Work/family balance: the relationship between work/family conflict and work/family enrichment among nurses in healthcare service in Malaysia

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the issues relating to work/family balance have been the subject of various investigations. This focus is indeed warranted given the fact that work and family can result in conflict (work/family conflict) and enhancement (work/family enrichment). Critically however, the extant literature suggests that work/family conflict and work/family enrichment to be related yet in distinct constructs. Employing a mixed methodology, the present study aims to develop a comprehensive framework to model the relationships between work/family conflict and work/family enrichment in achieving work/family balance. In the first phase of the study, a cross-sectional survey design is employed and responses from 689 nurses from public hospitals in Malaysia were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the relationship between two predictors (social support and self-esteem) to work/family conflict and work/family enrichment and their impact of overall satisfactions and work/family balance. The findings reveal that the work/family conflict is negatively related to work/family enrichment. In fact, it is found that social support and self-esteem are negatively related to work/family conflict and work/family conflict is negatively linked with overall satisfaction. Meanwhile, social-support and self-esteem are positively related to work/family enrichment and work/family enrichment has a significant positive relationship with overall satisfaction. With regards to direct relationships, social-support and self-esteem are positively related to overall satisfaction. The findings also indicates that work/family conflict serves as mediator between social-support and overall satisfaction. Work/family enrichment on the other hand only partially mediates the relationship between self-esteem and overall satisfaction. Contrary to expectations, overall satisfaction is significantly negatively related to work/family balance. The findings of the quantitative study was substantiated and supported by the findings of the second phase of the study in which 12 nurses were interviewed. In conclusion, the study contributes to the present knowledge of work/family balance by providing simultaneous relationships that integrate the causes and the effects of work/family conflict and work/family enrichment in a single framework.