Does competitive climate at work lead to problems at home? Examination of mediating pathways

Drawing from Conservation of Resources theory, the present study examines a serial mediation model in which competitive climate predicts work-to-family conflict via two mediators – first, excessive and compulsive workaholism, and then emotional exhaustion. As organizations may differ in terms of their competitive climate, we test our model based on data collected from public (Study 1) and private (Study 2) sector organizations. In study 1 (n = 282), two waves of data with a 2-week interval were obtained from full-time Indian managerial employees working in the public sector organizations. Results supported our hypothesized mediation model. In Study 2 (n = 250), we replicated the finding of Study 1 with private sector-based organizations. Across two field studies, we found general support for our hypotheses. The present study contributes to understanding of the underlying mechanisms explaining the negative spillover effect of competitive climate on work-to-family interface.