Antecedents and Consequences of Work-Family Conflict in Qatar

Abstract

Purpose This paper examines the effect of causal factors, such as work-life harmony, work- family conflict, co-worker and supervisor support, as well as spouse support, on workload and job stress and employee psychological ill-being (depression/anxiety). Design/methodology/approach A large convenience sample of 807 families from Qatar was surveyed. Using SPSS, the researchers used factor analysis to establish construct validity, based on two suitability tests: the Kaisers-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and the Bartless test of sphericity. The dimensions were found to be reliable and valid. Findings Findings from regression analysis show that five independent variables, as well as gender, are significant in predicting staff members’ perceived employee psychological ill-being in Qatar. In addition, results of the recursive model reveal that work-life harmony, supervisor’s and spouse’s support lead to less perceived employee psychological ill-being. However, workload, job stress and work-family conflict lead to more perceived employee psychological ill-being in Qatar. Practical implications Findings of this investigation provide strategic insights and practical thinking that have important implications for understanding and overcoming employee psychological ill-being. What’s more, this paper contributes to the limited knowledge about the effects of stressful working conditions in combination with low levels of spouse support and co-worker and supervisor support on work-life conflict and higher levels of depression and anxiety. Originality This article empirically correlates three fields of management research: Managerial Psychology, Employee Well-Being and Work-Life Balance.