Spillover and crossover from work overload to spouse-rated work-to-family conflict:The moderating role of cross-role trait consistency

While most previous research in social psychology shows benefits of individuals’consistency in personality across different social roles,the current study brings the concept of cross-role trait consistency to the context of management and examines its dark side.Data from 197 couples showed that an employee’s work overload was positively associated with his/her spouse’s perception of how much the employee’s work interfered with family life.This relationship was mediated by the employee’s job burnout.More importantly,this mediating relationship was moderated by the employee’s cross-role trait consistency.These findings indicate that work overload may affect spouses’perception of employees’work-to-family conflict through job burnout,with the transmission of burnout on work-to-family conflict stronger among employees high in cross-role trait consistency.Thus,cross-role trait consistency appears to strengthen negative spillover and crossover from work to family.Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.