Workplace support and well-being among working parents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss1pp46-67Abstract
Background and Purpose: Workplace support is vital in ensuring the positive psychological well-being of working parents. The balancing act between work and family may affect the well-being of working parents due to strenuous responsibilities. Hence, this study intends to examine the relationship between workplace support and the well-being of working parents.
Methodology: The study employs a cross-sectional survey where 146 working parents were recruited. A multiple regression analysis was employed.
Findings: Current study found workplace support was a significant predictor of working parents’ well-being (F(1, 134) =2.70., p < .01), while all the predictors variables (organisational [r = .18, p < .05], supervisory [r = .17, p < .05] and co-worker support [r = .17, p < .05]) showed positive significant positive relationship with working parents’ well-being.
Contributions: This research provides insights into the development of career counselling and an understanding of the implication of workplace support for healthier working parents. It also contributes to the literature on human development and Super’s Life-Span Theory based on the current human development cycle.
Keywords: Workplace support, supervisory support, co-worker support, working parents and psychological well-being.
References
Abidin, F., Ismail, A., & Nor, A. M. (2019). Trust in supervisor as a mediator of the relationship between perceived interactional fairness in reward systems and organizational commitment. The South East Asian Journal of Management, 13(2), 201-221.
Abdullah, N., Ismail, A., Mohamad Nor, A., Abu Hasand, N., & Samate, O. (2020). Peranan mentor dalam meningkatkan kejayaan kerjaya menti: Satu
kajian di Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 5(1), 315-335.
Ahmad, A. (2007). Family-friendly employment policy practices in the Malaysian government and selected private organizations. Journal for Global
Business Advancement, 3(1), 128-135.
Alexander, M., & Baxter, J. (2005). Impact of work on family life among partnered parents of young children. Family Matters, 72(1), 18-25.
Allard, K., Haas, L., & Hwang, C. P. (2011). Family-supportive organizational culture and fathers' experiences of work-family conflict in Sweden. Gender,
Work & Organization, 18(2), 141-157.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Stress in America 2020: Stress in the time of COVID-19, Volume One.
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2020/stress-in-america-covid.pdf
Bansal, N., & Agarwal, U. A. (2017). Exploring work-life balance among Indian dual working parents: A qualitative study. Journal of Management
Research, 17(2), 99-111.
Belzunegui-Eraso, A., & Erro-Garcés, A. (2020). Teleworking in the context of the Covid-19 Crisis. Sustainability, 12(3662), 1-18.
Carnavale, J. B., & Hatak, I. (2020). Employee adjustment and well-being in the era of COVID-19: Implications for human resource management.
Journal of Business Research, 116(1), 183-187.
Clark, M. A., Rudolph, C. W., Zhdanova, L., Michel, J. S., & Baltes, B. B. (2015). Organizational support factors and work–family outcomes: Exploring
gender differences. Journal of Family Issues, 38(11), 1520-1545.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: An introduction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), 1-11.
Demerouti, E., B. Bakker, A., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. (2001). The job demands–resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(3),
499-512.
Field, A. (2011). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.
Guoxia, Q., & Erhua, Z. (2017). Bidirectional work-family enrichment mediates the relationship between family-supportive supervisor behaviors and
work engagement. Social Behavior & Personality: An international Journal, 45(2), 299-308.
Haar, J. (2017). Work-family conflict and employee loyalty: Exploring the moderating effects of positive thinking coping. New Zealand Journal of
Employment Relations, 42(1), 35-51.
Hartung, D., & Hahlweg, K. (2010). Strengthening parent well-being at the work—family interface: A German trial on workplace Triple P. Journal of
Community & Applied Social Psychology, 20(5), 404-418.
Haskins, A. R., & Jacobsen, W. C. (2017). Schools as surveilling institutions: Parental incarceration, system avoidance and parental involvement in
schooling. American Sociological Review, 82(4) 657-684.
Hochschild, A. R. (1997). When work becomes home and home becomes work. California Management Review, 39(4), 79-97.
Hoonakker, P. L. T., Carayon, P., & Korunka, C. (2013). Using the job-demands-resources model to predict turnover in the information technology
workforce – General effects and gender. Horizons of Psychology, 22(1), 51-65.
Huffman, A., Culbertson, S. S., Hennig, J. B., & Goh, A. (2013). Work-family conflict across the lifespan. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 28(7/8), 761-
780.
