COMMUNITY DEMANDS AND RESOURCES IN WORK-LIFE CONFLICT

Siti Noor Haizan Binti Manari

Master of Science (Human Resource Development) 2011

Pusat Khidmat Makiumat Akademik I rNIvs RS111 MALAYSIA SARAWAK

P. KHIDMAT MAKLUMAT AKADEMIK

liii! iiiülmill 111111111 1000246411 COMMUNITY DEMANDS AND RESOURCES IN

WORK-LIFE CONFLICT

SITI NOOR HAIZAN BINTI MANARI

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Human Resource Development)

Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK

2011

Statement of Originality

The work described in this Final Year Project, entitled "Community Demands and Resources in Work-Life Conflict" is to the best of the author's knowledge that of the author except

where due reference is made.

21.06.2011 (Student's signature) Siti Noor Haizan binti Manari 09031574

BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS Gred: JUDUL : COMMUNITY DEMANDS AND RESOURCES IN WORK-LIFE

CONFLICT

SESI PENGAJIAN : 2009/2011

Saya SITI NOOR HAIZAN BINTI MANARI (HURUF BESAR)

mengaku membenarkan tesis * ini disimpan di Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:

1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 2. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan

membuat salinan untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja. 3. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan

membuat pendigitan untuk membangunkan Pangkalan Data Kandungan Tempatan. 4. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan

membuat salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi pengajian tinggi.

** sila tandakan (4)

SULIT

-i

TERHAD

TIDAK TERHAD

ýý ý

(Mengandungi maklumat yang berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan seperti termaktub di dalam AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972)

(Mengandungi maklumat Terhad yang telah ditentukan oleh organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan)

(TANDATANGAN PENULIS) (TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)

Alamat Tetap: LOT 4567, SUMBER ALAM SANCTUARY. OFF JALAN SULTAN TENGAH 93050. KUCHING. SARAWAK

Tarikh : 24.06.2011 Tarikh:

Catatan: * Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Satjana dan Sarjana Muda "Jika tesis ini SULIT atau TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan

menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai TERHAD.

The project entitled `Community Demands and Resources in Work-Life Conflict' was prepared by Siti Noor Haizan binti Manari and submitted to the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science with Honours in Human Resource Development.

Received for examination by:

Dr. Zaiton Hassan

Date:

21.06.2011

Gred

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Bismillahhirahmannirahim. Alhamdulillah, Praise to Allah SWT because on His

Willingness, I am able to complete this Final Year Project as one of the

requirements for graduate.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to

my supervisor, Dr. Zaiton Hassan for her advice, guidance, time, knowledge and

useful information which has helped me a lot during the process of completing

this project.

Next, I would like to express my gratitude to the organization involved in this

research especially the employees for their consent and willingness to participate

as respondents.

Also not forgetting, to my colleagues, peers and classmates who always been

there for me and give me support throughout my study.

My special gratitude goes to Hamzah Ismail, my beloved husband, for the

blessing, understanding, patient and support, without it, it is impossible for me to

complete this project. To my mother and my children, thank you for continuously

supporting me morally.

Last but not least, to someone who is dearly missed and fondly remembered as a

person who inspired me a lot, my late father, Manari bin Sebeli, thank you for

always believe in me.

Thank you very much.

Wassalam.

i

ABSTRAK

TUNTUTAN KOMUNITI DAN S UMBER DALAM KONFLIK KERJA- KEHIDUPAN

SITI NOOR HAIZAN BINTI MANARI

Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti faktor faktor tuntutan komuniti dan sumber dalam konflik kerja-kehidupan. Faktor faktor dalam tuntutan komuniti dan sumber untuk kajian ini dilihat dari sudut rakan, komuniti setempat dan jiran. Kajian telah dyalankan di salah sebuah organisasi dalam Perkhidmatan Awam Negeri Sarawak dan seramai 75 responden telah terlibat dengan menggunakan kaedah kuantitatif. Borang soal selidik dengan skala 5 likert telah diedarkan kepada responden. Kajian yang dijalankan adalah untuk menguji perhubungan di antara pembolehubah tidak bersandar iaitu tuntutan komuniti dan sumber dengan pembolehubah bersandar iaitu konflik kerja-keluarga dan konflik keluarga- kerja. Ujian Pekali Korelasi Pearson digunakan untuk mengkaji perhubungan di antara pembolehubah tidak bersandar dengan pembolehubah bersandar dan juga faktor-faktor dalam pembolehubah tidak bersandar seperti rakan, komuniti setempat dan jiran. Ujian

