The effect of anticipated telework conditions and family-supportive supervisor behaviors on work-family outcomes

With the lasting impact of the shift to telework due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that organizations understand the effects of teleworking and family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSBs) on important work-family outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the causal implications that formal vs. informal telework arrangements and FSSBs have on anticipated work-family conflict (AWFC) and workplace telepressure. A sample of undergraduate students read two vignettes manipulating telework arrangements (formal/informal) and amount of FSSBs (high/low), then responded to outcome measures through a survey. The informal teleworking arrangement was hypothesized to result in higher AWFC and workplace telepressure than the formal teleworking arrangement. The high FSSBs condition was posited to result in lower AWFC and workplace telepressure than the low FSSBs condition. An interaction was expected in both dependent variables, such that ratings would be particularly high when teleworking was informal and FSSBs were low. In our sample, we found no main effect of formal vs. informal teleworking arrangement, partial evidence for the hypothesized main effect of FSSBs, and some evidence for the interaction between the two. Implications for managerial training and organizational teleworking policies are discussed.