Huppert, F. A. (2009). Psychological well-being: Evidence regarding its causes and consequences. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 1(1),
137–164.
Kelly, E. L., & Kalev, A. (2006). Managing flexible work arrangements in US organizations: Formalized discretion or ‘a right to ask’. Socio-Economic
Review, 4(3), 379-416.
Keyes, C. L. M. (2009). Atlanta: Brief description of the mental health continuum short form (MHC-SF). http://www.sociology.emory.edu/ckeyes/
Keyes, C. L. M. (2018). Overview of the mental health continuum short form (MHC-SF). Mental Health Promotion and Protection.
Klein, J. (2016). Take care of your people and your properties. Journal of Property Management, 81(2), 8.
Ladge, J. J., Humberd, B. K., Baskerville Watkins, M., & Harrington, B. (2015). Updating the organization man: An examination of involved fathering in
the workplace. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(1), 152-171.
Lee, C. M., & Duxbury, L. (1998). Employed parents' support from partners, employers, and friends. Journal of Social Psychology, 138(3), 303-322.
Lv, B., Zhou, H., Liu, C., Guo, X., Liu, J., Jiang, K., … Luo, L. (2018). The relationship between parental involvement and children’s self-efficacy profiles: A
person-centered approach. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 27(11), 3730-3741.
Minnotte, K. L. (2012). Perceived discrimination and work-to-life conflict among workers in the United States. The Sociological Quarterly, 53(2), 188-
210.
Minnotte, K. L. (2014). Extending the job demands–resources model: Predicting perceived parental success among dual-earners. Journal of Family
Issues, 37(3), 416-440.
Mohamad, N. I., Ismail A., & Mohamad Nor, A. (2020a). The relationship between management support in training programs and motivation to
perform task with motivation to learn as mediator. LogForum, 16(3), 431-446.
Mohamad, N. I., Ismail, A., & Mohamad Nor, A. (2020b). Pengaruh sokongan penyelia dalam perhubungan antara tekanan kerja dan konflik kerja-
keluarga, Geografia Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 16(2), 256-269.
Nation. (2018, December 29). Malaysian men getting married later in life. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/12/29/malaysian-
men-getting-married-later-in-life/
Noor Hafiza, B. A. H. (2017). Dilemma of late marriage. http://www.myhealth.gov.my/en/dilemma-late-marriage/
Osborne, J. W., & Waters, E. (2002) Multiple regression assumptions. ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation.
Radcliffe, L. S., & Cassell, C. (2015). Flexible working, work-family conflict, and maternal gatekeeping: The daily experiences of dual-earner couples.
Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 88(4), 835-855.
Ravenswood, K. (2008). The role of the state in family-friendly policy: An analysis of labour-led government policy. New Zealand Journal of
Employment Relations, 33(3), 34-44.
Salanova, M., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2008). A cross-national study of work engagement as a mediator between job resources and proactive behavior. The
International Journal of Human Research Management, 19(1), 116-131.
Sahni, J. (2020). Impact of Covid-19 on employee behavior: Stress and coping mechanism during WFH (work from home) among service industry
employees. International Journal of Operations Management, 1(1), 35-48.
Sharf. R. S. (2006). Life-span theory. Applying career development theory to counselling (4th ed., pp. 151-273). Thomson Wadsworth.
Sinclair, R. R., Allen, T., Barber, L., Bergman, M., Britt, T., Butler, A., …Yuan, Z. (2020). Occupational health science in the time of COVID-19: Now more
than ever. Occupational Health Science, 41(1), 1-22.
Skinner, N. (2005). Workplace support. In N. Skinner, A.M. Roche, J. O’Connor, Y. Pollard, & C. Todd (Eds.), Workforce development TIPS (Theory into
Practice Strategies): A resource kit for the alcohol and other drugs field (pp. 30-31). National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA),
Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
Sloan, M. M. (2017). Gender differences in commitment to state employment: The role of coworker relationships. Public Personnel Management,
46(2), 170-187.
TaŞTan, S. B. A. L. (2014). The theoretical implications of job demands-resources model: A research study on the relations of job demands, supervisor
support and job autonomy with work engagement. Iş Talepleri-Kaynaklari Modeli: Iştaleplerinin, Yönetici Desteğinin Ve Otonominin Işe Gönülden
Adanma Ile Ilişkileri Üzerine Bir Araştirma., 28(4), 149-192.
Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2(1), 53-55.
