A recent study, performed by Dr. Julie Holliday Wayne and associates at Wake Forest University School of Business, has shown that a spouse’s feelings towards the other spouses’ job greatly effects the other spouse’s work productivity.
The question that the researchers were most interested in was, “If the spouse develops attitude similarities or differences toward the firm, does that influence the employee?”
Though the research may seem unimpressive and obvious, Wayne believes it is the first in its field and allows business owners to look into the effects of the work on the family, which would in turn effect the work itself.
Job & Hire.com reported on the these findings, which reflected that spouses can easily influence the employee’s opinion towards their work, and through those observations they would begin to share their feelings and reinforce the opinion. Spouses often develop a feedback cycle of emotions and amplify the way an employee’s initial impression affects the productivity of an employee.
“A husband who is dissatisfied with his wife’s work schedule may be more likely to hold negative attitudes toward her firm, because work interferes with her primary role of caregiver.”
Their article goes on to note, demanding and unpredictable work schedules would lessen an employee’s loyalty to the company, and would ultimately lessen the productivity of an employee as well. To learn more, read the entire article.