analisis Regresi Berganda digunakan untuk mengkaji perhubungan di antara satu pembolehubah bersandar dengan beberapa pembolehubah tidak bersandar dan untuk melihat tahap konflik dalam kerja-keluarga dan keluarga-kerja yang disebabkan oleh tuntutan dan sumber komuniti, kaedah Visual "Binning" digunakan iaitu untuk melihat tahap konflik samada berada pada tahap rendah, sederhana atau tinggi. Keputusan analisis mendapati bahawa semua pembolehubah tidak bersandar tidak mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan dengan pembolehubah bersandar. Manakala hanya faktor rakan dalam tuntutan komuniti yang mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan dengan konflik keluarga-kerja. Keputusan untuk ujian analisis Regresi Berganda menunjukkan bahawa kesemua pembolehubah tidak bersandar tidak mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan dengan pembolehubah bersandar dan tahap konflik pula adalah rendah untuk konflik kerja- keluarga manakala tahap yang sederhana untuk konflik keluarga-kerja. Berdasarkan dapatan kajian ini, beberapa cadangan telah dikemukakan kepada organisasi, pekerja dan pengkaji pada masa akan datang. Adalah dicadangkan kepada organisasi untuk melibatkan pekerja dan menyokong aktiviti berbentuk komuniti, kepada pekerja adalah dicadangkan untuk terlibat dengan aktiviti komuniti yang dianjurkan oleh komuniti setempat untuk mengurangkan tahap konflik dan kepada pengkaji akan datang, adalah dicadangkan untuk membuat kajian yang serupa di organisasi yang lain dan mengkaji faktor faktor lain di dalam tuntutan komuniti dan sumber seperti rakan sekerja, persekitaran kejiranan yang tidak selamat dan rasa kejiranan.

ii

ABSTRACT

COMMUNITY DEMANDS AND RESOURCES IN WORK-LIFE CONFLICT

SITI NOOR HAIZAN BINTI MANARI

The purpose of this research is to identify the community demands and resources factors in work-life conflict. The community demands and resources in this research are friends, local

comunities and neighbours. The research has been conducted in one of the organization in State Public Service involving 75 respondents with quantitative method. Questionnaires with 5 likert-scale has been distributed to the respondents. The analysis was done to identify the relationship between the independent variables; commuity demands and resources with dependent variables; work family conflict and family-work conflict. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to analyse the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables as a whole) Beside that, it was also used to analyse the relationship between the factors in community demands and resources such as friends, local communities and neighbours with the dependent variables which are work family conflict and family-work conflict. The Multiple Linear Regression was used to analyse the relationship between one dependent variable with few independent variables and to determine whether those independent variables can be used to predict the dependent variable. To identify the level of work-life conflict, the Visual Binning method was used and the level of conflict can be divided into low, moderate and high. The analysis results showed that all independent variables did not have significant relationship with the dependent variables, meanwhile only friends factor in community demands have a significant relationship with family-work conflict. From the Multiple Linear Regression analysis results, all the independent variables did not have significant relationship with the dependent variable and failed to predict the dependent

variable. Based on community demands and resources, the level of conflict for work family is low meanwhile for family-work conflict is moderate. From these findings, the recommendations were made to the organization, the employees and for future researcher. To the organization, it is recommended to get their employees more involve and support on community activities, to the employees, it is recommended to get more involve in activities conducted by local communities in order to reduce their conflict level and for future researcher, this research is for guideline and reference in conducting similar research in other organization and to do research on other community demands and resources factors such as colleagues, social incoherence, unsafe neighbourhood and neighbourhood attachment.

