Journal of Managerial Psychology

Purpose Despite growing research on metaverse, the way this is associated with psychological contracts in business is virtually absent. In this paper, we aim to provide a conceptual exploration of this association between metaverse and the psychological contracts of both employees and customers. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual article that examines the implications of metaverse as a workplace and marketplace on frontline employees’ and customers’ psychological contracts. In doing so, we develop a conceptual model and make propositions, while we also offer recent examples of firms that have moved to metaverse. Findings Although we do not provide empirical results, we indicate through a set of propositions how changes in the workplace and marketplace caused by the firm’s use of metaverse influence the psychological contract of its employees and customers, as well as how these are interrelated. We further explain that the accomplishment of these psychological contracts in a metaverse context can favorably affect business performance. Practical implications Companies need to anticipate, monitor and adjust to the changing pattern of psychological contracts of both employees and customers as they move to metaverse because this will have serious implications on their business performance. Originality/value We introduce metaverse, a recently introduced phenomenon that is gaining momentum in the business world, causing significant changes in the workplace and marketplace and seriously affecting the nature of psychological contracts of both employees and customers.

Purpose Integrating the psychological threat perspective of voice with cognitive dissonance theory, the current research seeks to uncover how managers’ experience of shame shapes the extent to which they are threatened by and subsequently react defensively to voice(r). Design/methodology/approach A two (employee voice: voice condition vs no-voice condition) by two (manager shame: shame vs control) between-subjects experiment with 263 participants (i.e. front-line managers from mainland China) was conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings Employee voice (vs no voice) induced a higher ego threat among managers experiencing a higher than lower level of shame. The heightened ego threat, in turn, negatively affected the perceived warmth of the employee via perceived behavioral appropriateness. In a similar vein, it affected the perceived competence of the employee via perceived behavioral constructiveness. Practical implications Organizations and managers should be aware of the potential unfavorable effects of managers’ emotional state of shame on voice(r) evaluations and take action to improve managers’ emotional regulation skills. Employees should work on their emotional intelligence, which helps them better “read the wind” before speaking up. Originality/value The present work advances the understanding of managerial defensive reactions to employee voice by demonstrating that shamed managers are more likely to cognitively denigrate the voice and the voicer as an approach to defend their threatened ego.

Purpose Hybrid working is becoming commonplace, but scientific research on employee preferences for hybrid-working arrangements is still scarce. The current study investigated knowledge-worker preferences for hybrid-working scenarios, considering the relative importance of hybrid-working aspects and differences among knowledge workers associated with differences in preferences. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in a large governmental organization in the Netherlands. Attributes and levels for the choice-based experiment were developed in an iterative process involving several groups of stakeholders. A survey containing sociodemographic and work-related measures and a choice-based experiment was completed by 263 policy officers. Findings Conjoint analyses showed that the most important attribute was the “Distribution of days” (i.e. the percentage of time at home versus the office). Four employee segments were identified: home workers, hybrid fixed, hybrid flex and office workers, each with a different pattern of preferences. The segments differed on age/tenure, task interdependence, household composition (young children or not) and motives for coming to the office. Research limitations/implications The study reveals that differences in preferences are associated with different combinations of demographic and work characteristics rather than one specific characteristic. Findings align with theories on work–life balance, (family) life-cycle stages and needs-supply fit. Practical implications Study findings support managerial decision-making on which hybrid-working scenario(s) to implement, considering the preferences of different groups of employees. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature on hybrid working and represents a novel application of conjoint analysis.

Purpose Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study conceptualizes and empirically examines how and when green visionary leadership (GVL) stimulates employees’ green innovation (GI) in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach We collected 237 supervisor-employee matched multi-wave data from multiple organizations in China. The data were tested and analyzed using path analyses. Findings A significant relationship was found between GVL and GI, which was mediated by employees’ green passion (GP). Additionally, green value orientation (GVO) moderated both the direct relationship between GVL and GP and the indirect effect of GVL on employee GI via GP. Employees with stronger GVO were more likely to translate GVL into higher GI through increased GP. Practical implications Organizations should strengthen employees’ belief in green development, prioritize the recruitment, selection and training of leaders with GVL qualities, and foster a GVO among employees. This can enhance employees’ GP and ultimately drive GI within the organization. Originality/value This study develops an integrative model of GVL as central for organizational sustainability, focusing on GI. We apply SDT and identify GP as a mediator between GVL and GI, thus contributing to the understanding of psychological processes in GVL effectiveness. We also explore GVO as a boundary condition, providing insights into when GVL promotes GI. This advances research on leadership and green management literatures.

