Your work is interfering with our life! The influence of a significant other on employee job search activity

• Published in: Journal of occupational and organizational psychology Vol. 85; no. 3; pp. 531 - 538
• Main Authors: Baskerville Watkins, Marla, Ren, Run, Boswell, Wendy R., Umphress, Elizabeth E., Triana, María del Carmen, Zardkoohi, Asghar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-09-2012; British Psychological Society
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Couple and family; Employees; Family studies; Family system perspective; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Job hunting; Job search; Organizational behavior; Perceptions; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Significant others; Social psychology; Studies; System theory; Work life balance; Work-Family conflict; Social environment; Human; Job search; Employee; Family work relation; Conflict; Job insecurity; Significant other; Family environment
• ISSN: 0963-1798; 2044-8325
• DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8325.2011.02050.x

This research draws on family systems theory to examine the influence of the significant other on employees’ job search behaviours. Data from 102 matched pairs of employees and their significant others showed that significant others’ perception of the employee's work‐to‐family conflict was positively related to the employee's job search activity after controlling for employee self‐reported work‐to‐family conflict. Contributions and implications are discussed.