Saija Mauno

Antecedents and Outcomes of Work-Family Conflict Among Employed Women and Men in Finland

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence, antecedents, and consequences of work-family conflict among employed women and men in Finland. The data were obtained by questionnaire from a sample of 501 employees working in four organizations. The results showed that work-family conflict was more prevalent than family-work conflict among both sexes, but that there were no gender differences in experiencing either work-family or family-work conflict. Family-work conflict was best explained by family domain variables (e.g., number of children living at home) for both sexes, and work-family conflict by work domain variables (e.g., full-time job, poor leadership relations) among the women, and by high education and high number of children living at home among the men. Family-work conflict had negative consequences on family well-being, and work-family conflict, in particular, on occupational well-being. The findings suggest that in particular improvements in working life are needed to prevent problems in the work-family interface.

Work-to-family conflict and its relationship with satisfaction and well-being: a one-year longitudinal study on gender differences

The present study produced new knowledge about gender differences with respect to work-to-family conflict and its longitudinal relations with indicators of satisfaction and well-being. The study examined the longitudinal relations between work-to-family conflict and self-reported satisfaction and well-being in the domains of work (job satisfaction), family (marital satisfaction, parental distress) as well as overall (psychological and physical) symptoms. Data were obtained from a random sample of Finnish men (n=208) and women (n=218) who were employed and had either a partner or/and children. A survey was conducted at two points in time, in 1999 (Time 1), and one year later, in 2000 (Time 2). The results revealed that, among women, work-to-family conflict perceived at Time 1 significantly predicted job dissatisfaction, parental distress as well as psychological symptoms at Time 2. However, among men, a low level of satisfaction or well-being at Time 1 (marital dissatisfaction, parental distress, psychological and physical symptoms) functioned as a precursor of work-to-family conflict perceived at Time 2. In addition, the experience of work-to-family conflict turned out to be relatively stable for both genders over the time period of one year. It is likely that work-to-family conflict will continue to affect employees, and should be a central focus for organizations.

A mediational model of sense of coherence in the work context: a one‐year follow‐up study

The aim of this study was to test a mediational model appropriate for explaining the effects of psychosocial work characteristics (influence at work, job insecurity, organizational climate and leadership relations) on general well-being, (psychosomatic symptoms) and on occupational well-being (emotional exhaustion at work) via sense of coherence (SOC) in a one-year follow-up study. The questionnaire data were gathered in four Finnish organizations in February 1995 and 1996. Altogether 219 employees participated in the study in both years. The results, based on structural equation modelling, showed that a good organizational climate and low job insecurity were related to strong SOC, which was, in turn, linked to a high level of general as well as occupational well-being. In addition, those employees who experienced changes in organizational climate and leadership relations during the follow-up period, showed changes in SOC which was, in turn, related to changes in the well-being indicators. The results thus highlight the major role of a good organizational climate for enhancing SOC and, consequently, well-being. Copyright

Exploring work- and organization-based resources as moderators between work–family conflict, well-being, and job attitudes

Abstract In modern Western life it is difficult to avoid work–family conflict. Therefore the resources that might reduce its negative outcomes on well-being and job attitudes come into focus. Our study contributes to the work–family conflict literature by exploring the indirect (moderator) and direct role of three work- and organization-related resources, i.e., job control, family supportive climate, organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), in the work-to-family conflict and well-being/job attitude relationship. Theoretically, the study tested the recently developed Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model in the Scandinavian context. Data for the study were gathered from three differing Finnish organizations (health care district, ICT company, Cardboard mill; n=1252). In line with the predictions of the JD-R model, job demands (time- and strain-based work-to-family conflict) were more robustly associated with strain-based outcomes (physical symptoms), whereas job resources (job control, family supportive climate, OBSE) were more strongly linked to motivational-based outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment). Both job control and family supportive climate moderated the relationships studied; high job control and family supportive climate buffered against the aversive effects of work-to-family conflict on well-being and job attitudes. These indirect effects also varied in relation to the independent, moderator, and dependent variables. However, OBSE did not operate as a buffering factor, although it showed significant direct effects. From a practical viewpoint, our findings suggest that job control and family supportive climate are resources that help employees to reduce the negative effects related to work–family conflict.