Purpose Job seekers frequently experience incivility during interactions with recruiters, which can negatively influence their job search behaviors. However, the underlying causes of such incivility remain underexplored. Based on attribution theory, this study examines how recruiters’ attributions about leader–member exchange (LMX) influence their psychological entitlement, which in turn shapes incivility toward job seekers. Design/methodology/approach The survey data was collected in three waves from 320 recruiters involved in the recruitment process. Findings The results found that when recruiters hold high levels of self-serving attribution, LMX quality is positively related to their psychological entitlement, which, in turn, promotes incivility toward job seekers. Practical implications Leaders should pay special attention to recruiters with high self-serving attributions when establishing LMX with them, as high-quality LMX may elicit a sense of psychological entitlement and potentially influence their uncivil behaviors. Originality/value Unlike prior studies that have focused on the negative outcomes of incivility experienced by job seekers, this study empirically reveals the potential antecedents of such incivility.

Purpose Based on self-verification theory, this study examines the impact of authentic leadership on employee expediency in China. Specifically, the authors investigate the mediating effects of self-verification striving on this relationship, as well as the moderating effects of leader–member exchange. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed 502 employees and their direct supervisors from 96 work units in one Chinese province and utilized multi-level path analysis to test a model of moderated mediation. Findings The study analysis results suggest that authentic leadership significantly contributes to reducing employee expediency in the surveyed Chinese companies. Self-verification striving mediates this relationship. Furthermore, leader–member exchange enhances the positive relationship between authentic leadership and self-verification striving. Research limitations/implications This study extends the understanding of antecedents of employee expediency and also extends previous research on the role of self-verification in shaping employee behaviors. The limitation is that the results are specific to China, and the study only relied on cross-sectional data. Practical implications The current study suggests that organizations should consider implementing training programs for their leaders to cultivate traits associated with authentic leadership. Furthermore, managers should actively promote employee engagement in discussions related to work objectives, methods and efficiency to assist them in their self-verification striving. They need to make efforts to enhance the climate of leader–member exchange, thereby reducing employee expediency. Originality/value This research identifies self-verification striving as key mediators that link authentic leadership to employee expediency and reveals the moderating role of leader–member exchange in the process.

Purpose Using the cognitive-affective-normative (CAN) model, this study highlights the role of self-regulated learning (SRL) and organisational culture and delves into the link between technophobia and a manager’s intention to adopt generative artificial intelligence (AI) in management practices. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was conducted through a survey of 528 business managers from China. Findings The study reveals that technophobia is negatively related to a manager’s intention to adopt generative AI, while SRL is positively related to the intention to adopt generative AI. Moreover, SRL reduces the negative impact of technophobia on AI adoption. Open organisational cultures reduce the need for SRL. Originality/value This study goes beyond a purely technical perspective towards a “human-side” view on understanding managers’ adoption of generative AI. This study is an early attempt to apply the CAN model to analysing the connection between technophobia, SRL, organisational culture and the intention to adopt generative AI.

Purpose This research investigates when and why lower-level leaders counteract interactional injustice after experiencing injustice from their superiors. Design/methodology/approach Two scenario-based studies were employed to test the hypotheses. Findings The enactment of injustice by higher-level leaders was found to increase psychological disidentification among lower-level leaders, prompting them to exhibit higher levels of interactional justice, particularly in contexts where justice is seldom rewarded. Research limitations/implications This paper extends trickle-down effects research by demonstrating how reactance can interrupt the transmission of injustice from higher-level leaders, suggesting that a reactance-provoking environment can motivate lower-level leaders to act more justly. Practical implications Organizations can mitigate the spread of injustice by enhancing middle-level leaders’ awareness of unjust behaviors and fostering a leadership self-concept that emphasizes interactional justice. Originality/value This paper clarifies the reversal of the trickle-down process of interactional injustice, contributing to the literature on trickle-down effects and interactional justice.

