The Family Job Hunt: The Influence of Family Member Active Job Search Behavior on Family–Work Conflict

Abstract

ABSTRACT Existing research shows that family members may draw on work and personal resources to support job seekers. This research, however, explores the reverse: how the behaviors of job‐seeking family members may impact non‐job‐seekers' ability to manage work and life demands. Using the sustainable career ecosystem perspective and conservation of resources theory, we hypothesize that job search interdependence moderates the relationship between family member active job search behavior and non‐job‐seeker family–work conflict, and non‐job‐seeker work identity further amplifies these crossover effects. Study 1 employs a two‐wave, dyadic field study ( n 1 = 178 undergraduate child job seekers and their employed parents), whereas Study 2 employs a scenario‐based experiment ( n 2 = 483) involving a spouse job seeker and a non‐job‐seeking partner. Findings from both studies provide partial support for the moderation of job search interdependence in our model, as the pattern of findings shows an asymmetry by the type of job‐seeking family member (i.e., child versus spouse). In Study 2, the hypothesized three‐way interaction with work identity was not supported. Exploratory follow‐up analyses, however, indicated that the two‐way interaction emerged among non‐job‐seekers high in work identity but not among those low in work identity. These findings underscore the importance of family context for job searches and offer insights into effective work‐family strategies.