It takes a village: How organizational support for adoption positively affects employees and their families

Abstract

Extending the integration of conservation of resources theory with the spillover–crossover model, we broaden the scope of types of organizational support by examining the influence of organizational support for adoption (OSFA) as a work resource that could benefit employees, their spouse, and their adopted child. Specifically, we examine how this resource of OSFA contributes to job incumbent work–family enrichment (WFE) and indirectly to a work outcome (i.e., affective commitment) and spills over to impact family outcomes (i.e., attachment, relationship tension, and family functioning). Further, we examine the crossover to the spouse through positive crossover transmission to his/her commitment to the job incumbent’s organization and his/her family outcomes. Using a matched sample of 592 couples that had adopted a child, we found that the resource of OSFA indirectly influences the job incumbent’s work and family outcomes as expected. Further, we found OSFA indirectly influences the spouse’s commitment to the job incumbent’s organization and the spouse’s family outcomes through WFE and positive crossover transmission. Evidence of the content and construct validity of OSFA is also presented. Implications, both theoretical and practical, and suggestions for future research are discussed.Practitioner points Employees who feel supported in their adoption by their organization are more committed to their organization. Organizations that provide support for adoptive employees indirectly influence their spouses’ commitment to the employees’ organization. Adoptive employees’ positive work experiences that result from organizational support for adoption spillover into their family domain. Children who are adopted can benefit indirectly from their parents’ employing organization when that organization supports the adoption in tangible ways.