Work Interference With Family and Family Interference With Work

Abstract

The measure for Work Interference With Family (WIF) and Family Interference With Work (FIW) was initially conceptualized and developed by Gutek, Searle, and Klepa in 1991. The original instrument was designed to capture the bidirectional nature of Work-Family Conflict (WFC) using eight items: four dedicated to assessing the degree to which work demands disrupt family responsibilities (WIF), and four dedicated to measuring how family demands disrupt work responsibilities (FIW).

In 1999, Carlson and Perrewe expanded this scale by adding two additional items to each subscale, creating a more comprehensive 12-item version. These two subscales are often used individually, but they can also be combined into a composite measure to evaluate the overall extent of work and family interference experienced by an employee.

Keywords

Work-Family Conflict, Work Interference With Family, Family Interference With Work, WIF, FIW, Job Demands, Family Responsibilities, Organizational Psychology, Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction, Work-Life Balance.

Authors

Barbara A. Gutek, Shirley Searle, Lori Klepa, Dawn S. Carlson, Pamela L. Perrewe.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the scale is to provide a standardized, quantitative assessment of the magnitude and directionality of interrole conflict experienced by working individuals. By differentiating between WIF and FIW, the instrument allows researchers and practitioners to pinpoint the primary source of conflict—whether work demands are spilling over into the family domain or vice versa.

This measure is essential for understanding the psychological and organizational outcomes associated with poor work-life integration. It helps identify specific stressors and is frequently used to evaluate the efficacy of organizational interventions, such as flextime policies or social support programs, designed to mitigate the negative consequences of Work-Family Conflict.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of Work-Family Conflict (WFC), which is defined as a form of interrole conflict where the demands of one role (work or family) are incompatible with participation in the other role. The instrument successfully captures this conflict across two distinct dimensions, confirming its bidirectional nature.

• Work Interference With Family (WIF): This dimension measures the extent to which the time commitment, strain, or behavioral requirements of the job impede an employee’s ability to fulfill family obligations or enjoy personal time.
• Family Interference With Work (FIW): This dimension measures the extent to which the time, strain, or behavioral requirements of family life disrupt an employee’s ability to successfully meet work commitments, such as arriving on time or focusing on tasks.

Validity

The validity of the WIF and FIW scales is supported by their consistent patterns of correlation with numerous job-related, family-related, and well-being variables, demonstrating strong construct and criterion validity.

The Work Interference With Family subscale consistently showed positive correlations with indicators of high work demands (e.g., hours spent in paid work, job conflict) and family complexity (e.g., number of children at home, family conflict). Conversely, WIF correlated negatively with crucial indicators of well-being, including Job Satisfaction, life satisfaction, family satisfaction, and control over working hours. The Family Interference With Work subscale showed positive correlations with high family demands (e.g., hours spent in family work, family involvement, family conflict) and work factors like job conflict and flextime utilization. FIW correlated negatively with job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and control over hours worked (Adams et al., 1996; Aryee et al., 1999).

Reliability

The internal consistency of the WIF and FIW measures is robust and has been consistently demonstrated across multiple studies using Coefficient Alpha (Cronbach’s Alpha).

For the Work Interference With Family scale, Coefficient Alpha values generally ranged from 0.71 to 0.87. The Family Interference With Work scale demonstrated similarly high reliability, with alpha values ranging from 0.74 to 0.83 (Gutek et al., 1991; Judge et al., 1994). For the overall composite measure of work and family interference, reliability estimates were also acceptable, ranging from 0.66 to 0.89 (Carlson & Perrewe, 1999). These ranges confirm that both subscales possess adequate internal reliability for use in organizational and psychological research.

Factor Analysis

Factor analytic studies have provided crucial support for the structural integrity of the WIF and FIW scales, confirming that they measure two distinct, albeit correlated, constructs.

Exploratory factor analyses by Gutek et al. (1991) and subsequent analyses by Prone et al. (1996) empirically established that work interference with family is distinguishable from family interference with work. Further validation using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) models demonstrated the discriminant validity of the constructs, showing that WIF and FIW are empirically distinct from related variables such as Job Satisfaction, life satisfaction, and job stress (Judge et al., 1994). Structural equation modeling has also verified that while the two forms of Work-Family Conflict covary significantly, they should be treated as separate factors in measurement models (Aryee et al., 1999).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychometric scale

Format: The scale uses a 5-point Likert-type scale where 1 = strongly agree and 5 = strongly disagree. The instrument consists of two subscales, totaling 8 items (original) or 12 items (expanded).

Language Available: Primarily English.

Population Group: Employees and working adults.

Age Group: Adult (typically 18+).

Population Details: Used widely in samples of organizational employees, managers, and professionals across various sectors to study the interaction between work and personal life.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to rate how accurately each statement describes their experience regarding the interference between their job and their family/personal life.

Keywords

Work-Life Balance, Organizational Stress, Role Conflict, Cronbach’s Alpha, Psychometrics, Dual-Earner Families, CFA, Time-Based Conflict, Strain-Based Conflict.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Information not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original eight items were published in 1991 in the Journal of Applied Psychology (Gutek et al.). The items were reprinted with permission from the American Psychological Association (APA). The additional items were published in 1999 in the Journal of Management (Carlson & Perrewe) and reprinted with permission from Elsevier Science.

Test Year: 1991 (Original version); 1999 (Expanded version).

Reference’s

Adams, G. A., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (1996). Relationships of job and family involvement, family social support, and work-family conflict with job and life satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(4), 411-420.

Aryee, S., Fields, D., & Luk, V. (1999). Role perceptions and organizational commitment: The work-family interface. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(4), 481-490.

Carlson, D.S., & Perrewe, P. L. (1999). The role of social support in the stressor-strain relationship: An examination of work-family conflict. Journal of Management, 25(4), 513-533.

Gutek, B. A., Searle, S., & Klepa, L. (1991). Rational versus gender role explanations for work-family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76(4), 560-568.

Judge, T. A., Boudreau, J. W., & Bretz, R. D. (1994). Job and life attitudes of male executives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(5), 767-782.

Prone, M. D., Russell, J. E. A., & Cooper, M. R. (1996). Work and family conflict: A meta-analysis of the antecedents and outcomes of work-family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(4), 467-482.

Williams, K. J., & Alliger, G. M. (1994). Role perceptions, satisfaction with the work-family interface, and organizational commitment. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 67(2), 165-176.

Items of the Work Interference With Family and Family Interference With Work

Responses are obtained using a 5-point Likert-type scale where 1 = strongly agree and 5 = strongly disagree.

Work interference with family items:

1. After work, I come home too tired to do some of the things I’d like to do
2. On the job I have so much work to do that it takes away from my personal interests
3. My family/friends dislike how often I am preoccupied with my work while I am at home
4. My work takes up time that I’d like to spend with family/friends

Family interference with work items:

1. I’m often too tired at work because of the things I have to do at home
2. My personal demands are so great that it takes away from my work
3. My superiors and peers dislike how often I am preoccupied with my personal life while at work
4. My personal life takes up time that I’d like to spend at

The additional items added to the measures by Carlson and Perrewe (1999) are the following.

Additional work interference with family items:

1. My job or career interferes with my responsibilities at home, such as yard work, cooking, cleaning, repairs, shopping, paying the bills, or child care
2. My job or career keeps me from spending the amount of time I would like to spend with my family

Additional family interference with work items:

1. My home life interferes with my responsibilities at work, such as getting to work on time, accomplishing daily tasks, or working overtime
2. My home life keeps me from spending the amount of time I would like to spend on job or career-related activities