Table of Contents
The authors of the article carry out a study to show the effectiveness as well as the demerits of some of the methods of avoiding work-family conflicts. These include problem-focused coping, support from the supervisor at work, as well as emotional and instrumental family support. The paper also examines flextime and telework. It is concluded that some of the methods are more effective than others, with telework and flextime being viewed as the least effective. The paper is well organized in such a way that the information can be easily understood. The purpose of the study is also clearly identified. The authors are also well qualified in the subject. They use previous researches done by other authors to state their theories as well as to justify their findings. Technical terms used in the article are well explained by the authors. There are however various points where the article could be improved.
Research Critique
The article does not exhaust all the ideas with regards to work-family conflict avoidance methods. There are certain future research ideas that could be advanced based on the findings of the authors. One of the areas that could form the basis of future research is exploration of exclusive emotional family support as a way of avoiding work-family conflict. This is because, in the study it was observed that one could not discern the effect of emotional support only, as it was mostly linked with instrumental family support. In exploring this method of avoiding conflict, one would delve into the merits and demerits of the problem. It can also be established why the method used alone is not very effective in reducing work-family conflict.
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The paper has also highlighted the way in which the work-family conflict avoidance methods relate to the well being of the worker or employee. Future research needs to delve into the long-term and short-term health effects of the employee’s well being. This means that more research should be carried out to explore the effects of prolonged work-family conflict on the well being of the employee (Rotondo & Kincaid, 2008). Future research should also focus on the blue collar jobs as opposed to the white collar jobs. This would mean that different information would be obtained from the one in the article. This is because, a construction worker would face different problems from a manager in a bank. For instance, telework would not be a viable option for a construction worker thus they would develop a different mechanism of dealing with work-family conflict.
Future research ideas should also focus on methods of avoiding behavior-based work-family conflict. Edwards and Rothbard (2000) explain that behavior-based work-family conflict does not result in loss of resources. The study in the article concentrated on time-based and strain-based work-family conflict. The authors also conclude that future research should focus on the manner in which flexibility in the workplace is enacted to avoid work-family conflict.
The overall methodology used to collect data for the study is very impressive. Primary and secondary sources are very well used. The results of the study are also clearly discussed. The authors make use of other authors’ work and acknowledge them. The authors also recognize the limitations of their study. The authors acknowledge that their study was cross-sectional as opposed to longitudinal. This means that their research was narrow. They also point out the sample taken for their study would not produce the best results as they were all from the same university doing a business related course. The people in the study were also high in the corporate ladder with 68% of them having done a master’s degree. The authors also employed the Likert-type response scale in the questionnaires which gives accurate results. The authors refer to empirical research done by other authors. This means data was based on real life experience which makes it very reliable. The problem arising with the method of data collection is that the search for respondents was not random. It was biased because it included students chosen by the administrator from the university. The study should have selected a more random sample of people so as to get more diverse responses. The sample also included older people with an average of 44 years. This meant the younger generation of employees was not well represented. The authors however point out that they were able to take various measures such as the employment of the Meta analytic research to reduce the negative effects of using a single source for information. The confidentiality of the participants was also assured.
One of the practical implications that was not discussed in the paper is the adoption of programs by the employer or organization to help reduce the work-family conflict (Boyar, Maertz Jr., Mosley Jr. & Carr, 2008). The paper only addresses the support an immediate supervisor can give an employee. The paper does not delve into the correlation between marriage and family demand. The authors merely mention that that marriage was one of the control variables. This is because, it is noted that being married positively impacts family demands.
The article’s title is long but it immediately identifies the subject of the article to the reader. The abstract provides a succinct summary of the paper. The authors clearly identify the tests that were used for the research. They also describe step by step by the manner in which data was collected. The paper provides the significance of work-family conflict avoidance methods by stating that they are meant for the protection of the well being of the employee. The authors also clearly define the significance and demerits of each method, which would be constructive for future research.