How work-family conflict affects highway construction professionals’ safety citizenship behaviors: A moderated mediation model

• WFC as a potential non-work stressor negatively influenced highway construction professionals’ SCB. • WFC had significant negative indirect effects on all four dimensions of SCB through job burnout. • FSSB would significantly buffer the indirect effects of WFC on the SCB via the job burnout. Construction professionals play critical roles in facilitating accident prevention onsite, but few studies have examined how the prevalent work-family conflict (WFC) inhibits their safety citizenship behavior (SCB). This research investigated the effects of WFC on four forms of SCB (i.e., mutual aid among employees, supervisor-subordinate relationship, participation in suggestion making, and self-control) among highway construction professionals. It also integrated job burnout as the mediator and the family supportive supervisor behavior (FSSB) as the moderator. Empirical data were collected from 626 Chinese highway construction professionals using a detailed questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was performed to analyze the data using Mplus. It was found that WFC had negative effects on SCB. Meanwhile, the relationships between WFC and SCB were mediated by job burnout. Furthermore, FSSB buffered the indirect relationship between WFC and SCB via job burnout. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a deep understanding of the impact of WFC on SCB among highway construction professionals. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are provided and discussed.