When Work–Family Benefits Are Not Enough: The Influence of Work–Family Culture on Benefit Utilization, Organizational Attachment, and Work–Family Conflict

Abstract

We developed a measure of work-family culture (i.e., the shared assumptions, beliefs, and values regarding the extent to which an organization supports and values the integration of employees' work and family lives) and examined its relationship to work-family benefit utilization, organizational attachment, and work-family conflict. Using survey data from 276 managers and professionals, we identified three dimensions of work-family culture: managerial support for work-family balance, career consequences associated with utilizing work-family benefits, and organizational time expectations that may interfere with family responsibilities. As predicted, perceptions of a supportive work-family culture were related to employees' use of work-family benefits. Both work-family benefit availability and supportive work-family culture were positively related to affective commitment and negatively related to work-family conflict and intentions to leave the organization. In addition, the three culture dimensions were found to have unique relationships with these behaviors and attitudes. © 1999 Academic Press.