Employee thriving at work: The long reach of family incivility and family support

Abstract

SummaryThriving at work has been linked to a wide range of positive individual and organizational outcomes. However, research to date has primarily focused on its individual and work‐related antecedents, overlooking family‐related issues that constitute an essential part of social interactions. To advance our understanding of socio‐relational sources of employee thriving at work, we investigate the differential effects of family incivility and family support on thriving at work. Integrating the work–home resources (W‐HR) model with boundary theory, we develop and test a research model where family incivility and family support influence thriving at work via family–work conflict (FWC) and family–work enrichment (FWE), respectively. We further propose that employee segmentation boundary management preference moderates these mediating processes. Results from two survey data collected from employees working in Nigeria and the United Kingdom provide support for our hypothesized relationships. The findings contribute to a richer understanding of how and when thriving at work is influenced by social relationships in family life. We discuss implications for theory and practice, limitations, and avenues for future research.