Who Appreciates Family‐responsive Human Resource Policies: The Impact of Family‐friendly Policies on the Organizational Attachment of Parents and Non‐parents

The 1991 General Social Survey of 745 randomly selected workers in the United States assessed the impact of family‐responsive human resource policies, such as parental leave, flexible schedules, and child care assistance on organizational attachment. Employees who had access to family‐responsive policies showed significantly greater organizational committment and expressed significantly lower intention to quit their jobs. Additionally, child care information referral had a greater impact on affective commitment among employees eligible for that benefit. The data supported the theory that offering assistance to employees in need symbolizes concern for employees and positively influences attachment to the organization. The contrasting theoretical explanation–that people are more attached to companies when they individually benefit from progressive human resource policies–received considerably less support. The practical implication of the study for human resource management professionals is that providing comprehensive family‐friendly policies may have a positive impact beyond the individual employees who tap these benefits.