Purpose This paper investigates gender disparities, daily repercussions, and organizational implications related to customer sexual harassment (CSH) of service workers. Design/methodology/approach This study employed an experience sampling method across 10 days involving 71 call center employees in South Korea. Findings Women encountered significantly more instances of daily CSH, which eroded their daily job satisfaction and work engagement. Perceived organizational support and effective customer-service training mitigated the within-person relationship between CSH and job satisfaction, though not work engagement. Practical implications Female service employees are more susceptible to daily CSH, likely due to gender-role spillover. They require more robust organizational support and effective customer-service training to buffer the detrimental impacts of CSH on their daily job satisfaction. Originality/value In an attempt to understand sexual harassment as a daily experience, this research highlights gender differences in exposure to sexual harassment in workplaces no longer dominated by men and emphasizes the role of organizational resources in alleviating the adverse effects of daily CSH on service employees' well-being.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the under-studied construct of implicit promises within the broader field of psychological contracts by highlighting the impact of external, socio-institutional factors on employee perceptions of implicit promises. Design/methodology/approach A total of 53 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted in four foreign MNEs operating in Pakistan. A purposive sampling technique was applied and the four case study MNEs chosen differed considerably in terms of size, subsidiary age, organizational structure, HR strategy and industry/sector. Findings Our findings highlight that employees continually process their social environments, subsequently constructing a web of unwritten, perceived obligations and implicit promises, that are influenced by a range of external factors outside organizational control such as social stratification, relational networking both within and outside the employing organization, the economic health of the industry/sector, etc. We underline how implicit promises are socially constructed and therefore the socio-institutional components of implicit promises are likely to vary across contexts/countries and time. Originality/value Despite extensive literature on psychological contracts, implicit promises in particular remain theoretically and empirically under-operationalized, largely because of methodological challenges and a preponderance of cross-sectional, self-reported and a-contextual studies in extant psychological contract literature. Our study offers a reworked definition of implicit promises that highlights the impact of contextually-specific, socio-institutional factors on employees’ unspoken expectations and beliefs about future organizational outcomes and opportunities.

Purpose This study aims to explore how intersecting identities shape experiences of workplace discrimination faced by Muslim employees in Catalonia, Spain. We seek to understand the interplay of religion, ethnicity, gender and age in their employment experiences in order to improve managerial practices. Design/methodology/approach The research employs a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with 39 diverse Muslim employees in Catalonia through convenience and snowball sampling to support an intersectional analysis. Findings Findings reveal that Muslim employees navigate a workplace environment where their experiences of discrimination are shaped by intersecting identities including religion, age, gender and ethnicity which become salient at various stages of their careers, prompted by HRM practices such as recruitment, selection and promotion. Their experiences as recipients of these practices illuminate the complex ways in which intersecting identities shape the experiences of discrimination. The study reveals the hiding of their religious identity, giving up on traditional career paths, seeking social support from other Muslims and emphasizing privileged identities, to deal with discrimination. Originality/value This study deepens understanding of the complexity of religious identity in minorities and explores its role in workplace discrimination. In particular, the research sheds light on the psychological impact in the form of feelings of guilt and shame which arise from coping strategies such as concealing religious markers which are adopted by these employees in response to organizational and managerial practices. Lastly, the paper stresses the need for intersectional approaches in order to improve effectiveness of HR policies and managerial practices.

Purpose Self-leadership’s positive interpersonal influence is rarely considered in empirical research despite its significance to organizational social dynamics. Thus, this study aims to investigate self-leadership’s interpersonal effects and identify the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical model is validated through a two-point time-lagged survey. Findings Coworkers’ self-leadership positively impacts employees’ knowledge sharing through admiration and relationship desire. The chain mediation effect is moderated by perceived competitive climate: the higher the perceived competitive climate, the stronger the positive indirect effect will be. Practical implications Organizations should prioritize fostering employee self-leadership to facilitate knowledge sharing, especially in highly competitive environments. Originality/value By identifying the interpersonal effects of self-leadership, this study provides a fresh perspective to the literature on self-leadership, enriching the consequences of self-leadership.

