This paper presents empirical research analyzing the relationship between work–family climate (operationalized in terms of three work–family climate sub-scales), organizational leadership (i.e., senior manager) characteristics, organizational commitment and turnover intent among 526 employees from 37 different hotels across the US. Using multilevel modeling, we found significant associations between work–family climate, and both organizational commitment and turnover intent, both within and between hotels. Findings underscored the importance of managerial support for employee work–family balance, the relevance of senior managers’ own work–family circumstances in relation to employees’ work outcomes, and the existence of possible contagion effects of leaders in relation to work–family climate.
Previous research has shown that the availability of organizational work–life benefits, in conjunction with a supportive supervisor and an organizational climate promoting their utilization, aids organizations in attracting and retaining human resources (Casper & Buffardi, 2004). Other research has suggested that organizational work–life benefits and a supportive work climate are linked positively to employee job satisfaction and motivation, and reduced employee stress (Allen, 2001, Anderson et al., 2002, Behson, 2005, Casper and Buffardi, 2004 and Thompson et al., 1999). The purpose of this study was to conduct a multilevel examination of the implications of top management spillover and work–family climate for lower-level managerial employees’ commitment and retention in the organization. In doing so, we focused on service occupations in the US, specifically jobs within the hotel industry, and we analyzed both within- and between-organization differences.
In the aftermath of the 2001 US terrorist attacks and the subsequent drop-off in travel, many hotel companies faced stiff challenges and, as a result, learned to do more with less. Lean staffing structures have restored profitability for many hotel companies, but have also placed heavy demands on employees which may, in turn, pose challenges for their physical and psychological health, work performance, and productivity, as well as their lives off the job (Mulvaney, O’Neill, Cleveland, & Crouter, 2006). Although work–family balance has been listed as one of the top five factors determining job satisfaction for employees in the service sector such as the hospitality/tourism industry (O’Leary & Deegan, 2005), employees often do not use family-friendly benefits even though organizations provide them (Butler et al., 2004, Judiesch and Lyness, 1999 and Thompson et al., 1999). Employees may be reluctant to use such benefits unless they perceive their supervisor and organization as supportive of them doing so. Therefore, it is important to learn more about the work–family characteristics of top level organizational leaders or senior managers (e.g., in hotels, the general manager, or GM) who play a significant role in shaping the organization’s climate and who may set the stage for employees’ work outcomes.
In summary, managers generally reported lower turnover intentions when their organization’s leader perceived less negative work-to-family spillover in his or her own life, was a parent, when the manager perceived a more positive work–family climate in their organization, and when the manager worked in an organization in which other managers perceived it to be the same way. These findings underscore the importance of the open systems approach to understanding possible contagion effects of leaders in the creation and maintenance of work–family climate and the importance of work–family climate, itself. Employees and managers are expensive to recruit and train, making retention an important goal. It is functionally strategic, therefore, for organizations to consider how they can facilitate both employee and leader balance of work with life off the job.