The effects of job stressors on marital satisfaction in Finnish dual‐earner couples

The focus on the present study was to test a mediational model appropriate for explaining the effects of psychosocial job stressors, i.e., job insecurity, job autonomy, time pressures at work, leadership relations and work–family conflict, on marital satisfaction via job exhaustion and psychosomatic health. The study was carried out among 215 married or cohabiting dual-earner couples. The proposed model was tested through structural equation analysis (LISREL). The results indicated that the job stressors, except for job autonomy, spilled over into marital satisfaction via job exhaustion and psychosomatic health for both men and women. However, no empirical support was found for the crossover of job stressors between partners, signifying that job stressors experienced by one partner did not influence the marital well-being of the other. Copyright

Organizational antecedents and outcomes of job insecurity: a longitudinal study in three organizations in Finland

The aim of the study was to examine perceived job insecurity and its organizational antecedents and outcomes within a one-year time period. The study was carried out by means of questionnaires, which were responded to twice, in 1995 (Time 1) and 1996 (Time 2), by employees in three organizations: a factory, a bank, and a municipal social and health care department. The present article is based on the data of those employees (n=210) who participated in the study in both years. The results indicated that perceived job insecurity varied with gender and organization, but not with time. In particular, female employees in the bank reported a high level of job insecurity compared with men. The use of a restorative strategy by management at Time 1 decreased job insecurity at Time 2, whereas job insecurity at Time 1 weakened the quality of human relations and perceived efficiency within the organizations at Time 2. Copyright

Perceived Job Insecurity: A Longitudinal Study Among Finnish Employees

The aim of the study was to examine perceived job insecurity and its antecedents and outcomes over a three-year time period. Job insecurity was operationalized by four scales based on the global and multidimensional definition of job insecurity. The study was carried out by means of questionnaires, which were administered three times, in 1995 (Time 1), 1996 (Time 2), and 1997 (Time 3), to employees in three organizations: a paper mill, a bank, and a municipal social and health care department. The present article is based on the data of those employees (N = 109) who participated in each year of the study. The results indicated that global worry about ones job continuity (global scale) and the probability of negative changes in ones job (probability scale) shared similar elements most and both of them were predicted by low self-esteem over the three-year period. Only the evaluations of the probability of negative job changes led to negative outcomes in occupational well-being later on.

Longitudinal factor analysis models in the assessment of the stability of sense of coherence

The present study examined the stability of sense of coherence using longitudinal factor analysis models. Sense of coherence was measured by Antonovsky’s [Antonovsky, A. (1987a). Unraveling the mystery of health. How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.] short-form (13-item) Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ). Analyses were carried out using one-year follow-up data consisting of 219 Finnish employees working in four organizations. A three-step analytic procedure was used. First, a one-factor, a three-factor, and a second-order factor model were specified and compared separately in two measurements. Second, the stability of the constructs in the three alternative models were tested by longitudinal factor analysis models. Third, changes in the level of the latent factors over time were studied. The results showed that the three-factor and the second-order factor model fitted the data better than the one-factor model. Sense of coherence was also found to be a moderately stable personality factor across the one-year period. Mean changes in the latent factors (i.e., total sense of coherence and its three components) over time were not found.

Job insecurity and well-being: A longitudinal study among male and female employees in finland

Abstract Job insecurity has grown dramatically in Finland, as elsewhere. This study examined the relationships between a specific job stressor, i.e. job insecurity, and occupational, overall and family well-being, by utilizing one-year follow-up data collected among male and female employees in Finland. Occupational well-being was assessed via job exhaustion, overall well-being via somatic symptoms, and family well-being via work spillover into parenthood. The study was carried out by means of questionnaires, which were completed twice, in 1995 and in 1996 by employees in four organizations. This article is based on the data of those respondents (n = 219)j who participated in the study in both years. The results indicated gender differences in the predictive relationships between the job insecurity and well-being indicators. For the women job insecurity perceived in 1995 increased job exhaustion and negative work spillover into parenthood in the subsequent year. For the men, in turn, job insecurity did no...

Job insecurity and self-esteem: evidence from cross-lagged relations in a 1-year longitudinal sample

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the cross-lagged relationships between job insecurity and self-esteem during a 1-year period, and thus assess the direction of the relationships between these two phenomena. The data were obtained by means of questionnaires which were completed twice, in 1999 and in 2000, by 457 Finnish employees. The results showed a cumulative relationship between job insecurity and self-esteem. In other words, high job insecurity seemed to predict subsequent low self-esteem, but at the same time, and to the same extent, low self-esteem seemed to predict subsequent high job insecurity. In addition, both perceived job insecurity and global self-esteem turned out to be reasonably stable during the 1-year period. Altogether, our results suggest that the realm of work is crucial to self-esteem.