The critical role of co-worker involvement: An extended measure of the workplace environment to support work–life balance

Abstract This paper extends the work of Thompson, Beauvais, and Lyness (1999, Journal of Vocational Behavior , 54, 392–415) on work–family culture by considering the role co-workers play. The proposed extended measure encompasses non-work spheres beyond the family as it has been established that much of the extant research does not include a large part of the workforce – those without childcare responsibilities (Kelliher, Richardson however, the gender expectation dimensions added little additional variance in relation to employee outcomes. The results support the inclusion of co-workers as an important dimension of the workplace environment that supports work and life balance.