Wang, Y. C., Shelley Tien, H. L., & Wu, C. L. (2018). The relation of career adaptability to work–family experience and personal growth initiative among
Taiwanese working parents. Journal of Employment Counseling, 55(1), 27-40.
Watanabe, M., Shimazu, A., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., Shimada, K., & Kawakami, N. (2017). The impact of job and family demands on partner’s
fatigue: A study of Japanese dual-earner parents. PLoS ONE, 12(2), 1-12.
Zakaria, N., & Ismail, Z. (2017). The consequences of work-family conflict and the importance of social supports to reduce work‐family conflict among
employees. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(2), 25-30.
Abdullah, N., Ismail, A., Mohamad Nor, A., Abu Hasand, N., & Samate, O. (2020). Peranan mentor dalam meningkatkan kejayaan kerjaya menti: Satu
kajian di Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 5(1), 315-335.
Ahmad, A. (2007). Family-friendly employment policy practices in the Malaysian government and selected private organizations. Journal for Global
Business Advancement, 3(1), 128-135.
Alexander, M., & Baxter, J. (2005). Impact of work on family life among partnered parents of young children. Family Matters, 72(1), 18-25.
Allard, K., Haas, L., & Hwang, C. P. (2011). Family-supportive organizational culture and fathers' experiences of work-family conflict in Sweden. Gender,
Work & Organization, 18(2), 141-157.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Stress in America 2020: Stress in the time of COVID-19, Volume One.
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2020/stress-in-america-covid.pdf
Bansal, N., & Agarwal, U. A. (2017). Exploring work-life balance among Indian dual working parents: A qualitative study. Journal of Management
Research, 17(2), 99-111.
Belzunegui-Eraso, A., & Erro-Garcés, A. (2020). Teleworking in the context of the Covid-19 Crisis. Sustainability, 12(3662), 1-18.
Carnavale, J. B., & Hatak, I. (2020). Employee adjustment and well-being in the era of COVID-19: Implications for human resource management.
Journal of Business Research, 116(1), 183-187.
Clark, M. A., Rudolph, C. W., Zhdanova, L., Michel, J. S., & Baltes, B. B. (2015). Organizational support factors and work–family outcomes: Exploring
gender differences. Journal of Family Issues, 38(11), 1520-1545.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: An introduction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), 1-11.
Demerouti, E., B. Bakker, A., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. (2001). The job demands–resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(3),
499-512.
Field, A. (2011). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.
Guoxia, Q., & Erhua, Z. (2017). Bidirectional work-family enrichment mediates the relationship between family-supportive supervisor behaviors and
work engagement. Social Behavior & Personality: An international Journal, 45(2), 299-308.
Haar, J. (2017). Work-family conflict and employee loyalty: Exploring the moderating effects of positive thinking coping. New Zealand Journal of
Employment Relations, 42(1), 35-51.
Hartung, D., & Hahlweg, K. (2010). Strengthening parent well-being at the work—family interface: A German trial on workplace Triple P. Journal of
Community & Applied Social Psychology, 20(5), 404-418.
Haskins, A. R., & Jacobsen, W. C. (2017). Schools as surveilling institutions: Parental incarceration, system avoidance and parental involvement in
schooling. American Sociological Review, 82(4) 657-684.
Hochschild, A. R. (1997). When work becomes home and home becomes work. California Management Review, 39(4), 79-97.
Hoonakker, P. L. T., Carayon, P., & Korunka, C. (2013). Using the job-demands-resources model to predict turnover in the information technology
workforce – General effects and gender. Horizons of Psychology, 22(1), 51-65.
Huffman, A., Culbertson, S. S., Hennig, J. B., & Goh, A. (2013). Work-family conflict across the lifespan. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 28(7/8), 761-
780.
Huppert, F. A. (2009). Psychological well-being: Evidence regarding its causes and consequences. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 1(1),
137–164.
Kelly, E. L., & Kalev, A. (2006). Managing flexible work arrangements in US organizations: Formalized discretion or ‘a right to ask’. Socio-Economic
Review, 4(3), 379-416.
Keyes, C. L. M. (2009). Atlanta: Brief description of the mental health continuum short form (MHC-SF). http://www.sociology.emory.edu/ckeyes/
Keyes, C. L. M. (2018). Overview of the mental health continuum short form (MHC-SF). Mental Health Promotion and Protection.
Klein, J. (2016). Take care of your people and your properties. Journal of Property Management, 81(2), 8.
