The role of work-family and family-work conflict in supervisor family support and life satisfaction relationship: a conservation of resources perspective

Purpose Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigates the roles of work-family conflict (WFC), and family-work conflict (FWC) in the relationship between supervisor family support (SFS) and life satisfaction (LS). COR theory posits that individuals strive to acquire, retain, and protect valuable resources and experience stress when these resources are threatened or lost. From this perspective, SFS represents an important workplace resource that can help employees manage competing work and family demands, thereby reducing WFC and FWC and enhancing LS. The study therefore provides a resource-based explanation of how supervisory support may shape employees' work-family experiences and wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 350 employees working in the Australian financial industry participated in the study through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire incorporated established and validated scales to measure supervisor family support (SFS), work-family conflict (WFC), family-work conflict (FWC), and life satisfaction (LS). Data were collected from employees with relevant work experience to examine the relationships among these constructs. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses and assess both direct and indirect relationships among the study variables. The analysis was conducted using AMOS, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed research and its hypothesized relationships. Findings Results indicate that SFS is negatively associated with WFC, suggesting that supportive supervisors can help employees manage competing work and family demands. SFS is also positively associated with LS, highlighting the broader wellbeing benefits of supervisory support. In contrast, WFC is negatively related to LS, indicating that greater conflict between work and family roles may undermine employees' overall LS. However, neither SFS nor FWC demonstrated significant relationships with FWC and LS, respectively. Furthermore, WFC and FWC did not significantly mediate the relationship between SFS and LS. Theoretical and practical implications along with study limitations are discussed. Originality/value Research examining the concurrent effects of SFS on WFC, FWC, and LS remains limited, particularly within the Australian financial industry. Although WFC, FWC, and LS are well-recognized outcomes in the work-family literature, they have rarely been investigated simultaneously to understand how they may emerge from SFS. This study addresses this gap by examining the interconnected relationships among SFS, WFC, FWC, and LS in the Australian financial workplace. The findings advance prior research by linking SFS and LS through WFC and FWC, thereby offering a more comprehensive insight into how supervisory support influences employees' work-family experiences and overall life satisfaction.