When home stress translates to work: The impact of interpersonal conflict at home on employee silence.

Abstract

Compared to research about the effects of work-related interpersonal experiences on employee behaviours at home, research on whether and how home-related interpersonal experiences can affect employee behaviours at work has received less attention. This study aimed to contribute to this literature by examining whether interpersonal conflict at home can predict employee silence through exhaustion at work. The moderating effect of affective commitment on the relationship between interpersonal conflict at home and exhaustion was also explored. Using a two-wave design with data from 246 full-time employees, the current study found that interpersonal conflict at home positively predicted employee silence through exhaustion at work. Further, affective commitment exacerbated the relationship between interpersonal conflict at home and exhaustion at work. Our findings extend the understanding of mediating and moderating mechanisms for the effect of negative experiences at home on work behaviours.