Losing my job and family?: how power shapes the boundaries between work and family life

Abstract

Job insecurity is often understood as the perceived powerlessness to maintain desired continuity in one’s job, and experiences of it can have significant implications for both work and family life. Despite the crucial role of power in conceptualising the effects of job insecurity, little is known regarding the role of power dependence in the relationship between job insecurity and work-family enrichment. To address this gap, we analysed three-wave data from 267 UK white-collar employees to test a model linking job insecurity to work-family enrichment. Our findings reveal that (1) job insecurity negatively impacts work-family enrichment, (2) approach and avoidance power-balancing operations mediate this relationship, and (3) the negative effect is weaker when psychological contract breach is low. This study advances theoretical understanding by demonstrating that asymmetric power dependence is a critical factor in determining when and why job insecurity diminishes work-family enrichment.