Spillover of interpersonal conflicts from work into nonwork: A daily diary study

This study among a heterogeneous sample of employees expands the Job-Demands (JD-R) theory by examining how interpersonal conflicts at work -task and relationship conflictspillover into the non-work domain on a daily basis. We hypothesized that daily personal resources can buffer the daily negative spillover of interpersonal conflicts from work into the non-work domain. A total of 113 employees (N = 565 occasions) filled in a daily diary questionnaire in the evening before bedtime over five consecutive working days. Results of multi-level analysis showed that the presence of daily personal resources is essential in order to buffer the spillover of interpersonal conflict at work to the non-work domain. Specifically, on days that employees were not very optimistic or resilient, interpersonal conflicts resulted in higher strain-based work-life conflict experiences. These findings contribute to the JD-R theory and show how the unfavorable effects of daily interpersonal conflicts in the work domain may be avoided in the non-work domain through enhancing personal resources. We discuss the implications for theory and practice.