Exercise and work-family conflict: a field experiment
Abstract
Purpose
Recent research along with anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise may play a role in mitigating perceptions of work-family conflict (WFC). However, the temporal effects related to this relationship have been ignored. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue by testing for the effects of acute and long-term exercise on the work-family interface.
Design/methodology/approach
Employed females (N=46) were randomly assigned to a treatment (exercise) or control group (no exercise) and data were gathered at three points in time, over four weeks. Linear Mixed Model processes were conducted.
Findings
The authors found that there is a statistically significant long-term exercise effect on strain-based work interference with family and family interference with work.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was restricted to sedentary females, was predominantly white/Caucasian, and held white-collar jobs, limiting the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications
Results from the current study suggest that exercise assists individuals in managing the work-family interface. While this is not a broad-sweeping call for all employers to offer on-site exercise facilities, the authors suggest that employers consider offering accommodations to individuals seeking to utilize exercise as a way to reduce WFC and general stress.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical study that examines the temporal impact of exercise on the work-family interface.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Research funding: this research study was funded by a generous grant from the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness.
Citation
Clayton, R.W., Thomas, C.H., Schaffer, B.S., Stratton, M., Garrison, E. and Mathews, L.G. (2017), "Exercise and work-family conflict: a field experiment", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 225-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-08-2015-0324
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited