Bridging gaps: the significance of management communication in alleviating conflict stress, counterproductive work behavior, and work-family conflict

Purpose Effective communication is important for firefighters to deal with the demanding and energy-draining events they encounter in the field. Failure to do so will result in aggravated organizational effects for firefighters, as well as bring negative spillover effects when they return home. However, not much research has adequately explored the effects of accessibility and quality of management communication on counterproductive work behavior and work-family conflict. Design/methodology/approach To assess the research model, the data collected through questionnaire among 3,563 firefighters were analyzed utilizing the PLS-SEM approach. Findings Conservation of resource theory (COR) and social exchange theory (SET) were used to assess the relationship between conflict stress with personal (CWB-P) and organizational counterproductive work behaviors (CWB-O), time-based (WFC-T), and strain-based work-family conflict (WFC-S). Consequently, the role of management communication (MC) was examined as a buffer against the negative consequences of conflict stress. As hypothesized, increased conflict stress was related to an increase in CWB-P and CWB-O, and WFC-T and WFC-S. MC was found to buffer the negative effects of conflict stress on CWB-P and CWB-O for those with high MC more than those with low MC Practical implications Implications for protective actions are required to reduce maladaptive work behaviors through policies and practices, particularly ensuring information and communication are being conveyed appropriately especially for those in high-risk professions like firefighting. Originality/value This is the first study to use COR and SET to investigate the impact of conflict stress on employees’ engagement in deviant behavior, as well as the spillover effect from the workplace to the home.