Family Highs, Career Ties: The Benefits of Family‐To‐Work Enrichment for Work Promotion Focus, Networking, and Career Opportunities

ABSTRACT Traditional work‐family research often frames family responsibilities as constraints on career success, emphasizing conflict over enrichment. This study challenges this perspective by integrating traditional work‐family theory with regulatory focus theory, showing how family‐to‐work enrichment and conflict shape employees' work promotion focus, networking behaviors, and the development of professional social networks. Across a series of four studies using multiple methodologies, we investigate both short‐ and long‐term effects. A 10‐day experience sampling study of working professionals ( N = 50) demonstrates that daily fluctuations in family‐to‐work interactions influence professional networking behaviors. On days with greater family‐to‐work enrichment, employees report higher promotion focus and increased network building behaviors, whereas family‐to‐work conflict reduces promotion focus and dampens networking activity. A scenario‐based experiment ( N = 409) bolsters this finding, showing that family‐to‐work enrichment enhances, while family‐to‐work conflict diminishes employees' likelihood of engaging in networking behaviors. An examination of longer‐term effects on the professional social networks of participants in a corporate leadership development program ( N = 137) finds that sustained family‐to‐work enrichment is linked to both larger and more diverse career guidance networks, a key driver of professional success. A LinkedIn follow‐up study ( N = 115) extends these findings by showing that family‐to‐work enrichment relates to the size of professional social networks and career opportunities. By bridging work‐family and career research, this study reframes family as a potential resource, highlighting its role in shaping goal‐directed network building behaviors, professional networks, and ultimately, career opportunities. Practically, these findings underscore the importance of family‐to‐work enrichment as a strategic advantage for employees.