Unleashing the missing link between work-family conflict and affective commitment: implications for health professionals

Abstract

Purpose

Elucidating on the theoretical framework of conservation of resource and social identity theories, we aim to explore the association between work-family conflict (bidirectional, i.e. work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC)) and affective commitment (AC) via emotional exhaustion (EE). Besides, the buffering effect of organizational identification (OI) in the bi-directional work-family conflict and EE relationship and perceived interactional justice (PIJ) between EE and AC were also tested.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-time study was conducted in which data from 675 doctors working in different public hospitals across India were gathered at three-time intervals (T1, T2 and T3). The collected data were then analyzed using statistical software tools, namely AMOS 24 and SPSS v23.

Findings

It was indicated that WFC and FWC have a significant negative association with AC. EE was shown to mediate the relationship between bi-directional work-family conflict and AC. Additionally, OI buffered the relationship between WFC, FWC and EE. Moreover, PIJ was established as a moderating factor in the relationship between EE and AC.

Originality/value

This paper provides a new insight into the work-family conflict-AC relationship by examining it through the mediating role of EE. It offers a nuanced understanding by establishing the buffering effects of OI in the bi-directional WFC and EE. To our knowledge, this research represents the inaugural attempt to investigate the moderating influence of PIJ in the relationship between EE and AC.

Citation

Iqbal, J., Shagirbasha, S., Kumar, M. and Mufeed, S.A. (2024), "Unleashing the missing link between work-family conflict and affective commitment: implications for health professionals", Evidence-based HRM, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-03-2023-0048