The Work–Family Interface and Promotability: Boundary Integration as a Double-Edged Sword

Based on role accumulation theory and boundary theory we propose and examine a model that represents the process by which family involvement influences promotability through enrichment, and the moderating roles of employees’ boundary management preferences (i.e., segmentation/integration) in that process. Data collected from 347 registered nurses and their supervisors (N = 40) across three periods showed that as employees’ family involvement increases, they are able to accumulate resources from their family role and transfer them to the workplace. This increase in family-to-work enrichment (FWE) benefits employees by increasing supervisor perceptions of employees’ promotability. As hypothesized, an integrating boundary management preference serves as a double-edged sword for employees such that it strengthens the positive influence of family involvement on FWE, but weakens the relationship between FWE and supervisor perceptions of promotability.