Work-family interface: Effect of enrichment and conflict on job performance of Korean workers

Abstract

Many studies conducted in Western societies indicated that work–family enrichment (WFE) and conflict influence employees' work performance positively and/or negatively. However, few studies have been conducted in collectivist, rapidly growing societies like Korea. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which those work–family interface variables influence the work performance of employees within the Korean organizational context. We performed forward and backward translation procedure to develop the Korean language versions of the WFE scale, work–family conflict (WFC) scale, and other scales assessing life satisfaction and job performance. Data were collected from a sample of 425 workers from various for-profit firms and universities in Korea. For data analysis, basic descriptive analyses, item reliability and construct validity tests, and a two-step structural equation modeling (SEM) approach were employed to identify influential relationships among WFE/WFC, life satisfaction, and job performance. Results indicated that WFE was a significant factor influencing Korean workers' life satisfaction (WLS) and job performance, whereas WFC was not. Implications of the study findings, including the strategies for improving employee well-being within the Korean cultural context, were presented.