Negative Mentoring Experiences and Work-to-Nonwork Conflict: A Longitudinal Examination

1. Negative Mentoring Experiences and Work-to-Nonwork Conflict: A Longitudinal Examination Lillian Turner de Tormes Eby University of Georgia Tanja C. Laschober University of Georgia

2. Overview • Organizational perceptions of support for work-family relates to WFC and other important outcomes (see Eby et al., 2005) • Work-family support provided by supervisors also matters • Consistently predicts WFC (Hammer et al., 2009; Thomas & Ganster, 1995) • Relates to more favorable employee attitudes & behaviors (Mills et al., 2012; Odle-Dusseau & Bobko, 2012; Thomspon & Prottas, 2006) • Less is known about how negative experiences with supervisors may spill over to affect employees’ nonwork lives • Consistent finding that bad experiences have a stronger effect on individuals than do comparable good ones (Baumeister et al., 2001)

3. Overview • All relationships have positive and negative features (Huston & Burgess, 1979) • Supervisory mentoring relationships are no exception (Eby, 2007) • Research on abusive supervision • Positively related to spouse undermining (Resubog et al., 2011) and hostility toward family members (Hoobler & Brass, 2006) • Research on negative mentoring experiences • Bad experiences are more predictive of protégé outcomes than are good experiences (Eby et al., 2010) • Negative experiences relate to psychological distress (Eby et al., 2002, 2004)

4. The Current study • Examines association between negative relational experiences in supervisory mentoring relationships and employee work-to-nonwork conflict • Positive association is expected • Both strain-based and time-based conflict are examined • Investigates coworker support as a buffer • Predict weaker association b/t negative mentoring and work-nonwork conflict when coworker support is higher • Methodological strength is longitudinal design • Examine both cross-sectional & lagged effects

5. Method • 364 employees working in health services industry • 65% female, 63% non-Hispanic White, 45% married, 32% 1+ children living at home • Survey administered on-site for 2 consecutive years • > 80% response rate each year • Multi-item measures of negative mentoring and coworker support in YR01 • Multi-item measures of time-based and strain-based work-to-nonwork conflict in YR01 and YR02 • All established measures with acceptable reliability (alphas > .80)

6. Results • Correlation matrix • Moderated multiple regression controlling for gender, age, marital status, and parental status • Cross-sectional findings • Negative mentoring in YR01 predicts both strain-based conflict (β=.14, p<.05) and time-based conflict (β=.15, p<05) in YR01 • Longitudinal findings • Negative mentoring in YR01 also predicts both strain-based conflict (β=.12, p<.05) and time-based conflict (β=.13, p<.05) in YR02

7. REsults • Interaction term (coworker support x negative mentoring) added unique variance to prediction of: • YR01 strain-based and time-based work-to-nonwork conflict (β=.15, p<.01 & β=.15, p<.01, respectively) • YR02 strain-based and time-based work-to-nonwork conflict (β=.15, p<.01 & β=.12, p<.05, respectively) • Same pattern of results for both types of work-to-nonwork conflict across YR01 and YR02

8. Results • When coworker support is higher, the positive relationship between negative mentoring and work-to-nonwork conflict is weaker

9. Discussion • Negative mentoring experiences predict concurrent and subsequent strain-based and time-based work-to-nonwork conflict • Initial evidence of spillover from problematic supervisory mentoring relationships to nonwork domain • Suggests possibility of both immediate and longer-term effects • Moderating effect of coworker support • Consistent with the stress-buffering hypothesis • Implications for mentoring research – can coworker support buffer other deleterious effects of negative mentoring?

10. discussion • Future research • Experience sampling methodologies and cross-lagged panel designs • Fine-grained examination of specific types of negative supervisory experiences that predict nonwork conflict • Relative predictive power of positive and negative experiences with same supervisor • Do other types of support (e.g., partner support, FSOP) also serve as buffers? • Mediating mechanisms (e.g., anxiety, self-esteem, negative affect at work, rumination)

11. Implications • Leadership development • Training on interpersonal & supervision skills • Performance appraisal • Address problems early in the relationship • Provide “safe” venue for voicing concerns (e.g., mediation through HR or other management personnel) • Training in conflict resolution skills • Promote positive relationships among coworkers • Leadership training on how to create positive social climate • Consider work design and physical layout

12. Acknowledgements This study was supported by Award Number R01DA019460 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse