Does One Size Fit All? The Impact Of High Commitment Hr Systems On The Relationships Among Work-Family Hr Practices, Work-Family Support, And Employee And Applicant Behavior

Abstract

Organizations have increasingly adopted HR practices over the years that aim to enhance work-family balance for employees, but results regarding the effectiveness of such practices have been mixed (e.g., Kossek & Ozeki, 1999). Recent research has indicated that the degree to which employees use family-friendly benefits at their organizations depends upon the degree to which employees feel their organizations and supervisors support the use of such practices (e.g., Allen, 2001). While it appears that employees vary in the extent to which they perceive such support, it is not clear from where this support originates. Is it simply a function of each individual supervisor‟s management style? In other words, are some supervisors simply more supportive when it comes to allowing employees flexibility to balance their work and family lives, perhaps because the supervisors themselves have similar issues? Or could it originate from broader organizational factors, such as the overall HR system? Two papers utilized a variety of methodologies in order to examine how the HR system influences the work-family interface and relevant outcomes for both applicants and employees.