The effects of work‐family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and intrinsic motivation on job outcomes of front‐line employees

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of work‐family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and intrinsic motivation on front‐line employees' job performance, job satisfaction, and affective organizational commitment in Turkish retail banks as its setting.

Design/methodology/approach

A total number of 363 usable questionnaires were personally retrieved from front‐line employees in the research location. The relevant writings were canvassed in order to design the survey instrument. The hypothesized relationships were tested using LISREL 8.30 through path analysis.

Findings

Results reveal that work‐family conflict increased emotional exhaustion and decreased job satisfaction. Intrinsic motivation was found to exert a significant negative impact on emotional exhaustion. Results demonstrate that high levels of intrinsic motivation resulted in high levels of job performance, job satisfaction, and affective commitment to the organization. The empirical results also indicate that emotional exhaustion exerted a significant negative effect on job satisfaction. As hypothesized, high levels of job performance led to increased job satisfaction. However, work‐family conflict and emotional exhaustion did not have any significant effects on job performance and affective organizational commitment. As expected, the empirical results provided support for the significant positive effects of job performance and job satisfaction on affective organizational commitment.

Research limitations/implications

Job performance was operationalized via self‐report measure. In future research, incorporating non‐work variables such as family, leisure and life satisfaction into the research model would shed further light on one's understanding about the relationships of work‐family conflict and emotional exhaustion with those variables.

Practical implications

Top managements of banks should be committed to establishing and maintaining family‐supportive work environments. By doing so, properly trained bank managers can create a culture that helps front‐line employees balance work requirements with non‐work responsibilities. In addition, these managers should provide ongoing training programs, which aim to teach front‐line employees how to manage time effectively and resolve problems associated with work‐family conflict and emotional exhaustion.

Originality/value

The present study makes useful additions to the current knowledge base by investigating the effects of work‐family conflict and intrinsic motivation on emotional exhaustion and the effects of work‐family conflict and emotional exhaustion on various job outcomes of front‐line bank employees in a developing economy.

Citation

Karatepe, O.M. and Tekinkus, M. (2006), "The effects of work‐family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and intrinsic motivation on job outcomes of front‐line employees", International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 173-193. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320610659021