Spillover from Family to Work: The Neglected Side of the Work-Family Interface

Abstract

It is argued that while researchers have emphasized work's impact on the family, the family exerts important influences on the workplace that have been generally overlooked. This article draws upon evidence of family-to-work spillover from a recent exploratory field study in a large manufacturing plant. Semistructured interviews with 55 employees, both on the job and at home, revealed that most employees recognized that their family lives influenced them at work. Analyses of variance examining positive and negative spillover from home to work suggested that women with young children at home are most likely to report high levels of spillover, in contrast to mothers of older children and to fathers regardless of their position in the family life cycle.