Job resources buffer the impact of work-family conflict on absenteeism in female employees

This study examines the relationship between work-family conflict and objective absenteeism one year later, by demonstrating that several job resources buffer the impact of work-family conflict on absenteeism. Female employees (N = 386) of a large financial services organization participated in the study. Four job resources (i.e. relationship with colleagues, relationship with supervisor, participation in decision making, developmental possibilities) were used to test the central hypothesis that the interaction between (high) work-family conflict and (low) job resources results in absenteeism (absence frequency and duration). Results of moderated structural equation modelling showed that only participation buffered the effect of work-family conflict on absence frequency, while the buffer-hypothesis was confirmed for absence duration since all four two-way interactions were significant. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.