Thaindian News

Washington, June 3 (IANS) When the demands of work and family conflict, is the job blamed, is the family role blamed, or is blame placed on both? And what are the consequences?

A new study by Elizabeth M. Poposki, assistant professor of psychology at Indiana and Purdue universities, is the first to explore day-to-day experiences in attributing this blame.

The work examines individual incidents of work-family conflict and tracks how blame for this conflict is attributed.

Only three percent of those surveyed blamed both work and family for conflict between the two.

Sixty-four percent of those surveyed blamed work, not family, for conflict. Twenty-two percent blamed only their family role, the journal Group & Organization Management reports.

Five percent blamed external factors other than work or family for the conflict, and only six percent blamed themselves for the conflict. There were no gender differences in how blame was assigned, according to an Indiana statement.

Anger and frustration on the job are related to many negative workplace outcomes such as employee theft. Preventing such emotions may benefit both employees and employers, said Poposki.

Focusing on reactions to the work-family conflict, Poposki found that the order in which events were scheduled, was an important factor in attributing blame, as the second event, whether work or family related, was more likely to be blamed than the first.

The 269 study participants worked an average of 45 hours per week. All held bachelor’s degrees and slightly more than half had received graduate degrees. With an average age of 43 years, two-thirds had spouses who worked at least part-time.

“This study is valuable because focusing on details helps us better understand the mechanisms and processes of conflict. This understanding may be important to future studies of the negative emotional reactions to work-family conflict including anger, frustration, shame and guilt,” Poposki said.