professor at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon (Portugal). She has a PhD in social psychology and teaches in work and organizational psychology. She is a member of the CicPsi (Research Centre of Psychology Science of the University of Lisbon) where she coordinates the group of Careers and Organizations and has participated in several research projects. Her main research interests include subjects such employment relations, temporary workers, and stress and well-being at work.

Vânia Sofia Carvalho, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra and Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon

Vânia Sofia Carvalho is assistant professor at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon in Lisbon (Portugal). She has a PhD in human resources, work and organizational psychology and research the work–family relationship centered on an organizational and human resources perspective and in workers’ well-being consequences.

References

Available in the full paper.