Family-work conflict and its implication for job performance in the Dutch health care sector

Abstract

Background: Labor shortage among Dutch health care workers is a current issue, of which a main indicator is decreasing job performance. Existing research has proven that work characteristics are predictors of job performance, but family-work conflict as an indicator has scarcely been researched, especially among health care workers. This thesis therefore aims to explore the possibility of a causal relation between family-work conflict and health care workers’ job performance. Methods: By using data from the Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences [LISS] panel, health care workers were selected (N = 670), and regression analyses were performed to examine a causal relation between family or job characteristics and job performance while controlling for health as a mediator. Results: Family characteristics hardly predict job performance, except for care for children as an individual predictor. Job characteristics predict job performance, while health does not function as a mediator. Conclusions: Additional research on the subject of family-work conflict in relation to job performance among health care workers is advocated. It is hereby proposed to involve behavioral and cognitive aspects as predictors. It is also recommended for research institutions to support interdisciplinary research on the subject to gain an integral view on the matter