Employee Reactions to Interruptions from Family during Work

Abstract

In contemporary workplaces, spouses, parents, and children are frequently able to reach employees through telephone, text, or email. Although some employees may welcome this level of accessibility to their families, others may react negatively, but we know little about the individual differences or situational characteristics that relate to these reactions. To examine these reactions, we recruited samples of US residents, employed outside the home in a variety of occupations, who reported that they were recently interrupted at work by a family member. We measured four reactions to the episode (anger, sadness, complaining about the interruption, and the degree to which the employee forgave the family member). Results showed reactions related to interactions between two features of the interruption (the importance of the interruption and the severity of the disruption to one’s work) and the employee’s preference for integrating family and work roles.