Purpose This study aims to extend our knowledge of how leadership shapes the consequences of team age diversity. Specifically, we adopt a relational perspective on leadership to examine how two distinct aspects of LMX composition among team leaders and their team members—i.e. team LMX quality and team LMX differentiation—affect the link between age diversity and team performance. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses are tested via ordinary least squares regression and data for 64 work teams at a major hospital, which were provided by 526 team members and their respective team leaders. Findings Results reveal that team LMX quality and LMX differentiation both qualify the performance implications of team age diversity. While team LMX quality has a positive moderating effect, the moderating influence of team LMX differentiation is negative. Practical implications To reap the performance potential of age diversity, leaders need to serve as role models by investing in high-quality relationships with all their team members. When leading age-homogenous teams, leaders may consider differentiating their LMX relationships. Originality/value The present study contributes to a better understanding of the interplay between leadership and age diversity and helps to extend our knowledge of LMX as a team-level phenomenon.

Purpose In this era of rapid technological advancement, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a crucial factor in reshaping organisational dynamics, notably in the realm of leadership. This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to investigate the emerging relationship between AI and leadership, focussing on defining AI-powered leadership, identifying prevalent themes, exploring challenges, and uncovering research gaps within the relevant literature. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 73 papers was chosen after carefully applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria to 1,387 research articles that were initially sought. Using the methodological framework presented by Denyer and Tranfield (2009), our study adopted a four-step procedure to obtain insights from the corpus of literature. The papers were analysed by employing content and thematic analysis to address four key questions. Findings The review explores various definitions of AI-powered leadership proposed in the literature based on real-world situations. The study further synthesises significant themes in the existing literature, such as the past, present and future of AI and AI in various facets of organisational leadership, transitional management, and urban management. The review revealed a range of key challenges in AI-powered leadership, including ethical dilemmas, complications in human-AI interactions, hurdles in AI implementation within leadership contexts, and long-term risks associated with AI integration. In addition, this study identified areas within AI-powered leadership research that require further investigation by revealing significant research gaps in the papers. Originality/value By adopting a comprehensive approach, this research advances understanding of the complex relationship between AI and leadership dynamics, thus facilitating comprehension of the current body of knowledge and enabling future scholarly investigations in the AI-powered leadership domain.

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine when and why employee creative behavior leads to unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Drawing on research on moral licensing, we argue that the relationship between employee creative behavior and UPB is indirectly mediated by moral licence. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 214 employees and their immediate supervisors, and the theoretical hypotheses were tested by correlation and a hierarchical regression analysis. Findings We found that: (1) employee creative behavior is positively correlated with their moral credentials and moral credits; (2) it supported the mediating role of moral credentials between creative behavior and UPB but did not support the relationship between creative behavior and UPB through moral credits and (3) the indirect relationship between creative behavior and UPB is strengthened through moral credentials when perceptions of organizational valuing of creativity are high. Originality/value This study responds to calls from researchers to explore more detrimental outcomes of creativity, and we extend existing research by empirically showing that creativity can promote some unethical pro-organizational behavior. We also contribute to explore the mediated role of moral licensing and the moderated role of the perceived organizational valuing of creativity to explain the creative behavior–UPB relationship.

Purpose Although negative workplace gossip is ubiquitous, we know little about how it influences the sender–receiver relationship. Drawing on attribution theory and the warmth–competence framework, we develop a theoretical model to examine how receivers’ self-serving motives attribution affects their judgments (i.e. warmth and competence) of senders who share negative workplace gossip and their subsequent responses (i.e. interaction avoidance and willingness to cooperate) to these senders. Design/methodology/approach We collected multi-wave data from 273 employees in China and tested our hypotheses using path analysis. Findings Our results revealed that when receivers attributed negative workplace gossip to self-serving motives, they perceived the senders to be less warm and competent and subsequently showed more interaction avoidance and less willingness to cooperate with the senders. Practical implications These findings suggest that organizations should commit to implementing communication training programs to improve employees’ interpersonal communication skills and guide employees to interpret senders’ intentions with multiple cues. Originality/value The finding regarding the moderating role of self-serving motives attribution adds to the literature examining when receivers respond destructively to senders. Analysis of the mediating effects of warmth and competence further revealed the mechanisms of these effects.

