Overview of Methods for Phase I

In Phase I of the study, the research team at CWFSSH worked closely with a chain of grocery stores in the Mid-West United States to develop and pilot a training program aimed at supervisors. Researchers first conducted focus groups with employees of the grocery chain to identify what specific behaviors their supervisor exhibited that were most and least helpful in managing work and family demands. Using that information, the team then developed a training program for supervisor, consisting of face-to-face training with researchers, a computer-based training program, and a follow-up exercise where supervisor monitored their own behavior with regard to work-family issues. Another subset of stores was included in the study who did NOT receive the training, in order to assess the effectiveness of the training.

Both employees and supervisors completed surveys before and after the training. Included on the surveys were measures of work-family conflict, worker perceptions of their supervisor's leadership style, how supportive supervisors are of their employees in general, In addition, a subset of employees also monitored their blood pressure during work and non-work house and their sleep habits.

Summary of Results from Phase I

Employees of family-supportive supervisors also reported:

• …their supervisor as being more supportive in general.
• …less work-family conflict and more positive work-family spillover.
• …higher job satisfaction and less job strain.
• …lower turnover intentions.
• …higher levels of safety participation and compliance.
• …lower levels of workday blood pressure.

In addition, higher levels of work-family conflict were implicated with a host of negative outcomes, including:

• …lower job satisfaction.
• …greater likelihood of actual turnover (obtained from administrative records).
• …lower physical and mental health reports.
• …lower sleep quality.

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Phase 2 Overview

In Phase 1, the research centers in the Work-Family Health Network (WFHN) worked fairly independently of one another; in Phase 2, research teams in the network are combining their efforts to create an overall workplace change initiative. This initiative include the family-supportive supervisory training developed by the research team at CWFSSH, as well as increasing employee control over time, and organizational culture shift from being time- to results-oriented.

Specific Aims of the Study:

1. Test the effect of the training, compared to usual practice (UP), on employee's work-family conflict, cardiovascular risk, sleep disruption, and psychological distress.
2. Test whether the effects of the training, compared to UP, spill over to improve employees' well-being and health, and cross over to improve well-being and health in spouses/partners and children.
3. Test the effect of the intervention, compared to UP, on organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, absenteeism, safety/injuries, retention rates, and productivity.
4. Test whether work-family conflict mediates the effects of the intervention on employee health outcomes, and whether employee, mid-level manager, and work group characteristics moderate the effect of the intervention on work-family conflict and health outcomes.
5. Translate and disseminate the results of our research to the broader public and business community by drawing on process evaluations and dissemination research to make the intervention accessible and informative to a wider audience.

The two industry partners targeted for participation in the project are from the telecommunications and long-term care industries.

Phase 2 Methodology

Approximately 600 workplace managers, 3,000 employees, 1500 spouses or partners of participating employees, and 1500 children (between the ages of 10 and 17) of participating employees will complete an assessment of their work and family lives, as well as an assessment of health at baseline, before the intervention begins. This assessment will be repeated 3 more times over the duration of the 5-year project: 6, 12 and 18 months after baseline measurement.

The intervention will occur between the baseline assessment and the 6 month assessment. A subset of the employees (n=400) and their children (n=400) will also be enrolled in a daily diary study.

Data collected will include:

• Computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI) for managers, employees and children
• Computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) for employee spouses or partners
• Health measures from CAPI participants
• Biometric data collected from employees only
• Daily diaries and saliva from a subset of employees and their children
• Qualitative process data from a subset of managers and employees.