Ladge, J. J., Humberd, B. K., Baskerville Watkins, M., & Harrington, B. (2015). Updating the organization man: An examination of involved fathering in
the workplace. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(1), 152-171.
Lee, C. M., & Duxbury, L. (1998). Employed parents' support from partners, employers, and friends. Journal of Social Psychology, 138(3), 303-322.
Lv, B., Zhou, H., Liu, C., Guo, X., Liu, J., Jiang, K., … Luo, L. (2018). The relationship between parental involvement and children’s self-efficacy profiles: A
person-centered approach. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 27(11), 3730-3741.
Minnotte, K. L. (2012). Perceived discrimination and work-to-life conflict among workers in the United States. The Sociological Quarterly, 53(2), 188-
210.
Minnotte, K. L. (2014). Extending the job demands–resources model: Predicting perceived parental success among dual-earners. Journal of Family
Issues, 37(3), 416-440.
Mohamad, N. I., Ismail A., & Mohamad Nor, A. (2020a). The relationship between management support in training programs and motivation to
perform task with motivation to learn as mediator. LogForum, 16(3), 431-446.
Mohamad, N. I., Ismail, A., & Mohamad Nor, A. (2020b). Pengaruh sokongan penyelia dalam perhubungan antara tekanan kerja dan konflik kerja-
keluarga, Geografia Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 16(2), 256-269.
Nation. (2018, December 29). Malaysian men getting married later in life. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/12/29/malaysian-
men-getting-married-later-in-life/
Noor Hafiza, B. A. H. (2017). Dilemma of late marriage. http://www.myhealth.gov.my/en/dilemma-late-marriage/
Osborne, J. W., & Waters, E. (2002) Multiple regression assumptions. ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation.
Radcliffe, L. S., & Cassell, C. (2015). Flexible working, work-family conflict, and maternal gatekeeping: The daily experiences of dual-earner couples.
Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 88(4), 835-855.
Ravenswood, K. (2008). The role of the state in family-friendly policy: An analysis of labour-led government policy. New Zealand Journal of
Employment Relations, 33(3), 34-44.
Salanova, M., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2008). A cross-national study of work engagement as a mediator between job resources and proactive behavior. The
International Journal of Human Research Management, 19(1), 116-131.
Sahni, J. (2020). Impact of Covid-19 on employee behavior: Stress and coping mechanism during WFH (work from home) among service industry
employees. International Journal of Operations Management, 1(1), 35-48.
Sharf. R. S. (2006). Life-span theory. Applying career development theory to counselling (4th ed., pp. 151-273). Thomson Wadsworth.
Sinclair, R. R., Allen, T., Barber, L., Bergman, M., Britt, T., Butler, A., …Yuan, Z. (2020). Occupational health science in the time of COVID-19: Now more
than ever. Occupational Health Science, 41(1), 1-22.
Skinner, N. (2005). Workplace support. In N. Skinner, A.M. Roche, J. O’Connor, Y. Pollard, & C. Todd (Eds.), Workforce development TIPS (Theory into
Practice Strategies): A resource kit for the alcohol and other drugs field (pp. 30-31). National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA),
Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
Sloan, M. M. (2017). Gender differences in commitment to state employment: The role of coworker relationships. Public Personnel Management,
46(2), 170-187.
TaŞTan, S. B. A. L. (2014). The theoretical implications of job demands-resources model: A research study on the relations of job demands, supervisor
support and job autonomy with work engagement. Iş Talepleri-Kaynaklari Modeli: Iştaleplerinin, Yönetici Desteğinin Ve Otonominin Işe Gönülden
Adanma Ile Ilişkileri Üzerine Bir Araştirma., 28(4), 149-192.
Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2(1), 53-55.
Wang, Y. C., Shelley Tien, H. L., & Wu, C. L. (2018). The relation of career adaptability to work–family experience and personal growth initiative among
Taiwanese working parents. Journal of Employment Counseling, 55(1), 27-40.
Watanabe, M., Shimazu, A., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., Shimada, K., & Kawakami, N. (2017). The impact of job and family demands on partner’s
fatigue: A study of Japanese dual-earner parents. PLoS ONE, 12(2), 1-12.
Zakaria, N., & Ismail, Z. (2017). The consequences of work-family conflict and the importance of social supports to reduce work‐family conflict among
employees. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(2), 25-30.
Downloads
Published
2023-01-31
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Workplace support and well-being among working parents. (2023). Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS), 8(1), 46-67. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss1pp46-67
