Managing work and nonwork responsibilities when labour protection is weak: The role of family supportive supervisor behaviours

Knowledge concerning the reconciliation of work and life in developing countries with weak labour protection and little governmental support (e.g. statutory work–life support) is still very limited. In this mixed‐method study, we explore how employees manage their work and nonwork responsibilities in Lebanon—a developing country with poor national and organisational work–life support. Findings from a qualitative study of 10 blue‐ (BC),10 white‐collar (WC) workers and 10 HR professionals from companies in various industries identified contextual challenges and strategies to reconcile work and nonwork responsibilities. In a quantitative study based on a survey of 269 employees, we examined the effect of family supportive supervisor behaviour (FSSB) for different groups of workers and explored one potential mechanism of FSSB, namely, schedule fit. Results show that FSSB increases employees' perceptions of schedule fit, which, in turn, minimises their work–life conflict (WLC). We also found that BC workers seem to benefit more from FSSB than WC workers. We inform work–life research on less supportive contexts and offer practical recommendations for HR managers to operate successfully within these environments.