111

Pusat Khidmat: /laklumatAkaacm, � UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement Abstrak Abstract Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables

PAGES

i ii iii iv viii viii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Background of Studies 1

1.2 Problem Statement 6

1.3 Research Objectives 8

1.3.1 General Objective 8 1.3.2 Specific Objectives 8

1.4 Hypotheses 9

1.5 Conceptual Framework 10

1.6 Significant of Study 11

1.7 Limitations of Study 12

1.8 Definition of Terms 12

1.8.1 Work-Family Conflict 12 1.8.2 Family-Work Conflict 13 1.8.3 Demands 13 1.8.4 Community Demands 14 1.8.5 Resources 14 1.8.6 Community Resources 15

1.9 Conclusion

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

15

2.0 Introduction 16

iv

2.1 Work-Family Conflict and Family-Work Conflict 16

2.1.1 Definition of Work-Family Conflict 18 2.1.2 Definition of Family-Work Conflict 21

2.2 Community Demands and Community Resources 21

2.2.1 Definition of Community Demands 23 2.2.2 Definition of Community Resources 24

2.3 Definition of Social Support

2.4 Theoretical Perspectives

2.4.1 Role Theory

2.5 Empirical Research

27

28

28

30

2.5.1 Work-Family Conflict and Community Demands 30

2.5.1.1 Effects of Work on Community 30 2.5.2 Work-Family Conflict and Community

Resources 31 2.5.3 Family-Work Conflict and Community

Demands and Community Resources 32

2.6 Conclusion

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

3.1 Research Design

3.2 Population

3.3 Sample

3.4 Instruments of the Study

33

34

34

35

36

37

3.4.1 Demographic Characteristics 37 3.4.2 Factors Affecting in Community

Resources and Community Demands 38 3.4.3 Factors Affecting in Work-Family

And Family-Work 40

V

3.5 Pilot Study

3.6 Data Collection

3.7 Data Analysis

40

42

43

3.7.1 Reliability Test 43 3.7.2 Data Screening 44 3.7.3 Descriptive Statistics 46 3.7.4 Inferential Statistics 46 (a) Pearson Product Moment Correlation

Coefficient 46 (b) Multiple Regression Analysis 49 (c) Visual Binning 49

3.8 Conclusion 49

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

4.0 Introduction 50

4.1 Respondents Demographic Characteristics 50

4.2 Level of Conflict for Work-family and Family- work 54

4.3 Hypotheses Testing 55

4.3.1 Relationship between Community Demands and WFC

4.3.2 Relationship between Community Resources and WFC

4.3.3 Relationship between Community Demands and FWC

4.3.4 Relationship between Community Resources and FWC

4.4 Relationship between Community Demands and Community Resources Factors with Work-Life Conflict

56

57

57

58

59

4.4.1 Factors in Community Demands and WFC 59 4.4.2 Factors in Community Resources and WFC 60 4.4.3 Factors in Community Demands and FWC 61 4.4.4 Factors in Community Resources and FWC 63

vi

4.5 Multiple Linear Regression

4.5.1 Research Objective 4.5.1.1 The independent variables (community

demands-friends, local community and neighbours) cannot predict the dependent variable (WFC)

4.5.1.2 The independent variables (community resources-friends, local community and neighbours) cannot predict the dependent variable (WFC)

4.5.1.3 The independent variables (community demands-friends, local community and neighbours) cannot predict the dependent variable (FWC)

4.5.1.4 The independent variables (community resources-friends, local community and neighbours) cannot predict the dependent variable (FWC)

4.6 Conclusion

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

5.0 Introduction

5.1 Summary

5.2 Discussion of the Main Findings

5.3 Implications of the Research

64

64

64

66

67

69

70

71

71

76

81

5.3.1 Implications of Research on Organizations 81 5.3.2 Implications of Research on Theory 81 5.3.3 Implications of Ressearch on Methodology 82

