ABSTRACT
A growing body of scholarly literature has accumulated on the changing employee–organization relationship (EOR) (Shore et al., 2004). Relatively little of this body of research has been integrated with changing work and family relationships, which are also undergoing a period of unprecedented transformation. It is critical to incorporate research on the changing work–family relationship into the employment relationship literature. Having positive work–family relationships has critical social meaning for the changing employment social contract of working life. From the employee perspective, a key question is: “Is the current employment deal a favorable social exchange of an individual's time, energy, and psychological capital in relation to personal and work–family well-being and economic return?” From the organizational perspective, the key question is: “When is it in the organization's interests to support positive work and family relationships?” And from an exchange perspective, key questions are: “What are the social expectations of organizations regarding their roles in supporting employees’ management of work and family relationships?” and “What are the social expectations of employees regarding support of work and family relationships?” Are these views in alignment?
