Open Access

ARTICLE

Hidden Dangers of Identity Switching: The Influence of Work-Family Status Consistency on Emotional Exhaustion and Workplace Deviance

Zijing Wang¹, Min (Maggie) Wan², Huaying Wang^3,*, Yuchen Wei⁴

1 Central South University, School of Public Management, Changsha, 410083, China
2 Texas State University, McCoy College of Business Administration, School of Management, San Marcos, 78666, USA
3 Wuchang Shouyi University, School of Foreign Languages, Wuhan, 430064, China
4 Yangtze University, School of Management, Wuhan, 434023, China

* Corresponding Author: Huaying Wang. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2018, 20(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.32604/IJMHP.2018.010732

Abstract

Workplace deviance is an important problem in organization management. Previous studies focused too much on the influence of various factors in the workplace and ignored the interference of family factors. We integrate emotional social function theory and emotional labor theory, and examine the effect of (in) congruence between work and family status on workplace deviance. Using longitudinal data and polynomial regression, we find that: (1) Emotional exhaustion is higher when work and family status are congruent; (2) In the case of work-family congruence, emotional exhaustion is higher when work and family status are aligned at a low level than when they are at a high level; (3) Differences (and similarities) between work and family status can have consequential effects on emotional exhaustion and, ultimately, workplace deviance; (4) Organizational tenure positively regulates the above mediation model. These findings broaden work-family and deviance research by highlighting the role of congruence between work and family status and how it helps reduce workplace deviance.

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