The impact of forensic work on home life: the role of emotional labour, segmentation/integration and social support
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-05-2015-0029 |
| Date | 08 February 2016 |
| Pages | 52-63 |
| Published date | 08 February 2016 |
| Author | Helen Johnson,Rachel Worthington,Neil Gredecki,Fiona Rachel Wilks-Riley |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Forensic practice |
The impact of forensic work on
home life: the role of emotional
labour, segmentation/integration
and social support
Helen Johnson, Rachel Worthington, Neil Gredecki and Fiona Rachel Wilks-Riley
Helen Johnson is Forensic
Psychologist in Training at
Department of Psychology,
Alpha Hospitals Bury,
Bury, UK.
Dr Rachel Worthington is
Forensic Psychologist at
Department of Psychology,
University of Central
Lancashire, Preston, UK.
Neil Gredecki is Forensic
Psychologist at Private
Practice, UK and Manchester
Metropolitan University,
Manchester, UK.
Dr Fiona Rachel Wilks-Riley is
Consultant and Forensic
Psychologist at Department of
Psychology, Cardiff
Metropolitan University,
Cardiff, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –Adopting a person-environment (P-E) fit approach, the purpose of this paper is to examine the
role of emotional labour, segmentation/integration and social support in the development of work-home
conflict.
Design/methodology/approach –Mentalhealth professionals (n ¼118) completed the work-home conflict
and home-work conflict scales (Netemeyer et al., 1996), the segmentation preferences and supplies scales
(Kreiner, 2006) and the Mann Emotion Requirements Inventory (Mann, 1999). A social support checklist was
also developed to assess the perceived value of work and non-work sources of support.
Findings –Contrary to expectation, emotional labour was associated with lower levels of work-home
conflict. There was no evidence found for the relevance of a P-E fit approach, rather the results indicated that
the perception that the organisation supports the separation of work and home is sufficient in ameliorating
work-home conflict. In addition, work-based support was found to reduce work-home conflict.
Research limitations/implications –The importance of support within the work environment as a way of
reducing work-home conflict has been highlighted. That is, providing a safe environment to discuss anxieties
and concerns is a fundamental factor when developing organisational support structure. The importance of
providing professionals with choice regarding their preference to segment or integrate work and home has
also been highlighted. Based on the contradictory findings with regards to emotional labour and work-home
conflict, future research should aim to further examine this relationship within a forensic psychiatric setting.
Originality/value –This is the first research paper to explore the role of emotional labour, segmentation/
integration and social support in the development of work-home conflict.
Keywords Integration, Segmentation, Emotional labour, Social support, Non-work-based support,
Work-based support, Work-home conflict
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Given the challenging nature of forensic settings, professionals are often at an increased risk of
work spilling over into the home (Crawley, 2002). The spill-over from work to home is referred to
as work-home conflict. This occurs when the role pressures from work and home domains are to
some extent mutually incompatible (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Netemeyer et al., 1996; Clark,
2000; Kreiner, 2006). According to Crawley (2002), forensic work can affect the lives of partners
and children, as well as friendships. Exploring the impact of prison officer’s work on their home
life, Crawley (2004) described the forensic setting as an “emotional arena”(p. 413) in which
Received 11 May 2015
Revised 25 June 2015
7 July 2015
Accepted 7 July 2015
PAG E 52
j
JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PRACTICE
j
VOL. 18 NO. 1 2016, pp. 52-63, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8794 DOI 10.1108/JFP-05-2015-0029
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