5.4 Limitations of the Research

5.5 Recommendations

82

83

5.5.1 To the Organization's Management 83 5.5.2 To Employees 84 5.5.3 To Future Researcher 85

vii

5.6 Conclusion

REFERENCES

85

87

APPENDIX A: Sample of survey questionnaire 92

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 The Conceptual Framework

Figure 2 Illustration for the Strength of Positive and Negative Correlation Coefficients

LIST OF TABLES

Table I Total of Employees in the Organization

Table 2 Statement Numbers of Community Resources

Table 3 Statement Numbers of Community Demands

Table 4 Five-Point Likert Rating Scale

Table 5 Five-Point Likert Rating Scale

Table 6 Outcome of the Reliability Test

Table 7 Overall Reliability Result for Actual Test

Table 8 Results of Normality Test for Actual Test

10

47

35

38

38

39

40

42

44

45

vii

Table 9 Profile of Respondents 52

Table 10 Level of Conflict Among the Respondents for Work-family and Family-work 55

Table 11 Pearson Moment Correlation Results for All Variables 56

Table 11.1 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Demands and WFC

Table 11.2 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Resources and WFC

Table 11.3 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Demands and FWC

Table 11.4 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Resources and FWC

Table 12 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Demands factors and WFC

Table 13 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Demands factors and WFC

Table 14 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Demands factors and WFC

Table 15 Pearson Moment Correlation Result between Community Resources factors and FWC

57

57

58

58

60

61

62

63

Table 16 Multiple Regression Analysis - Anova 65

Table 16.1 Multiple Regression Analysis - Coefficient 65

ix

Table 16.2 Multiple Regression Analysis - Model Summary 65

Table 17 Multiple Regression Analysis - Anova 66

Table 17.1 Multiple Regression Analysis - Coefficient 67

Table 17.2 Multiple Regression Analysis - Model Summary 67

Table 18 Multiple Regression Analysis - Anova 68

Table 18.1 Multiple Regression Analysis - Coefficient 68

Table 18.2 Multiple Regression Analysis - Model Summary 68

Table 19 Multiple Regression Analysis - Anova 69

Table 19.1 Multiple Regression Analysis - Coefficient 70

Table 19.2 Multiple Regression Analysis - Model Summary 70

Table 20 Summary of the Main Findings

Table 21 Summary of Findings on Pearson Correlation Coefficient, Multiple Linear Regression and Visual Binning

Table 22 The Summary of Research Hypotheses on Community Demands with WFC and FWC

Table 23 The Summary of Research Hypotheses on Community Resources with WFC and FWC

72

73

78

80

X

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of problems,

research objectives, hypothesis and conceptual framework. The significance of the study,

limitations of the study and definition of key terms also will be mentioned and followed

by conclusions.

1.1 Background of Studies

The changes and development of the global economy had created new endeavours

for the organizations. The organizations have to strive hard to gain and sustain their

competitive advantages to meet and satisfied the customer demands and to achieve

organizational goals. Therefore the employees need to give more commitment to the

organization. Currently, the employees are more involved in their jobs then in the last

decade (Nadeem & Abbas, 2009) and work-life balance had emerged as social issues

(Kay, 2003) and had become a topic of interest since then. The quest for an ideal way of

combining the often conflicting spheres of work and private life had occupied academics

and practitioners for decades (Zacharias, 2005). It is also supported by Lowe (2006) with

more women employed than ever before and dual-earner families' are common, work-life

balance is an ongoing quest.

1

A survey by The Managing Tomorrow's People found that with over 36 per cent

Malaysian desiring a better balance between work and life (The Edge Financial Daily,

2010) but numerous employees are experiencing a reduced quality of work-life and it will

cause a work-life conflict which will affect satisfaction and lead to a decrease in job

performance (Lowe, 2006).

It is generally agreed that work-life balance had become more difficult. In the past

decade, the changing nature of work such as the women involvement in the paid work,

long working hours and the influence and response of business and government policies

also contributed to work and family issues. The rise in women's participation in the

workforce had introduced new challenges for most families (Davidson & Burke, 2004).

Families in which both husband and wife work are more likely to create even more

important conflicts between work and family (Livingston & Judge, 2008).