Purpose Previous research on agility has focused on investigating agile practices as external structures (e.g. Scrum, Kanban) that make people do agile. A new line of research is increasingly examining internal structures (e.g. mindsets, attitudes) that cause people to be agile. The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the agile mindset as a new construct in psychological research. Design/methodology/approach This two-wave study (N = 411) examined the agile mindset’s factorial, discriminant, and incremental validity. The authors tested whether the agile mindset adds predictive value for occupational behavior (performance and innovative work behavior) and well-being at work (vigor and emotional exhaustion), above well-established internal dispositions, namely core self-evaluation, proactive personality, and prevention vs promotion focus. Findings The results indicate that the agile mindset positively predicts performance and innovative work behavior beyond core self-evaluation, proactive personality, and prevention vs promotion focus. Concerning well-being, only positive effects for vigor were found in comparison with prevention vs promotion focus. Practical implications The findings are useful for organizations looking to improve their agility to increase competitiveness in complex environments. Originality/value This study underscores the importance of further exploration into the agile mindset, emphasizing its significance in organizational psychology.

Purpose Based on the job demands-resources model (JD-R model) and conservation of resources (COR) approach, this study aims to examine how role overload and leader–leader exchange (LLX) affect leaders’ voice rejection, and explore when the positive relationship between role overload and voice rejection is weakened. Design/methodology/approach This study used three-wave data from 205 leader–employee pairs and tested the hypothesized moderated mediation model using hierarchical regression and bootstrapping. Findings Results revealed that two parallel paths influence leaders’ voice rejection. The first path was “LLX → change self-efficacy → voice rejection”, and the second path was “role overload → emotional exhaustion → voice rejection”. LLX weakened the direct relationship between role overload and emotional exhaustion, and weakened the indirect relationship between role overload and voice rejection via emotional exhaustion. Practical implications Organizations need to provide team leaders with additional resources and reduce their workloads to enhance their effectiveness in fulfilling the role of voice managers. Originality/value This study provides a comprehensive explanation, according to the JD-R model and COR theory, of how and when job demand and job resource influence leaders’ voice rejection, thereby enhancing our understanding of the formation. It provides new insights into leader voice rejection.

Purpose Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this research aims to advance the current understanding of leader boundary spanning by examining its effect on task performance, psychological mechanism and boundary conditions. Design/methodology/approach The empirical data were gathered by a paper-and-pencil survey from 155 employee-supervisor dyads working in various industries. Findings Our results indicated that leader boundary spanning is positively related to task performance, mediated by employees’ enhanced self-efficacy. Moreover, the results indicated that the positive effect of leader boundary spanning on task performance via enhanced self-efficacy is strengthened when the level of abusive supervision is low or when the level of an employee’s emotional exhaustion is high. Practical implications Organizations should find a way to facilitate leaders to engage in boundary spanning behaviors since a leader’s boundary spanning behavior enhances task performance through employee’s self-efficacy. Additionally, it is crucial to establish policies and provide training sessions to reduce the occurrence of abusive supervision in the workplace. Originality/value This study gives insights into the current literature by uncovering whether, how and under what circumstances boundary spanning leaders exert influences on task performance via employees’ self-efficacy. Our results showed that the positive effect of leader boundary spanning is likely to be strengthened when boundary spanners do not abuse their employees or when employees are in need of additional resources.

Purpose We introduce the notion of dilemmatic commitments to psychological contract theory and research – where breach lowers affective commitment while raising continuance commitment – and present its contrasting implications for explaining outcomes. Design/methodology/approach We draw on longitudinal survey data, along with objective data on actual employee turnover from organizational records. Findings We find opposing mediating pathways between psychological contract breach and employee turnover, via dilemmatic commitments where the effect of breach on employee turnover is positive via affective commitment and negative via continuance commitment. Originality/value The dual opposing commitment pathways following breach may explain why previous research finds small associations between breach and employee turnover. While dilemmatic commitment suggests that continuance commitment can offset the affective commitment pathway in limiting actual employee turnover, it represents a “mixed blessing” as both pathways reduced employee engagement in organizational citizenship behaviours.

