Development and Validation of a Measure of Work-Family Supportive Coworker Behaviors

Abstract

This study builds upon recent qualitative work-family (WF) research by developing and providing initial validation of a measure of work-family supportive coworker behaviors (WFSCB). The factor structure and correlates of the WFSCB measure were investigated in two studies. Findings from two exploratory factor analyses and one confirmatory factor analysis revealed that WFSCB is best represented by four dimensions including: emotional support, facilitating work adjustments, sharing resources and knowledge, and proactively developing solutions, all of which demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis (N = 502 employees) provided preliminary evidence suggesting that WFSCB can significantly reduce work-to-family conflict, and improve WF balance, WF positive spillover, and life satisfaction. The utility of WFSCB as a source of informal workplace support was underscored based on evidence of its incremental validity in the prediction of these outcome variables over and...