Nonwork Influences on Withdrawal Cognitions: An Empirical Examination of an Overlooked Issue

In: Human relations: towards the integration of the social sciences, Volume 50, Issue 12, p. 1511-1536

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine several dimensions of nonwork domains such as nonwork-to-work spillover, work/nonwork conflict, coping strategies, and organizational support for nonwork, and their relationship to withdrawal cognitions. Questionnaires were mailed to all employees of a school district in western Canada. A total of 300 usable questionnaires were returned: a response rate of 42%. The findings show that nonwork domain variables are significantly related to withdrawal cognitions. This was demonstrated mainly in two strong interaction effects between the importance of nonwork and personal coping strategies on the one hand, and between the importance of nonwork and perceived organizational support for nonwork on the other. The two interactions remain significant when two work variables, i.e., organizational commitment and job satisfaction, were entered into the regression as control variables. The paper concludes with proposed directions for future research based on the findings of this present work.