Work and family represent the most important domains of adult life for most

individuals and these realms are often regarded as the backbone of human existence. The

ability of individuals to deal constructively with the demands of work and of family

depends on many factors. As many individuals juggle several significant life roles (e. g.,

parent, spouse, child, worker, student, community member), role conflict had contributed

to work-life imbalance. Work-family conflict occurs when the cumulative demand of

these many work and non-work life roles are incompatible in some respect so that

participation in one role is made more difficult by participation in the other role (Duxbury

& Higgins, 2001, as cited in Ncault, 2005).

2

Work-family conflict had two forms of direction that are work-family conflict and

family-work conflict which in this research it is also mention as work-life conflict to

represent both work and family conflict. Research on work-family conflict had found that

this variable influences a number of outcomes including psychological distress, job

satisfaction, organization commitment, turnover andlife satisfaction (Frone, Russell, &

Cooper, 1992; Higgins, Duxbury, & Irving, 1992).

In Malaysia, 62.4 percent of the work force is married which includes 44 percent

of dual-earner families (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2005) and the female labour

force participation was 45.9 percent in 2005 (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2005)

(Hassan, Dollard & Winfield, 2010). Women entered the labor force in response to

economic pressures, better opportunities in education, declines in fertility, increases in

life expectancy, and growing social acceptance of the dual-earner families (Noraini,

2001). In the most traditional pattern, the husband is the major breadwinner and the wife

performs most of the family work (Aminah, 1999) and Feinstein (1979) also mentioned

on the clash of traditional roles and attitude, which assign homemaking and childrearing

responsibilities to wives with increased labour force participation by women has placed

enormous physical and emotional burden on women workers with families. Voydanoff

(2004) stated that a stressful appraisal occurs when individuals perceive that the demands

of the environment exceed their resources thereby endangering their well-being and thus

this perception of work-life conflict or facilitation derives from assessing the relative

demands and resources associated with work and family roles.

According to Core (1994), even in households where both partners work, women

are likely to spend about twice as much time as men on household tasks. Since women

3

have insufficient time to perform all the tasks expected to them as mothers, wives and

worker, it also affect their roles and contribution in the community. Hashim and Omar

(2004) mentioned that the community organizing role, an often neglected aspect is

measured by involvement in local community organizations and associations. Very few

women are able to take up the additional burden of community work.

When the dual-earners is busy with work and family, the time for them to

contribute in the community is very limited or they are not interested to involve because

of tired or prefer to spend time with their family. Hashim et at, (2004) in their study in

Shah Alam, Selangor found that the involvement in community work is not very

encouraging and more in Parent-Teacher Association which women participation were

43.7 percent and men participation were 38.8 percent. Other than that, involvement in

neighbourhood association for women were only 3.8 percent and men 26.3 percent, local

mosques committee involving women were 31.3 percent and men 66.2 percent, for

religious group, the participation of women were 22.5 percent while men 27.5 percent

and other community work the involvement of women were only 7.5 percent and men 8.8

percent. This findings show a negative attitude towards community work and it can be

concluded that the main reason for this low involvement is due to negative attitudes and

the lack of support system to allow parents especially mothers some time to contribute to

community work.

Recently, scholars have begun to consider that demands and resources other than

work and family characteristics may also influence the ability of individuals and families

to fulfill their work and family responsibilities (Voydanoff, 2004). There is a growing

consensus that corporations alone cannot meet the many needs of working families,

4

Pusat Kiyidmat Maklumat Akademik UNIvF: R: SI"1'I MALAYSIA SARAWAY

especially those with children. It is time to explore the role of community - not only as a

context outside of work, but as a provider of resources essential to the well-being of

working families (Barnett & Gareis, 2008). A community is also part and parcel of

individuals' life and the role of every community is undeniable important especially in

the Eastern context where community are sometimes treated as part of the family

members.

The community domain is considered new in work-life conflict because not much

research has been done. The demands and resources in the community have always

influenced the work-family interface (Voydanoff, 2004) and the changes are associated

with psychological demands and resources in the community that may influence family-

to-work conflict and facilitation (Voydanoff, 2005).

