Job Autonomy Buffers the Impact of Work–Life Conflict on Organizational Outcomes

Abstract

This study first examines domain-specific antecedents of work–life conflict (i.e., job demands and home demands); second, it investigates turnover intention, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as outcomes of work–life conflict relevant to organizations; and, finally, it studies the role of job autonomy as a buffer between work–life conflict and these organizational outcomes. Data were collected from four large organizations with a total sample of 6,091 employees. High time-related job demands were found to be a major antecedent of work-to-life conflict (WLC), while home demands predicted life-to-work conflict (LWC). Moreover, our analyses showed that WLC, but not LWC, predicts turnover intention, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. In addition, the results suggest that job autonomy is a buffer associated with WLC and organizational outcomes, since all two-way interactions were significant, but not with LWC, since the respective interactions were not significant.