Spillover and crossover from work overload to spouse-rated work-to-family conflict: The moderating role of cross-role trait consistency

Abstract

While most previous research in social psychology shows benefits of individuals’ consistency in personality across different social roles, the current study brings the concept of cross-role trait consistency to the context of management and examines its dark side. Data from 197 couples showed that an employee's work overload was positively associated with his/her spouse's perception of how much the employee's work interfered with family life. This relationship was mediated by the employee's job burnout. More importantly, this mediating relationship was moderated by the employee's cross-role trait consistency. These findings indicate that work overload may affect spouses’ perception of employees’ work-to-family conflict through job burnout, with the transmission of burnout on work-to-family conflict stronger among employees high in cross-role trait consistency. Thus, cross-role trait consistency appears to strengthen negative spillover and crossover from work to family. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.