Purpose This research focuses on how algorithmic management, as a primary method of platform governance, affects job burnout among gig workers. Drawing on self-determination theory, our study examines the various effects of algorithmic management’s aspects on gig workers' job burnout. Design/methodology/approach This study targeted gig workers (car drivers and food-delivery workers) and was conducted in two waves. Data analysis was facilitated using SPSS 22.0 and MPlus 8.4, a tool for CB-SEM (covariance-based structural equation modeling). Findings Algorithmic evaluation and discipline increase job burnout by negatively impacting gig workers' basic psychological needs. Algorithmic direction, in contrast, alleviates job burnout by enhancing basic psychological needs among gig workers. Practical implications Platform companies should address gig workers’ burnout by implementing advanced algorithmic management and providing autonomy-supportive environments. Adopting human-centric algorithmic practices can strengthen the platform–worker relationship, boost competence and reduce resistance to oversight. Originality/value Our study contributes to the literature by examining the various effects of algorithmic management on gig workers. By applying self-determination theory, we provide a novel perspective on understanding the mechanisms of job burnout in the gig economy.

Purpose The paper aims to extend the work–home resources model by identifying self-esteem as the mechanism and marital power as the moderator on the relationship between challenge/hindrance stressors and work-to-family enrichment (WFE). Design/methodology/approach This paper conducted a three-phase paper survey. Path analytic models were used to test the hypotheses using Mplus 8.10. Findings Challenge stressor (workload) enriches employees’ family through increased self-esteem, while hindrance stressor (role conflict) threatens WFE through decreased self-esteem. Marital power strengthens the positive relationship between self-esteem and enrichment as well as the indirect relationships between job stressors and WFE. Originality/value This study reveals how and when job stressors increase WFE.

Purpose Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we propose a mediated moderation showing how proactive personality (PP) and job crafting toward interests (JC-interests) influence the relationship between interest incongruence and cyberloafing. Design/methodology/approach We used a three-wave survey and collected data from 429 full-time employees working in different industries in China. Findings We found that interest incongruence was positively related to cyberloafing. Furthermore, this positive relationship was more significant when employees were low in PP or engaged in low levels of JC-interests. In addition, the moderating effect of PP was mediated by JC-interests. Practical implications These findings are helpful for organizations in figuring out how to mitigate the detrimental effects of interest incongruence by providing more support to proactive employees and implementing various JC interventions. Originality/value This study suggests that PP and JC-interests (resource gain strategy) could mitigate the positive effect of interest incongruence on employees’ cyberloafing.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how and when employee smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and algorithms (STARA) awareness affects job crafting through challenge appraisal and threat appraisal and provides positive stress mindset as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The survey data was collected from 319 employees in four Chinese companies. The hypotheses were tested using Mplus 7.0 and regression analysis. Findings The results indicate that STARA awareness positively prompts approach job crafting via challenge appraisal and also positively predicts avoidance job crafting via threat appraisal. Meanwhile, positive stress mindset enhanced the mediating effect of challenge appraisal and weakened the mediating effect of threat appraisal. Practical implications Leaders should prioritize hiring high-positive-stress mindset candidates for jobs, and organizations should also cultivate employees’ positive stress mindset. Originality/value Building on the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, this study reveals the underlying mechanism and boundary conditions behind the linkage of STARA awareness and job crafting.

Purpose Integrating self-determination theory with work-family boundary theory, this study delves into the mechanism (i.e. workplace anxiety) and boundary (i.e. intrinsic motivation) by which family motivation can inadvertently escalate work interference with family. Design/methodology/approach We conducted two three-wave field survey studies of 468 employees and 298 employees in China to test the theoretical model. Findings When intrinsic motivation is weak, employees with high family motivation feel anxious at work and thus experience more work interference with family. Practical implications The motivation to support one’s family through work increases the possibility of workplace anxiety and work interference with family. To alleviate this impact, cultivating intrinsic motivation is important. Thus, we encourage employees to be compassionate toward their internal feelings and needs while performing their jobs. Moreover, organizations are encouraged to improve employees’ intrinsic motivation by implementing practices that support their basic psychological needs. Originality/value This study casts new light on the potential adverse effects that family motivation may have on the work-family interface, challenging the prevalent belief that working for the family invariably improves the work-family interface. Moreover, it provides a new lens to understand how valuing the family inadvertently increases work interference with family.