Profiles of social support in the workplace and outcomes: the potential role of gender
摘要
Relying on organizational support theory, this research analyzed how perceptions of three sources of social support at work (organization, supervisor, and colleagues) combined within distinct profiles of employees. Additionally, it examined whether the associations between these identified profiles and outcomes (overcommitment at work, emotional exhaustion, sleep problems, absenteeism, and performance) differed between samples of men and women employees. Results of latent profile analyses reported five profiles, which were replicated among men and women: (1) moderately supported, (2) weakly supported, (3) well-supported, (4) supervisor supported, and (5) highly supported. In addition, the most desirable outcomes (i.e., job performance) were associated with the highly supported and supervisor supported profiles, while the lowest levels of overcommitment were observed in the highly supported profile. Finally, the relationships between profile membership and outcomes did not differ between men and women. The theoretical and practical implications as well as limitations of this research are discussed.