Summary
This study (N = 205) investigates the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in the work-family model. The work-family literature, specifically the depletion and enrichment arguments, provides the theoretical underpinnings of this study which investigates a possible explanation for these divergent views. The results indicate that Emotional Intelligence acts as a protector variable of one's well-being in the face of workfamily conflict. In other words, Emotional Intelligence interacts with work-family conflict to predict one's well-being. Implications of the results for human resource strategies are discussed as well as suggestions for future research.
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Extract
An Examination of the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Work and Family Conflict*
Employers need to recognize the constant challenge many employees face in balancing work and family. Recruiting and retaining top workers is essential to the success of the organization; thus, it behooves employers to understand the variables associated with the effective management of the work-family conflict.
One cannot pick up a newspaper or periodical or even turn on the news without being confronted with the issue of balancing work and family. For most, it is a constant struggle to attempt to balance the commitments of work and family life. Some researchers have suggested that work-family balance is an illusive goal and one that is unattainable (Caproni, 1997). The concern is that the more one is committed to work, the more one enjoys the associated benefits, both financial and non-financial, which encourage them to devote even more time and energy to work. Since neither one's time nor energy is limitless, by definition, then, such workers will find themselves far from the balance they originally sought with one of the roles invariably ending up on the losing end.As a result of an increasingly larger share of the workforce occupying many non-work roles in addition to that of paid worker, organizations need to understand the impact of multiple roles on workers' productivity. Attitudes, behaviors and emotions associated with one role may spill over to the other (Edwards and Rothbard, 2000). In fact, many employers fear that engagement in the family role is accomplished only to the detriment to the work role.The work-family literature frames this balance in seemingly diametrically opposed views, namely the depletion and enrichment arguments (Marks, 1977). The former is more deeply rooted in the literature and views these roles as conflicting (Friedman and Greenhaus, 2000). One's energy and time are limited, and, as such, the demand in each role depletes resources at the expen...See the full content of this document
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