Community is defined by The Universal English Dictionary as a society or body

of persons living in the same place, having the same rights, privileges and interests and

acknowledging the same laws. Friends, work associates, neighbours, family and local

organization are among others is in the circle of community. Friends, work associates,

neighbours and family are related with social support which in the past research shows

that social support outside of work such as that provided by spouses and friends, may

have a positive impact on work-family balance by reducing work-family conflict

(Carlson & Perrewe, 1999; Greenhaus & Parasuraman, 1994).

The exchange of support is important for the actual support which individuals

receive, for the pleasure that individuals receive from contact with other people and for

the sense of personal satisfaction associated with their ability to provide help to others.

5

Family members are important parts of this exchange, but research shows that friends

also play an important role (Griffith, 1985). Liebler and Sandefur (1998) also mentioned

that exchanges between friends are probably more important now because of the

extensive mobility of individuals away from other family members. For many individuals

in our society, a friend or neighbour is likely to be more accessible in time of need or

their needs.

Understanding how community demands and resources combine to influence

work-life conflict provides a necessary foundation for designing work and community

policies and programmes that will reduce work-life conflict and increase in work-life

balance.

1.2 Statements of the Problem

Research on the work-family interface has been of interest to organizational

psychologist for the past 20 years (Thompson et al., 2006 as cited in Hassan et al., 2010).

Evolving work relationships, placing more pressure on organizations, as well on

individuals balancing multiple domains of their lives, illustrate the need both in research

literature and in practice to expand our conceptualization of work life conflict issues

(Crooker, Smith & Tabak, 2002).

The increasing concern about work-family conflict is not limited to western

researchers only. The changing in demographic patterns showed that more non-western

women joined the workforce; thus, investigating work-family conflict is an essential issue

and had gained serious attention (Ahmad, 1996; Noor, 2004). Noor (2002) suggested that

6

it is necessary to study both genders, since work-family conflict is an issue concerning

both men and women. It had also affected all types of employees regardless of gender,

ethnicity, marital and parental status (Grant-Vallone & Donaldson, 2001). Besides,

Malaysian culture known as collectivism, make it important to study the community

domain as affecting the work-life conflict. Collectivism as define by Hofstede (1980) as

high loyalty for the organization and work toward its goals, interact with each other in an

interdependent mode, and take action jointly as a group in a co-operative fashion rather

than on an individual competitive basis, thus subscribing to the moralistic values of joint

efforts and group rewards. Usually collectivism cultures is mostly in eastern countries

while individualistic cultures is mostly in western countries where they tend to keep work

and family relationships separate. Because of the collectivism cultures that we hold,

community is part of the daily life and the study is needed to identify whether the

demands and resources in community is affecting the work-life conflict.

Crooker et al., (2002) also mentioned on work-life conflict is important to

address, given the negative outcomes for individuals and organizations associated with

imbalance. Furthermore according to Voydanoff (2004), in the past few years, scholars

and practitioners have begun to realize that it is also important to look beyond work and

family characteristics to understand more fully the range of demands and resources that

influence the ability of individuals and families to fulfill their work and family

responsibilities. Demands and resources in the community have always influenced the

work-family interface. Voydanoff (2001) also mentioned that work-family scholars and

practitiopers have suggested that our understanding of work, community and family

7

domains would be enriched by incorporating community into the analysis of work and

family.

The community domain is new and not much research has been done, by doing

this research it is hope that the findings will contribute to the existing research and since

the research had been carried out in the west, the new findings can be compared to the

existing one that is done in the east, particularly Malaysia. Furthermore, in the

community, there is a growing concern that the quality of home and community life is

deteriorating (Guest, 2002) and so this research might contribute to the mentioned factor

and identify whether community demands and community resources is affecting the

work-life conflict.

1.3 Research Objectives

1.3.1 General Objective

The purpose of this research is to identify whether community domains which are

community demands and community resources influence the work-life conflict among

the employees in the State Public Sector. It is also to determine whether any of the

community demands and community resources factors can be used to predict the work-

life conflict.

8